Air Canada Pet Policy: Cabin, Baggage and Cargo Rules

Air Canada is one of the few large carriers that still moves pets three ways: in the cabin, in the baggage compartment and through Air Canada Cargo. That makes it the most useful airline in the country for anyone with an animal, and also the one with the most rules to get wrong.

Two of those rules changed recently and neither is well known. Cabin pets must now be in a soft-sided carrier, so the hard plastic kennel that worked last year no longer boards. And a cargo booking on a United States or international route cannot be placed by the owner at all; Air Canada requires it to come through a registered agent.

Here is the whole policy, in the order it actually affects a booking.

A cat or small dog can travel in the cabin in a flexible, soft-sided carrier stowed under the seat in front of you. The animal has to be small enough to stand, turn around and lie down inside the carrier, and it stays in the carrier for the whole flight.

Since 1 June 2025, soft-sided is not a preference, it is the rule. Air Canada states that “all pets travelling in the cabin must be transported in soft-sided carriers,” and hard-sided kennels are no longer accepted in the cabin on flights operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge or Air Canada Express. Backpack carriers with hard plastic windows are not permitted either.

The maximum carrier dimensions depend on the aircraft, and the difference is large enough to matter:

Most aircraft: 40 cm wide by 43 cm long by 20 cm high, which is 16 by 17 by 8 inches. Regional aircraft, meaning the DH4, E75 and CR9: 40 cm wide by 55 cm long by 27 cm high, which is 16 by 22 by 10 inches.

The regional aircraft are the more generous of the two, which is the opposite of what most itineraries assume. If a trip mixes a mainline leg with a regional leg, the mainline leg sets the limit, so size the carrier to 43 cm long and not to 55.

Air Canada does not publish a combined weight limit for cabin pets. The constraint is the carrier and the animal’s ability to stand and turn inside it, not the number on the scale.

All fees below are one way, per pet, and are charged on top of your own fare.

In the cabin, within Canada and between Canada and the United States: CA or US $50.00 to $60.00. In the cabin, international: CA or US $100.00 to $120.00.

In the baggage compartment, within Canada and between Canada and the United States: CA or US $105.00 to $126.00. In the baggage compartment, international: CA or US $270.00 to $324.00.

Set against the American carriers those cabin figures are low. Delta now charges USD $150 each way on a comparable domestic sector, so a cabin-sized dog is roughly a third of the price on Air Canada, which is worth knowing before you route a cross-border move through a US airline out of habit.

A pet cannot be in the cabin with you if you are an unaccompanied minor, if you are seated in an exit or bulkhead row, if you need a medical device stowed under the seat, or if you are travelling in Premium Economy, where the seat layout leaves no compliant space for a carrier.

The one that ends trips is codeshares. If your itinerary includes a flight marketed by Air Canada but operated by a codeshare partner, you cannot travel with your pet on it. An Air Canada flight number is not the same thing as an Air Canada aircraft, and the booking screen does not make that obvious. Check the operating carrier on every segment before you buy.

Space in the cabin is limited per flight, so the pet has to be registered rather than simply added at the airport. Air Canada recommends registering within 24 hours of completing the booking, by contacting Air Canada Reservations.

For an animal too large for the cabin but travelling on the same flight as its owner, the baggage compartment is the next option, and here the kennel rules invert. It has to be hard-sided, with a secure and leak-proof door, and large enough for the animal to stand, turn around and lie down comfortably.

The limits are 292 cm linear, meaning length plus width plus height added together, and 45 kg or 100 lb for the pet and kennel combined.

Two animals can share one kennel, but only if they are fully weaned puppies or kittens between 12 weeks and 6 months old and of the same species. Two adult dogs travel in two kennels.

Travelling in the baggage compartment also sets what the airline is liable for if something goes wrong. Air Canada’s conditions of carriage limit baggage liability to 1,519 Special Drawing Rights per passenger, and the deadlines for claiming are short. Our guide to pet shipping insurance and airline liability in Canada sets out the number, the clock and where to escalate.

Everything above assumes the calendar allows it, and for a good part of the year it does not.

In summer, Air Canada says it “may not always be possible to accommodate your pet when summer temperatures exceed 29.5°C (85°F)”, and it maintains a destination table that closes certain warm-weather routes outright. Some, including Jamaica, Panama and several Caribbean islands, are closed to pets in the baggage compartment year-round. Mexico is closed in July and August.

In winter, from 1 November to 31 March, or whenever the temperature is 0°C or below, cats and dogs weighing less than 4.5 kg or 10 lb are not accepted in the baggage compartment of any Air Canada aircraft. Small animals lose body heat faster than large ones, which is why the ban runs the way round it does.

And from 18 December to 4 January, no pets are accepted as checked baggage at all. That is peak holiday traffic and the hold is full of luggage.

Aircraft type matters too. Not every cargo compartment is heated, and Air Canada notes that on certain aircraft “the cargo compartment is not heated and temperatures can be as low as 2 °C (36 °F)”. A route that works in June on one aircraft can be unsuitable in November on another.

Read together, those three rules take a large part of the year off the table for a small dog moving in the hold. Planning a winter move around them is the single most useful thing an owner can do.

Short and snub-nosed dogs, the brachycephalic breeds, cannot travel in the baggage compartment. Air Canada’s stated reason is that they “are susceptible to increased risks of heat stroke and breathing problems”, which is the same reason every other carrier gives and is supported by the incident record.

