Which Airlines Allow Cats in the Cabin?

Published on August 20, 2026

Flying with your cat in the main cabin, tucked in a carrier at your feet, is a very different experience than shipping them as cargo. Most major U.S. airlines allow it, but the details- carrier size, minimum age, which routes are off-limits- vary more than you’d think.

We pulled the current in-cabin cat policies straight from each airline’s own site so you can see exactly what applies to Delta, American, United, Southwest, and Alaska. A word of caution: airline pet policies change often, sometimes with little notice. We’ve linked the official source under every airline below so you can verify the current details yourself before you book.

Airline rules at a glance

Here’s how the five major U.S. carriers compare for a cat traveling in the cabin. Full detail and sourcing for each is below the table.

Airline	Max cabin carrier size	Minimum age	Cabin breed limits	Where cabin cats aren’t allowed
Delta	Recommends 18″ x 11″ x 11″, soft-sided (varies by aircraft)	8 weeks domestic, 15-16 weeks international	None published for cabin (snub-nosed breeds are restricted from cargo, not the cabin)	Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic (as origin), Hawaii, Hong Kong, Iceland, Jamaica, New Zealand, South Africa, UK, UAE
American	18″ x 11″ x 11″ soft-sided; 19″ x 13″ x 9″ hard-sided (Mainline)	8 weeks within the U.S. and Puerto Rico	None published for cabin (breed limits apply to checked pets only)	Hawaii, trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific routes, South America, Jamaica
United	18″ x 11″ x 11″ soft-sided; 17.5″ x 12″ x 9″ hard-sided	About 8 weeks domestic, 4 months international	None published	Hawaii (except certified guide dogs); confirm entry rules for your destination before booking
Southwest	18.5″ x 13.5″ x 8.5″	8 weeks	None published	All international routes; only Hawaii-interisland flights are allowed, not mainland-to-Hawaii
Alaska	Alaska doesn’t publish exact inches; widely cited as around 17″ x 11″ x 9.5″. Confirm with Alaska directly	8 weeks, fully weaned	None published	Only dogs and cats fly in-cabin to Hawaii and international destinations (no rabbits or birds)

 

Delta Air Lines

Delta allows small cats in the cabin on domestic flights within the contiguous U.S. for a one-way fee collected at check-in, and on international routes as long as you have the entry documentation your destination requires. Delta doesn’t publish a strict weight limit for in-cabin cats. Instead, the rule is that your cat has to fit comfortably in the carrier with room to move, and the carrier has to fit fully under the seat in front of you, which varies by aircraft.

Cats must be at least 8 weeks old for domestic travel, at least 15 weeks old for travel to the European Union, and at least 16 weeks old for other international travel into the U.S. Delta does restrict brachycephalic (snub-nosed) breeds like Persians from traveling as cargo, but that restriction is specific to Delta Cargo, not the cabin.

Cats aren’t permitted in the cabin at all on flights to or from Australia, Barbados, Hawaii, Hong Kong, Iceland, Jamaica, New Zealand, South Africa, the UK, or the UAE, or on flights originating in Brazil, Colombia, or the Dominican Republic.

Source: Delta’s official Pet Travel Overview page

American Airlines

American allows small cats in the cabin on most flights up to about 12 hours within the contiguous U.S., and to and from Canada, Alaska, Mexico, Central America, Puerto Rico, St. Croix, and St. Thomas. The carrier must fit fully under the seat: American’s published maximum is 18 x 11 x 11 inches for a soft-sided carrier on any flight, or 19 x 13 x 9 inches for a hard-sided carrier on Mainline aircraft (16 x 12 x 8 inches on American Eagle flights).

Cats must be at least 8 weeks old for travel within the U.S. and Puerto Rico. American doesn’t publish breed restrictions for cats traveling in the cabin. The brachycephalic breed list you may see referenced (Burmese, Persian, Himalayan, Exotic Shorthair) applies only to checked pets, which American accepts solely for active-duty military and State Department personnel on official orders, not to cats flying with you in the cabin.

Carry-on cats aren’t permitted on flights to or from Hawaii, on trans-Atlantic or trans-Pacific routes, to South America, or to Jamaica.

