You’re planning on using United Airlines. And you want to bring your dog. So you’re wondering, are service dogs allowed on United Airlines?
Absolutely! Service dogs are allowed on United Airlines. What’s more, you get to enjoy some financial perks you ordinarily wouldn’t if your dog wasn’t a service dog.
Plus, your service dog gets to unreservedly join you in the cabin during your trip. But, you must be ready to comply with the airline’s rules and regulations as well.
Are United Airlines Dog-Friendly?
Yes, they are! But, like most airlines that allow dogs on their planes, they have an extensive set of rules you must comply with before your dog is allowed onboard.
But, United Airlines allows access to their planes to not just dogs. Most small pets are welcome too!
So, cats, birds, guinea pigs, and rabbits are all allowed on United Airlines. However, restrictions may apply as and when necessary, depending on for instance the flight destination, season, and other factors.
Usually, you have a minimum of 5 days and a maximum of 30 days to make the necessary reservations before you travel.
What Is United Airlines’ Pet Policy?
Generally speaking, United Airlines’ pet policy consists mainly of their in-cabin pet policy and cargo pet policy.
The in-cabin pet policy is usually restricted to domestic animals that come in smaller sizes. Larger animals, on the other hand, will be well-catered for by the cargo pet policy.
The In-Cabin Pet Policy
The in-cabin pet policy covers pets that are small enough to join you on the plane. Because they’re small, you may be able to place their kennels under the seat directly in front of you.
Age Requirements
If you’re catching a domestic flight, you want to make sure that your dog is at least 2 months old. If international, then he must be at least 4 months old.
Also, in-cabin pets cannot travel alone. What’s more, they can’t travel with a minor who isn’t accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Size Restrictions
To be fair, United Airlines don’t specify what size/weight requirements your dog must meet before being permitted in-cabin.
As a rule of thumb, though, your dog in addition to his kennel shouldn’t weigh any more than 68 kg (150 pounds).
Generally, you want to make sure that your dog’s kennel satisfies TSA kennel standards. Kennels could either be soft-sided or hard-sided.
If your dog’s crate is hard-sided, ideally meeting a size requirement of not more than 17.5 inches long, 12 inches wide, and 7.5 inches high should be able to get it under the seat in front of you easily.
If the carrier is soft-sided, then it makes it a lot easier to fit under a seat. A maximum dimension of 18 inches long, 11 inches wide, and 11 inches high should be your target.
Route Restrictions
Note that if you’re traveling with a dog in the cabin, your flights are only limited to the 48 contiguous states within the U.S. Other areas include but aren’t limited to Canada, Alaska, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
However, you’re not allowed to fly with your pup to or from Australia, South Africa, Tahiti, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, Cuban Hawaii, New Zealand, and India.
Necessary Documentations
You must accompany your dog with a health certificate detailing the dog’s health and medical history.
Plus, your dog must have been vaccinated against rabies. And you must come with documentation of his last rabies vaccine which must have been administered more than 30 days before the date of the flight.
Some countries, though, may require additional documentation. So, depending on where you’re traveling to, you might want to find out and comply accordingly with their entry requirements.
The Cargo Pet Policy
Also called the PetSafe Program, United Airlines’ cargo pet policy is one that covers animals that are too large to fit under seats in the cabin. Also, if your dog is traveling alone, then this policy becomes the most satisfactory.
Requirements
Just like for the in-cabin pet policy, your dog must be at least 2 months old to be covered by the cargo pet policy for domestic flights within the U.S. He must also be at least 4 months old to qualify for flights outside the U.S.
Size Restrictions
Dogs covered under this policy shouldn’t weigh more than 770 lbs (350 kg)
Kennels could be made of wood, metal, or hard plastic. More importantly, they should be spacious enough for the dog to stand, sit up and turn around without touching the top of the kennel.
Accordingly, the kennels must reach a height of 34 inches. Nothing more! Any kennel which has a height of more than 34 inches will not be accepted.
