Flying With a Dog on Frontier: Domestic Only, $149 Each Way

Frontier is a budget airline, and people often assume its pet fee will be a bargain to match its fares. It is not. At $149 each way, Frontier charges about the same for a dog as the full price airlines do, and on a cheap ticket the dog can easily cost more than its owner. What Frontier does offer is a simple policy and a slightly roomier carrier than most. This guide is taken from Frontier's own page on travelling with pets and its list of charges, as they stood in the autumn of 2026, and explains what to expect.

What Frontier Allows, in Brief

Pets are allowed in the cabin on all Frontier's domestic flights. The charge is $149 per pet, in each direction, and it is not refundable. Each passenger may travel with one pet, in a container under the seat. Frontier has stopped accepting pets on international flights, and it does not check pets in as baggage, so there is no option at all for a dog that is too big for the cabin. It is an airline for a small dog on a trip within the United States.

What It Costs

Frontier's list of optional services gives the pet charge as $149 per pet, per direction, and marks it non refundable. A return trip therefore costs $298 for the dog, whatever you paid for your own seat. Frontier describes the charge as one way and directional, and it may be paid in advance when you book. If you do not pay then, you pay when you check in your pet at the airport.

There is a second cost that is easy to miss. Frontier charges for cabin bags. Its policy says that in addition to the travel container for your pet you are allowed either a personal item or a carry on bag, and that an additional fee applies for the carry on bag. So work out the whole price of the journey, with the pet charge and your bags included, before you decide that Frontier is the cheap option. On a short trip with a small dog it sometimes is not.

Will Your Dog Fit?

Frontier sets no weight limit. Its rule is about the container, which must be large enough for the pet to stand, turn around and lie down in a natural position, and must also fit underneath the seat in front of you. Only one adult dog or cat may travel in each container. The airline adds, a little sternly, that your pet needs to be harmless, not disruptive, odourless, and to require no attention during the flight.

On the size of the container, Frontier is kinder than its rivals. A hard sided one may be up to 18 inches long, 14 wide and 8 high. A soft sided one may be up to 18 inches long, 14 wide and 11 high, and the airline recommends soft. Fourteen inches is two or three inches wider than Delta, American or United allow, which helps a good deal with a stocky dog such as a small French bulldog or a pug. Frontier notes that certain seats cannot take a pet container, and says it will work with you to find one with space.

The Rules on Board

You may not sit in the first row or in an exit row when travelling with a pet. For safety reasons your pet must remain in the travel container at all times, and Frontier is clear about what that means in practice: if your pet is disruptive, it is up to you to soothe it without taking it out of the container. You cannot have the dog on your lap, even for a minute, and even if it is crying.

Frontier also asks that you do not give your pet food or water while on the aircraft, on the grounds that the stress and motion of travel could make it uncomfortable, and it recommends that pets have no food or water within four hours of departure. That is stricter than most veterinary advice, which favours letting a dog drink before a journey, so on a longer flight use your own judgement and at least offer water in the terminal before boarding. The airline states one more thing plainly, which is that no oxygen will be administered to a pet in an emergency.

Sedation and Flat Faced Dogs

Frontier's page notes that most veterinarians advise against sedating pets for travel, because the effects of tranquillisers on animals at altitude are unpredictable. That is good advice on any airline. A nervous dog is helped far more by weeks of practice in its carrier than by a tablet on the day, and our guide to training your dog to travel explains how to go about it.

Frontier carries pets only in the cabin and its page lists no breed restrictions for dogs, so flat faced dogs such as pugs and French bulldogs can travel if they fit the container. These breeds struggle with heat and stress, though, so keep them cool in the terminal, avoid the hottest part of the day in summer, and ask your vet beforehand whether flying is sensible for your particular dog.

Domestic Flights Only

Frontier's page says that, effective immediately, it will not accept new pets for international travel, and that only service animals are accepted on international flights, under specific requirements. So a dog cannot travel with you on Frontier to Mexico, the Caribbean or Central America, even though the airline flies there. Puerto Rico counts as domestic, but it has entry requirements of its own for pets, including a health certificate and proof of rabies vaccination, so read them before you book.

For flights within the mainland, Frontier does not itself require a health certificate for a pet in the cabin. It points out, however, that the state you are flying to may require one, and that checking is your responsibility. Our guide to dog passports, health certificates and microchips explains how the rules between states work, and in practice it is wise to carry your dog's rabies certificate on every trip.

If Your Dog Is Too Big

There is no alternative on Frontier. The airline does not allow pets to be checked as baggage, so a dog that will not fit under the seat cannot fly with it. The choices then are to drive, which for many journeys is the kindest answer, or to use one of the few airlines that still carry dogs in the hold. Our guides to driving with your dog, flying a dog in the hold and flying with a dog on Alaska Airlines cover those options.

Booking and the Day of Travel

Add the pet when you make your booking, or add it to an existing reservation, and pay the charge in advance if you can, since it saves time at the airport and secures the place. On the day, arrive early. At security you will carry your dog through the metal detector while the empty container is scanned, as the TSA requires, so have a lead on it. Walk your dog well before you set off and give it a last chance to relieve itself before boarding, because once you are at the gate it stays in the container until you are out of the airport at the other end. For more on preparing for a flight, see our complete guide to flying with a dog.

A Closing Thought

Frontier will take a small dog anywhere it flies within the United States, in a slightly wider carrier than most airlines permit, and its rules are easy to follow. Just do the sums first. At $149 each way, non refundable, with bags on top, the dog's fare can cost more than yours, and the airline that looked cheapest may not be once the whole family is counted.