Flying With a Dog on United: The $150 Fee, Carrier Sizes and the No Go List

United has changed its pet policy a good deal in recent years. It ended the programme that let passengers check larger pets into the hold, raised its cabin fee, and began allowing two pets per passenger on most flights. Much of what is written about United and dogs online describes the old arrangements, and owners arrive at the airport with the wrong fee and the wrong expectations as a result. This guide is taken from United's own page on travelling with pets, read in October 2026, and explains what the airline now allows and how to make use of it.

What United Allows, in Brief

Dogs and cats travel in the cabin only, in a carrier under the seat, for $150 each way, which makes a return trip $300. United sets no weight limit and no breed limit, so the only test is whether the dog fits a carrier that fits the space. You can bring two pets if you buy two seats. Against that, United will not take a pet in the cabin to Hawaii, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and a long list of other places, and it no longer carries pets in the hold for ordinary passengers at all. For a small dog on a route that is not on the list, it is a good airline. For a large dog, it is no longer an option.

The Fee

United states that pet tickets cost $150 each way. A great many guides, and one of United's own older pages, still say $125, which was the previous fee. Go by $150 when you budget, and treat any website quoting the lower figure as out of date on everything else it says as well. On an itinerary with a long stopover there can be a further charge for the second leg, so if you are connecting with several hours between flights, check the total when you book and not at the airport.

Will Your Dog Fit?

United says in so many words that there are no weight or breed limitations for pets, which makes it the most flexible of the big airlines for a small but solid dog. The condition is that the dog travels in a hard sided or soft sided carrier that fits under the seat in front of you, and that it can stand up and turn round inside. Only one pet is allowed in each carrier. A stocky dog of 20 lb that would be refused by an airline with a weight limit may travel on United, provided it truly fits the bag, so measure the dog and not just the label.

United gives two maximum sizes for the carrier. A hard sided one can be up to 9 inches high, 17.5 long and 12 wide. A soft sided one can be up to 11 inches high, 18 long and 11 wide, and since a soft carrier has two more inches of height and some give, it is the better choice for almost every dog. The carrier must be ventilated and must fit under the seat, or in the airline's words you cannot fly with your pet. You may bring it in addition to your normal carry on allowance, which is more generous than several rivals.

Bringing Two Pets

On most flights you can bring up to two pets per person, which is unusual and very useful for a household with two small dogs. You must buy two seats, and the second seat has to be next to your own so that you can look after both animals during the flight. Each pet travels in its own carrier, under its own seat, and each pays the fee. On some aircraft the space under the middle seat is limited, and there United allows only one pet per person. Those aircraft include the A319, the A320, the A321neo and several versions of the Boeing 737, which between them fly a large share of United's domestic routes, so check the aircraft type before you count on taking two.

Where United Will Not Take a Dog in the Cabin

United does not allow pets in the cabin on flights to, from or through Hawaii, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, the Philippines, South Africa, Jamaica, Barbados, Panama, Cuba, Jordan, Guam and several Pacific islands. The words to notice are "or through". If your journey connects in one of these places, your dog cannot travel in the cabin even if your final destination allows it. Our guides to Hawaii and to taking a dog from the US to the UK explain why those two are so difficult and what the alternatives are.

For other international flights, United requires a health certificate and a vaccination certificate for dogs and cats, and it applies that to Canada and Mexico as well as to longer journeys. For Mexico a dog also needs a screwworm inspection certificate signed by an accredited vet no more than five days before travel, which we cover in our guide to Mexico. If you are heading for continental Europe, most of which is not on United's list, our guide to taking a dog from the US to Europe sets out the paperwork.

Larger Dogs and Emotional Support Animals

United says plainly that it no longer lets passengers check pets through its PetSafe programme, and that pets can fly in cargo only when travelling with certain active duty military or State Department employees. If your dog is too big for a carrier under the seat, United cannot take it, and you will need an airline that still carries dogs in the hold. Alaska is the main one in the United States, and our guide to flying with a dog on Alaska explains its rules.

United also treats therapy animals and emotional support animals as pets. They pay the same fee, travel in a carrier and follow every rule in the policy, both at the airport and on the plane. Only trained service animals are treated differently. If you used to fly with an emotional support dog on your lap, that arrangement has ended on United as it has on the other American airlines.

Booking and the Day of Travel

Add the pet when you book on United's website by choosing to travel with a pet as one of the travellers, or add it afterwards through your trips. You cannot add a pet in the United app, which trips up people who book everything on their phone. Places are limited on each flight and you cannot sit in a bulkhead or exit row. For a domestic flight you check in at a kiosk with your confirmation number, and the kiosk prints a special tag for the carrier.

Many airports have pet relief areas, and United's app shows where they are on its airport maps, which is worth looking up before a connection. Pet strollers must be checked in and count towards your checked bag allowance. At security you carry your dog through the metal detector while the carrier is scanned, as the TSA requires. Once you are on board, United says there is only one rule: your pet must stay in its carrier with the door closed, under the seat, at all times.

Getting Your Dog Ready

That one rule is easy for a dog that regards its carrier as a bed and hard for a dog that has never been shut in one. Start weeks ahead, with the carrier open at home and treats inside, and build up to long spells with it closed. Our guide to training your dog to travel shows how. Walk your dog well before the airport, feed it lightly, and do not sedate it. If you are returning from abroad, your dog needs a CDC Dog Import Form, a microchip and to be at least six months old. Our complete guide to flying with a dog covers the rest of the journey.

A Closing Thought

United suits an owner with a small dog, or two, on a domestic or transatlantic route that avoids its list of excluded places, and its lack of a weight limit is a real advantage for a sturdy little dog. Check every airport on your itinerary against the list, measure your carrier, buy the second seat if you are bringing a second pet, and ignore any website that still quotes $125.