Which Airlines Will Allow You Buy a Seat for Your Dog?

One question that commonly gets ask when it comes to flying with dogs, is can I buy a seat for my dog on a plane? Whether you have a dog that’s a little larger than the standard size allowed to fly in the cabin, you have multiple dogs, or you merely don’t want to lose your foot space by stowing your dog’s carrier under the seat in front, there’s multiple reasons why you might want to buy an extra seat for your dog.

Unfortunately, there are only a few airlines that clearly stipulate in their pet policies that you can buy an extra seat for your dog. After reviewing the pet policies of hundreds of airlines, I’ve uncovered these six airlines from throughout the world that have clear policies for buying a seat for your pet.

If none of these airlines are suitable, it may also be worthwhile speaking directly with your preferred airline to find out whether they offer some flexibility. Alternatively, make a booking with one of these to fly with your dog…

Aeroflot (Russia)

The latest airline that I have discovered that allows you to buy a seat for your dog is the Russian flag-carrier Aeroflot, following on from fellow Russian airline S7 and Belavia, the Belarus flag-carrier.

The rules to buy a seat for your dog are similar but with some differences to S7. A booking to fly a pet on a passenger seat must be at the same time as booking your own ticket, at least 36 hours in advance of the flight. The pet must travel in a rigid or semi-rigid container, with a maximum combined weight of 15kg.

The carrier should be secured to the seat with a seat belt during take-off, ascent, descent, landing or when passing through turbulence. Two waterproof mats or pee pads should also be placed on the seat to protect it.

In Economy and Comfort class, a rigid container can be up to 50 x 35 x 30cm in size, with semi-rigid containers allowed to be up to 32cm high. In Business class, larger dimensions of 50 x 40 x 30cm for rigid containers or a generous 50 x 40 x 40cm for semi-rigid containers are allowed.

The rate for your pet is the applicable seat fare for an adult, with no additional pet fees applying. For more information, see their full pet policy and further details on baggage fees.

Alaska Airlines (United States)

There are a few airlines based in the United States that allow you to buy a seat for your dog. One of the American airlines that permits this is Alaska Airlines. It’s possible to buy an adjacent seat, so that you can transport two pets in the cabin in two pet carriers, one underneath each seat.

For the extra seat, you’ll need to pay for the actual seat, plus pay a second pet fee. Currently this is $100 USD/CAD each way.

Note also that your pet’s carrier counts towards your carry-on allowance on Alaska Airline flights, replacing either your carry-on bag or personal item. I don’t believe you receive additional baggage allowance for the second seat.

Alaska Airlines allows up to two extra small pets to travel in each carrier, as long as they are the same species, a similar size, do not extrude from the carrier and are not in distress. A maximum carrier size limit of 17 x 11 x 9.5 inches (43 x 28 x 24cm) applies for soft carriers, 17 x 11 x 7.5 inches (43 x 28 x 19cm) for hard carriers.

For more information, see their full pet policy.

Belavia (Belarus)

The majority of European airlines don’t permit an additional seat to be purchased for your pet. One of the few airlines to offer this is Belavia, the flag-carrier airline of Belarus.

The main benefit of purchasing an additional seat for a pet on Belavia is that the weight limits and carrier size limits are higher for this option. If a pet travels in a carrier underneath the seat in front of you, their maximum weight including the carrier is limited to 8kg. The size of the carrier is limited to 55 x 40 x 20cm.

However, if you purchase a seat for your pet, the pet and their carrier can be up to 23kg, with the carrier limited to a far more generous 55 x 40 x 40cm, twice as tall as a carrier underneath the seat in front.

Note that two fees apply for this option, both the fee for the transport of a pet in the cabin (€50 or equivalent) plus an additional baggage in the cabin fee. The pet’s carrier must also be reliably secured during the flight. It’s also only possible to travel with a single pet.

For more information, see their full pet policy.

Etihad Airways (United Arab Emirates)

One of the most pet-friendly airlines in Asia is Etihad Airways, based in Abu Dhabi, although they recently substantially increased their pet fees, making them a far more expensive option than other airlines that allow pets in the cabin.

As well as allowing pets up to 8kg, including their carrier which can be up to 40 x 40 x 22cm, to fly underneath the seat in front of you, you can instead buy an adjacent seat for your pet. In this case, the weight limit is still the same, but the carrier can be far larger – up to 50 x 43 x 50cm. This is ideal for longer legged pets, plus to make sure they are extra comfortable.

Note also that if you are flying in business or first class, due to the seat design, if you want to fly with a pet, the only option is to buy an adjacent seat. The size and weight limits are the same.