A brachycephalic dog small enough for a compliant soft carrier can still fly in the cabin. A brachycephalic dog too large for one has a genuinely difficult route, and that is a conversation to have months before a move rather than weeks.

When the animal is not travelling on the owner’s flight, or is too large or too restricted for the baggage compartment, the route is Air Canada Cargo’s AC Animals service.

This is where the rule that changes the plan sits. Air Canada Cargo states that pets “being booked on International or U.S. routes must be booked through a registered International Pet and Animal Transportation Association (IPATA) agent, an IATA agent, or an Animal transport Association (ATA)” agent. An owner cannot place that booking themselves, whatever their willingness to pay. Domestic Canadian moves are the exception.

What the service provides in return is the best animal handling of any Canadian carrier. Air Canada was the first airline in the world awarded IATA’s CEIV Live Animals certification, and holds the recertification. Animals fly in pressurised holds and most aircraft have temperature-controlled compartments; where temperature control is needed on a route that lacks it, the booking agent proposes a different routing or date rather than accepting the shipment. Kennels are secured against movement and positioned for ventilation. Dedicated temperature and noise-controlled ground vehicles operate at the major hubs.

Toronto Pearson has a bonded barn, the Air Canada Cargo Pet Stop, for comfort stops and overnight stays on long routings. It has spacious enclosures for dogs and horses and a separate room for cats, is temperature-controlled and ventilated, and provides walks in a fenced grassy area, food, and access to veterinary services. Care is documented. The reservation agent tells you at the time of booking whether a comfort stop or overnight stay is required, which is a detail worth asking about directly, because it changes the shape of the journey. Air Canada Cargo staff can also reach licensed veterinarians online through Vetster at Canadian hubs and select international stations including the United States and United Kingdom.

In most cases the animal must be at least 10 weeks old and fully weaned. That is Air Canada’s floor. The destination country sets its own, and it is usually higher: the United States requires a dog to be six months old, and the European Union effectively requires 16 weeks because of the rabies vaccination timetable. Whichever floor is highest is the one that governs.

Government paperwork is separate from the airline’s rules and is checked by a different authority. For a pet leaving Canada, the export documentation depends entirely on the destination, and our CFIA health certificate guide covers the Canadian side of it.

Most of the value on this airline is in sequencing rather than in booking. The carrier has to be sized to the smallest aircraft on the itinerary, not the largest. The operating carrier on every segment has to be checked for codeshares before the ticket is bought. The travel date has to sit outside the winter weight ban, the holiday blackout and the summer destination table at once, and those three windows do not line up neatly.

We size the crate to IATA specification, prepare the CFIA and destination documentation on the destination country’s timetable rather than the airline’s, and set the routing against the seasonal restrictions before a date is committed. Where a booking has to go through Air Canada Cargo rather than as baggage, we tell you that at the start, because it changes both the cost and who can place the booking.

Pet Travel Advisors has been arranging pet relocations since 2023. We are licensed and insured, our team holds IATA Live Animals Regulations certificates, and our documentation work follows CFIA and USDA APHIS requirements. Our guide to Canadian airline pet policies compares Air Canada against WestJet and the others.

One way, per pet: in the cabin, CA or US $50.00 to $60.00 within Canada and between Canada and the United States, and CA or US $100.00 to $120.00 international. In the baggage compartment, CA or US $105.00 to $126.00 within Canada and to the United States, and CA or US $270.00 to $324.00 international.

On most aircraft, 40 cm wide by 43 cm long by 20 cm high, which is 16 by 17 by 8 inches. On the regional DH4, E75 and CR9 the allowance is larger at 40 by 55 by 27 cm, or 16 by 22 by 10 inches. The carrier must be soft-sided and flexible, and if your itinerary mixes aircraft, size to the smaller allowance.

No. Since 1 June 2025 all pets travelling in the cabin must be in soft-sided carriers on flights operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge and Air Canada Express. Backpack carriers with hard plastic windows are not accepted either. Hard-sided kennels are still required for the baggage compartment.

When the animal is a short or snub-nosed breed; when it weighs under 4.5 kg or 10 lb between 1 November and 31 March or at 0°C and below; between 18 December and 4 January, when no pets are accepted as checked baggage; and on warm-weather routes on Air Canada’s destination table, some of which are closed year-round. Summer temperatures above 29.5°C or 85°F can also stop a booking.

Not on a United States or international route. Air Canada Cargo requires those bookings to be placed through an agent registered with IPATA, IATA or the Animal Transportation Association. Domestic Canadian shipments are the exception.

At least 10 weeks old and fully weaned in most cases. The destination country’s minimum is often higher and takes precedence: the United States requires a dog to be six months old, and the European Union effectively requires 16 weeks.

Every figure above comes from Air Canada’s own published material: the travelling with your pet pages for the cabin and baggage compartment rules, fees and seasonal restrictions, the pet travel policy update for the soft-sided carrier change, and the AC Animals pages for the cargo service, the agent requirement and the Toronto Pet Stop. The Delta comparison comes from Delta’s published fee schedule. Figures and rules verified September 2026, and airline policies change without notice, so confirm against Air Canada before you book.

If you are working out what a move will actually cost rather than what one airline charges, our pet shipping cost calculator publishes figures by route, and the pet relocation FAQ covers crates, timing and what happens on the day.

Air Canada is one carrier on one part of a longer route. If you are moving a pet to the United States rather than comparing airlines, our guide to flying a pet from Canada to the United States covers the CDC form, the crate, the state rules that start after the airport, and how the cabin, baggage and cargo options compare.