Leaving a dog or cat behind is often the hardest part of a trip. The good news: flying with pets is getting easier, and the safety numbers are reassuring. US airlines carried 117,861 animals in 2025, with just three deaths, seven injuries and one lost animal — an incident rate of 0.76 per 10,000 animals, according to the Department of Transportation.
Still, every airline writes its own rules, and they vary wildly. Cabin pets usually have to fit in a carrier under the seat, which rules out most dogs over about 20 pounds. Fees for in-cabin pets on US commercial carriers typically run $100 to $150 each way, while cargo transport costs around $200 each way. Carriers often count toward your carry-on allowance too, so budget for a checked bag if you pack heavy.
If your pet is too big for under-seat duty, the semi-private options are where things get interesting. Bark Air, which launched in May 2024, is built entirely around dogs: no size or breed limits, dogs roam the cabin carrier-free, and flight attendants serve bone broth during takeoff to ease ear pressure. Tickets — covering one human and one dog — cost around $7,075 from Los Angeles to New York or $7,450 from New York to San Francisco. Routes currently link New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Paris and Madrid, and chaperones can even fly your dog without you.
K9 Jets, a UK-based pay-per-seat private jet service founded in 2022, takes dogs and cats (cats stay in soft carriers; dogs stay leashed) on routes to Dubai, Dublin, Frankfurt, Lisbon, London, Milan, Paris, Melbourne, Geneva and Toronto. One seat covers either two pets under 50 pounds each or one pet over 51 pounds. JSX, the California public charter that started in 2016 and now serves 28-plus destinations in the US and Mexico, is the budget-friendlier middle path: small dogs and cats under 30 pounds fly in the cabin for $100 each way, and dogs up to 80 pounds can join you if you buy an extra seat and keep them leashed on the floor.
Among the mainstream carriers, Alaska Airlines stands out. In the cabin, dogs, cats, domesticated rabbits and small household birds fly for $100 each way ($35 within Hawaii), with two carriers allowed per passenger if you buy adjacent seats. Its climate-controlled cargo hold accepts an unusually wide menagerie — ferrets, guinea pigs, hamsters, pot-bellied pigs, even tropical fish — for $200 per kennel each way, less on intra-Alaska, intra-Hawaii and military flights. Watch the fine print: brachycephalic (short-nosed) breeds face restrictions, and Hawaii-bound cargo is limited to dogs and cats.
Who is this for? Anyone who hates the kennel-drop-off goodbye. If you have a small cat or dog, most major carriers will work — just compare fees and carrier rules. If you have a big dog, JSX is the realistic commercial option, while Bark Air and K9 Jets are splurge territory. Whatever you choose, book early (cabin pet slots are limited per flight), get a vet check and health certificate, and always confirm current policies before paying — they change often.