In addition to the charge for buying an extra seat, the standard fee for flying with a pet in the cabin also applies. As of October 2022, this was increased from $200 to an eye-watering $1500.

For more information, see their full pet policy.

JetBlue (United States)

Another American airline that has a similar policy to Alaska Airlines when it comes to buying an extra seat for your pet is JetBlue.

When flying with JetBlue, it’s possible for each passenger to fly with two pets, each in their own carrier. This is possible by buying an additional adjacent seat for your second pet.

Note that in addition to the fee for the seat, a pet fee applies each way, per pet. This fee is currently $125. JetBlue also permits pet strollers to be checked at no charge.

Pets need to be small enough to comfortably fit in their carrier, which can be no larger than 17 x 12.5 x 8.5 inches (43 x 31.75 x 21.5cm). Your pet and their carrier must stay under the adjacent seat during taxi, takeoff and landing, but can be placed on the empty seat during the flight.

See the full pet policy.

JSX (United States)

By far the most pet-friendly American airline is JSX, a “hop-on jet service” that operates a limited number of routes, mainly domestically plus to and from Baja California Sur. They also allow a seat to be purchased for a pet, but their policy is very different to Alaska Airlines and JetBlue.

They make it possible to transport medium-to-large dogs in the cabin by letting you purchase a seat for them. If your dog is too large to fit in a 17 x 13 x 11 inches (43.2 x 33 x 27.9cm) carrier underneath the seat in front of you (for no charge), you can buy the adjacent seat by calling the call centre.

For larger dogs flying in the cabin with their own seat, a weight limit of 79 lbs (35.8kg) applies. During the flight, your dog will need to be leashed, lay on the floor directly in front of their window seat (while you sit in the aisle seat) and be well-behaved. Dogs cannot sit on the actual seat!

You also need to fill out an Acceptance of Pet Liability Form and hand it in at check-in.

See the full pet policy.

S7 Airlines (Russia)

The only other European airline that allows a pet to be purchased for a seat is S7 Airlines. This airline is one of Russia’s largest domestic airline, and the policy of Belavia was likely modelled on their policy.

If you buy a seat for your pet on S7 airlines, the maximum weight including their carrier is 23kg, with the carrier allowed to be up to 40cm high. This enables slightly larger pets to travel in the cabin. If you purchase the standard pet in cabin option, the weight limit is 10kg and the maximum carrier height 25cm for soft carriers or 20cm for cages.

Note that the carrier requirements for pets travelling on a seat are different – it needs to be rigid (a cage or container) rather than soft. Plus this option must be booked at the time of your initial booking, whether online, through the chat function or through a sales office, not added later.

See their full pet policy (Russian only).

United Airlines (United States)

Finally, the latest airline to officially allow you to buy a seat to travel with a second pet is United Airlines.

The second seat policy for United Airlines is quite brief – they simply state that it’s possible to travel with up to two pets, by purchasing two seats on your flight. Naturally, the second seat must be next to your assigned seat.

However, there are some aircraft that are excluded from this policy, due to limited space under the middle seat meaning that adjacent seats are not possible. See the pet policy for the latest list of aircraft where there is a limit of one pet per passenger.

United Airlines does not mention if you need to pay a second pet fee, in addition to the seat fee, but I would expect that this is the case. (Let me know if you buy a second seat on a United flight!) For tickets purchased since 26th April 2024, the pet fee is $150 each way.

If flying in a premium cabin, get in quick, with only two pets generally allowed per premium cabin on United flights.

Also keep in mind the maximum carrier size for both pets – 18 x 11 x 11 inches (45 x 27 x 27cm) for soft carriers and 17.5 x 12 x 9 inches (44 x 30 x 22cm) for hard carriers. Both pets must stay in their carrier and underneath the seat at all times.

See the full pet policy.

Other Airlines That Allow You to Buy a Seat

There are also a number of other airline that allow you to buy a second seat, but not as part of their pet policy. For instance, Vueling allows you to select an extra seat when making your booking. This also applies to the Korean airline T’way, although it’s only possible to book at check-in.

I’ve also heard this applies for American Airlines, Delta and the Canadian airline Air Transat, although there are no official details online.

At a minimum, having an extra seat means that you don’t need to sacrifice your leg room when flying with a pet, due to your pet flying in their carrier at your feet. As someone with long legs I would certainly appreciate that!

Unfortunately, both Vueling and T’way specify as part of their pet policy that you can only fly with a single pet (or pet carrier), so it’s unlikely this means you can fly with a second pet in the cabin.

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• How to Choose the Best Dog Carrier for Plane Travel

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