Route Restrictions
United Airlines will not transport your dog as cargo baggage from Beijing, Seoul, and Chengdu. They’ll also not transport your dog to Nigeria, Dubai, Australia, and India.
Necessary Documentations
If your flight is outside the U.S., you would have to produce a health certificate and all necessary documentation to satisfy state and federal laws of the destination country.
A certificate showing proof of rabies vaccination should also be produced. And the certificate should be issued not less than 30 days before the date of travel if your dog is traveling with you. If your dog isn’t traveling with you, the certificate must be issued within 10 days before departure.
Other documentation includes a close-up photograph showing your pet’s face, another showing the pet crate indicating that it is IATA-compliant, and a customer acknowledgment form signed by you.
Are Service Dogs Allowed On United Airlines? What You Should Know
Yes! Service dogs are allowed on United Airlines. Service dogs are dogs trained to assist a person with a disability to perform tasks he ordinarily couldn’t perform.
These dogs could range from hearing dogs to seizure response dogs or diabetic alert dogs.
Per ADA regulations, all establishments must permit the entry of service dogs. So, it’s not very surprising that United Airlines, like most airlines, do allow service dogs on their planes.
However, even though you’re free to join flights with your service dog, there are a few guidelines you might be required to follow to safeguard the welfare of your dog as well as other passengers.
Note that you will be allowed to travel in the airline cabin with your service dog free of charge! Also, United Airlines will permit you to travel with a maximum of two service dogs – and yes you guessed it right – at no cost.
Some Ground Rules To Follow
Here are a few things to keep in mind when traveling with your service dog on United Airlines;
- Your service dog must not be less than 4 months old
- Your service dog must be on a leash at all times
- You must keep your dog under control at all times
- Your dog should be on the floor in front of your feet
- You and your dog should not sit in the exit row seats
- You must prevent your dog from poking out into the aisle
- Your dog must have been vaccinated against rabies a minimum of 30 days before traveling
- You must produce your dog’s rabies vaccination and other health records when traveling
- Where you’re traveling outside the U.S., your documentation must conform to your destination country’s local regulations
Other Necessary Documents You May Have To Produce
When traveling with your service dog, United Airlines requires you to fill and submit two important forms from the Department of Transportation.
This includes the U.S. Department of Transportation Service Animal Air Transportation Form. This form helps to ascertain whether or not your dog meets the accepted behavioral and training criteria for safety when traveling.
The other form you must fill out and submit to the airline is the United States Department of Transportation Service Animal Relief Attestation Form. This form is necessary to fill out if your flight is gonna last for not less than 8 hours.
It’ll help the authorities evaluate whether or not your service dog can relieve himself in such a way that the act doesn’t pose any health or sanitation issues for the passengers. Or better still, whether or not your service dog can refrain from relieving himself throughout the flight.
Usually, the above-listed forms must be filled out and submitted not less than 48 hours before your flight.
If you have any questions at all regarding the process, you might want to contact United’s Accessibility Desk at 1-800-228-2744.
Are Service Dogs In-Training Allowed On United Airlines?
A service dog-in-training isn’t a fully-fledged service dog. Thus, most institutions treat service dogs-in-training like they would any other ordinary pet dog.
United Airlines to a large extent, though, treats service dogs-in-training as if they were already service dogs.
So, if your dog is a service dog-in-training, you can bring him with you into the airline cabin. And just like for service dogs, you won’t pay a dime for bringing him on board.
Still, you must make sure that he can assist you to perform some tasks you cannot ordinarily perform because of some disability.
What’s more, you must make sure to comply with all rules as they apply to fully-fledged service dogs.
Final Thoughts
So, are dogs allowed on United Airlines? Always! And for the most part, you can expect a thoroughly straightforward and enjoyable process when bringing your dog along on United Airlines.
Still, it is of utmost importance that you comply with their rules as we’ve spelled out in this article. Make sure to satisfy all regulation and documentation requirements.
We have no doubt you’re going to enjoy your trip immensely once you’ve followed the proper protocols. Have a safe trip!