The FAA does not have a list of pets not allowed on airplanes.

Traveling can be stressful. Especially if you're traveling with your pet.

Recent articles in the Wall Street Journal and New York Post feature travelers who believe their dogs were also placed on the no-fly pet list because they weren't allowed on planes.

question

Is there a federal no-fly list for pets?

source of information

answer

No, there is no federal no-fly list for pets. However, airlines are legally allowed to deny pets boarding a plane unless they are a service animal.

what we found

Airlines are required to allow service animals on board, but they also have the right to refuse to allow other animals to board the plane.

A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the agency allows each airline to decide whether to allow pets on board. If an airline brings pets on board, the pet carrier must meet the FAA's carry-on baggage requirements.

Therefore, pets flying onboard must be small enough to fit into appropriately sized containers. If permitted by the airline, large pets must fly in the hold.

Outside of these few rules, each airline is free to set its own policies regarding pets, according to the Department of Transportation (DOT).

VERIFY contacted each of the seven major U.S. airlines to ask if they have internal “no-fly lists” for individual pets. Southwest Airlines confirmed that it does not have an official no-fly list for pets. United declined to comment. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines, Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways did not respond by time of publication.

pets on board

All seven major U.S. airlines (American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and JetBlue Airways) allow at least small cats and dogs on board their flights. Delta Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Spirit Airlines allow domestic birds. Rabbits are also allowed in Alaska and Spirit states.

Pets must meet the airline's health, vaccination, and age requirements. Additionally, even if your pet can meet all of the above requirements, the airline may, at its discretion, prevent your pet from boarding.

The state of Alaska, for example, requires pets with “pets that cause unpleasant odors or noise” to travel in the hold of an airplane.

Southwest Airlines says pets exhibiting “destructive behavior” may be refused boarding. Destructive behavior may include scratching, excessive whining, barking, growling, biting, lunging, or your pet relieving itself in the gated area.

Spirit warns that pets will be removed if they “show discomfort or cause disturbance before exiting the gate.”

United Airlines' contract of carriage states that pets must be “harmless, harmless, odorless and do not require attention during transportation.” The airline said it “reserves the right to refuse the carriage of animals on board at any time.”

Pets in the cargo hold

This discretion also applies to large pets. Your pet may be too large to carry on board and may need to fly in the cargo hold.

Of the seven major U.S. airlines, only two, Alaska Airlines and American Airlines, allow any passenger to pay a fee to carry a pet in the cargo hold. In addition, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines have made exceptions for active-duty U.S. military or U.S. Department of State Foreign Service personnel flying with a permanent change in base order, allowing pets to be checked in baggage in the cargo hold. revealed.

The four airlines that allow pets to be carried in cargo do not allow certain breeds of cats or dogs to be carried in cargo. Most of these breeds are short-nosed dogs and cats.

Dog breeds typically included on this list include bulldogs, pit bulls, pugs, mastiffs, Shih Tzus, and boxers. There are only four cat breeds on each airline's list: Burmese, Exotic Shorthair, Himalayan, and Persian.

The restricted breed list applies to both purebreds and mixed breeds and is largely the same across airlines. A complete list of Delta Airlines, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, and United Airlines can be found at these links.

According to airlines, short-nosed dog breeds are often banned from cargo flights because breeds that are prone to respiratory illnesses are especially susceptible to changes in air quality and temperature that can occur in airplane cargo holds. It is said that it is because he is sensitive. American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Historically, brachycephalic breeds were more likely to die during cargo transport than other breeds.

American Airlines also said it does not allow aircraft of “historically aggressive breeds” to fly for safety reasons.

Delta Air Lines said restricted breeds will not be allowed to fly cargo “at any time, regardless of age, weight or temperature restrictions.”

However, even if your dog or cat does not fall into one of these breeds, you may be denied boarding due to other factors. American Airlines says it will only transport warm-blooded animals when ground temperatures are between 45 degrees Fahrenheit and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Pets will not be allowed in the cargo hold if the temperature is above 85 degrees, but pets will be allowed to fly if the temperature is between 20 degrees and 44 degrees, as long as the passenger has a note from a veterinarian. .

Cold-blooded animals are exempt from these temperature rules. Americans say to provide hot or cold compresses for those animals if needed.

If you have a pet other than a cat or dog, you should check with your airline to see if they allow pets. Airlines that allow pets to travel in the cargo hold generally have less restrictive restrictions than those that allow pets in the cabin. For example, Alaska allows cats, dogs, ferrets, guinea pigs, hamsters, domestic birds, non-venomous reptiles, pot-bellied pigs, rabbits, and tropical fish to be shipped with air cargo.