United may accept your dog, cat, rabbit or household bird as carry-on or checked baggage. Some other pets, including dogs of the pit bull breed, hamsters and guinea pigs, may travel as checked baggage only. All options require advance reservations and are subject to a charge. Please call United Reservations at 1-800-UNITED-1 (1-800-864-8331) to make arrangements for pets traveling as checked or carry-on baggage. For all other animals, please contact United Cargo at 1-800-UA-CARGO or visit unitedcargo.com.
Please note
Advance arrangements are not guarantees that your animal will travel on a specific flight. To be as humane as possible, airlines reserve the right to refuse to transport an animal for reasons such as illness, poor kenneling or extreme temperatures at origin, transfer or destination airports. Airlines have the right to refuse carriage of any animal that demonstrates aggressive and/or violent behavior.
Summer embargo - breed restriction
For the safety of your animal, United Airlines does not accept the following short-nosed dog breeds, or mixed-breed dogs exhibiting the short-nosed characteristics of these breeds, as either checked baggage or cargo from June 1st through September 30th of each year. This restriction does not apply to animals traveling with you in the cabin.
- American Bulldog
- Boston Terrier
- Boxer
- English or French Bulldog
- King Charles Spaniel
- Lhasa Apso
- Pug
- Shar-Pei
- Shih Tzu
All-breed summer embargo for travel to/from Kuwait and Bahrain
Due to extreme heat, United Airlines will not accept any pets as checked baggage for travel to/from Kuwait (KWI) and Bahrain (BAH) from May 1 through September 30. Pets can be carried only in the economy cabin on flights to and from Kuwait. If the pet is carried in the cabin, the embargo time frame does not apply.
Travel to/from Australia
Pets are not permitted to travel in the cabin or as checked baggage on flights to/from Australia (exceptions may be made for service dogs such as seeing-eye or guide dogs). Pets may only travel to/from Australia as manifested cargo. Passengers should visit http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/cat-dogs and www.unitedcargo.com to learn more.
Health documentation
Passengers are required to make sure all health and pet travel documents are current and compliant with local, state, federal and international entry requirements and regulations. The passenger will assume full responsibility for penalties assessed by agencies for non-compliance of pet health and entry requirements.
Carry-on
United will allow the following pets to travel with you in the cabin if they are small enough to fit and stay comfortably in a carrier under the seat in front of you:
- fully weaned dog or cat (minimum 6 months old, 1 per carrier);
- domesticated rabbit (1 per carrier)
- fully weaned puppies or kittens (minimum 8 weeks old, maximum 2 per carrier)
- domesticated household birds (maximum 2 per carrier)
Your pet carrier will take the place of one carry-on item, and a fee will apply. Please see the Fees for Traveling with Pets page for more information.
Please note: United will not transport an animal as carry-on baggage if the animal is traveling with an unaccompanied child.
Your pet carrier may be either hard- or soft-sided and must prevent escape of your pet into the cabin. No part of the animal should protrude from the carrier, and the floor must be absorbent enough to retain liquids and solids. Ventilation must be adequate. Pet and customer well-being require restrictions on many aircraft. United Airlines may not be able to accommodate pets on some aircraft or routes, or in many United First® and United Business® cabins. To be brought on board, kennels may not exceed any of the following dimensions:
| Kennel type |
Maximum size
for carry-on |
| Hard-sided |
17.5 x 12 x 7.5 inches
(44 x 30 x 19 cm)
|
| Soft-sided |
18 x 11 x 11 inches
(46 x 28 x 28 cm) |
No pets are allowed in the cabin on flights to Hawaii, with the exception of certified guide dogs. For more information on pets and travel to Hawaii, visit the Travel to Hawaii section.
Checked baggage
Your dog or cat can ride in the pressurized and heated cargo compartment of the aircraft you are ticketed on. Pets traveling as checked baggage will be accepted at the airport check-in counter and delivered to the baggage claim area at your final destination. Please see our Kennels page for information about restrictions and requirements for pets traveling as checked baggage.
Fees will apply. Please see the Fees for Traveling with Pets page for more information.
Unaccompanied pets
Animals traveling via our cargo system are accepted at the cargo facility and travel in the pressurized cargo compartments of our aircraft. Fees vary based on weight, size and destination. Extreme weather guidelines will apply, preventing cargo shipment of any live animal when the temperature is forecast to exceed 85 degrees Fahrenheit at any point in the animal's journey.
Travel arrangements
If your pet will be traveling as carry-on or checked baggage, call United Reservations at 1-800-UNITED-1 (1-800-864-8331) to arrange for their travel. If your pet will be unaccompanied, contact United Cargo at 1-800-UA-CARGO or visit unitedcargo.com. If you wish to ship your pet as cargo in conjunction with your own United air travel, please contact United Cargo prior to making your air reservation.