Source: American Airlines’ official Traveling with Pets page

United Airlines

United allows small cats in the cabin, with a carrier maximum of 18 x 11 x 11 inches soft-sided or 17.5 x 12 x 9 inches hard-sided. Kittens generally need to be around 8 weeks old for domestic travel and closer to 4 months old for international travel, though we’d recommend confirming the exact cutoff with United directly since sourcing varied slightly across our references for this one.

United no longer offers a general cargo option for pets since retiring its PetSafe program; in-cabin is essentially the only path for civilian travelers now. United doesn’t publish breed restrictions for cabin cats. Some destinations, including Hawaii, don’t accept in-cabin pets, and United recommends confirming any destination’s entry requirements before you book, since a growing number of countries restrict in-cabin animal entry outright.

Source: United’s Traveling with Pets page 

Southwest Airlines

Southwest is cabin-only for pets. It doesn’t offer any cargo or checked-pet option, so if your cat can’t fit comfortably under the seat, Southwest isn’t going to work for that trip. The published carrier maximum is 18.5 x 13.5 x 8.5 inches, soft or hard-sided.

Cats must be at least 8 weeks old and vaccinated. Southwest doesn’t publish cabin breed restrictions. The bigger limitation with Southwest is geographic: it doesn’t allow pets on any international flight, and mainland-to-Hawaii pet travel isn’t permitted either, only flights between the Hawaiian islands.

Source: Southwest’s official Pet Policy help article

Alaska Airlines

Alaska allows cats in the cabin along with dogs (as of June 2025, rabbits and household birds are being phased out of the in-cabin program). Cats must be at least 8 weeks old, fully weaned, and eating solid food on their own. Alaska’s own site describes fit and ventilation requirements but doesn’t spell out exact carrier inches the way some other airlines do; third-party carrier guides commonly cite around 17 x 11 x 9.5 inches, so we’d suggest confirming the exact number with Alaska before you buy a carrier.

Alaska doesn’t publish cabin breed restrictions. On flights to Hawaii and international destinations, only dogs and cats (not other small pets) are accepted in the cabin.

Source: Alaska Airlines’ Traveling with Pets page

What’s true across every airline

• No airline will knowingly accept a sedated cat. All five follow the American Veterinary Medical Association’s guidance that sedation raises the risk of breathing and heart problems at altitude.
• The carrier has to fit fully under the seat in front of you, and that space genuinely varies by aircraft type, not just by airline. If you’re booking a specific flight, it’s worth confirming the aircraft.
• In-cabin pet space is limited and handled first-come, first-served. Most airlines want you to call and add your cat to the reservation rather than relying on an online add-on.
• None of the five publish a breed restriction for cats flying in the cabin specifically. Breed restrictions mostly show up around cargo and checked baggage, where temperature and pressure risks for flat-faced cats are higher.

A note on flat-faced cats

If your cat is a Persian, Himalayan, Exotic Shorthair, or another brachycephalic breed, the cargo restrictions you’ll see referenced everywhere don’t apply to cabin travel with you, since the cabin is pressurized and climate-controlled the same as any other passenger space. That said, flat-faced breeds can still be more sensitive to stress and heat generally, so it’s worth a quick conversation with your vet before you fly. Our guide to Safe Travel Tips for Snub-Nosed Pets covers this in more depth.

Before you book

A couple of things worth doing regardless of which airline you choose. First, measure your cat and your carrier against the airline’s numbers rather than trusting the label; our guide to measuring your pet for the correct carrier size walks through it step by step.

Second, if you’re weighing carrier options, our roundup of airline-approved pet travel carriers covers what tends to actually fit, not just what’s marketed as fitting. And our Pet Travel FAQ and ABCs of Pet Travel are good next stops if you’re just getting started.

If your cat’s trip is part of a bigger move rather than a one-off flight, especially an international relocation, we’re happy to help you sort through documentation, timing, and airline routing so you’re not doing it alone.

You can request a free quote here whenever you’re ready.

 

Sources

•   Delta Air Lines: Pet Travel Overview
•   American Airlines: Traveling with Pets
•   United Airlines: Traveling with Pets
•   Southwest Airlines: Pet Policy
•   Alaska Airlines: Traveling With Pets

All sources checked August 20, 2026. Airline policies change without much notice, so please verify current details directly with the airline before booking, especially carrier dimensions, age minimums, and destination restrictions.