Traveling with service animals
We welcome trained service animals on Alaska Airlines at no charge.
To ensure that both you and your service animal travel easily and comfortably, please review this entire page carefully to understand the requirements that are applicable to your travel.
Service animal eligibility
The only service animal permitted on Alaska Airlines is a service dog.1
Alaska Airlines will accept service dogs which are trained to do work or
perform tasks for the benefit of a qualified individual with a disability.
This includes psychiatric service animals.2
A maximum of two service dogs will be accepted per guest. The size of your
service animal(s) must not exceed the footprint or personal space of your seat
or foot area during the entire flight.
If your itinerary includes travel on a partner airline (e.g., American
Airlines), you will need to contact the partner airline directly to review and
complete the partner airline's service animal requirements in addition to
Alaska Airlines' service animal requirements.
Additional requirements may apply to
international travel or
travel to Hawaii.
1 Service Animals in Training are not covered by the Air Carrier
Access Act (Part 382) and do not use this process.
2 Emotional support animals are not considered service animals,
but they may travel as a pet under Alaska Airlines' pet travel policy.
Completing the DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form
Once you've booked travel on Alaska Airlines, complete the required U.S.
Department of Transportation Service Animal Air Transportation Form (DOT
Service Animal Form)3 before your flight attesting to the dog's
health, training, and behavior. If you've booked travel more than 48 hours
before your flight, you must submit the DOT Service Animal Form 48 hours
before departure.4,5
Options for Completing Required DOT Service Animal Air Travel Form:
For a more seamless travel experience, we recommend you submit the DOT Service
Animal Form (one per dog) using the optional
Service Animal Form Portal (SAFP) "This indicates a link to an external site that may not follow the same
accessibility or privacy policies as Alaska Airlines. By selecting a
partner link you agree to share your data with these sites."
operated by our partner, Open Doors Organization. The Service Animal Form
Portal will give you an optional ID number that you can use to quickly access
your DOT Service Animal Form for future flights. You'll also be able to
describe the work or task(s) your dog has been trained to perform so we can
quickly verify that it's a service animal.
If you've booked travel on Alaska less than 48 hours before departure, you may
present a completed DOT Service Animal Form at the check-in lobby or departure
gate before your flight.
Note: only one valid standard DOT Service Animal Form per dog needs to be used
to validate a travel request through our Service Animal Form Portal. The
standard DOT Service Animal Form expires on your service dog's current rabies
vaccination expiration date.
Guests may bring a completed copy of the standard
DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form
to the airport for review prior to your flight.
Warning: It is a Federal crime to make materially false,
fictitious, or fraudulent statements, entries, or representations knowingly
and willfully on the U.S. Department of Transportation Service Animal Air
Transportation Form to secure disability accommodations provided under
regulations of the United States Department of Transportation (18 U.S.C. §
1001).
3 The DOT Service Animal Form expires on your service dog's
rabies vaccination expiration date
4 We will mail you a DOT Service Animal Form upon request.
Click here to contact us.
5 If you're not able to submit the DOT Service Animal Form before
arriving at the airport, you can bring a completed form to the airport or
we'll provide you a hard copy to fill out at the gate or check-in lobby. We
want you to make your flight with your service animal and will make
reasonable efforts to do so without delaying the flight.
Traveling with a service animal
Before your flight
For safety reasons, guests traveling with a service animal are not permitted to sit in an emergency exit row. We recommend choosing a window seat so the service animal is safe from foot traffic.
We suggest that you not overwater or overfeed your animal on the day of travel.
Familiarize yourself with the location of the animal relief areas at each airport in your journey.
We recommend printing and carrying a hard copy of both your DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form and the email approval for travel from SAFP in case of a technical outage.
At the airport
Our bulkhead seating and seats with more space are located in our premium class of service. You may also choose to book in the main cabin and book any seat that best accommodates your needs.
You may still be asked at the ticket counter or boarding gate to verify any of the following:
- That you are traveling with your service animal on that particular flight
- To ensure the service animal will fit within the floor space of your seat
- To briefly assess the service animal’s behavior
Onboard
Service animals must be seated on the floor space below your seat or, if no larger than an infant, seated in your lap, if needed to accommodate your disability.
Service animals must behave appropriately in the airport and on the aircraft.
Service animals may not occupy a seat or sit on a tray table at any time.
Service animals may not obstruct the aisles or areas that must remain clear for emergency evacuation.
Animal behavior
If your service animal engages in disruptive behavior such as (but not limited to) the following, they will not be accepted as a service animal and subject to our pet travel policy.
- Barking excessively, not in response to a handler's need or distress
- Aggressive behaviors towards other guests or animals (e.g. biting, growling, snapping, lunging, etc.)
- Freely wandering or running around
- Relieving themselves in the aircraft cabin or places other than designated pet relief areas
- Jumping on guests or employees
- Occupying an aircraft seat or seatback tray table
- Eating off seatback tray tables
- Not responsive to owner/handler’s commands
Additionally, Alaska reserves the right to charge the owner/handler for damage caused by a service animal.
Hawaii travel requirements
In addition to our general service animal policies, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture requires the owners of service dogs to present appropriate health documentation.
Hawaii is the only state that is rabies-free. It is important that Hawaii maintain that status. The introduction of rabies would have dire circumstances, not only for public health, but it would have an adverse effect on Hawaii's unique eco-system, tourism, as well as local lifestyle.
To maintain this unique status, there are strict guidelines and specific programs that must be completed before your service animal will be accepted into the state of Hawaii. Service animals arriving without proper documentation may be quarantined for up to 120 days in Honolulu at the owner's expense. Alaska Airlines is not responsible for any costs incurred should you arrive in Hawaii without the proper health documentation.
Prior to Departing the US mainland
To Honolulu:
Service dogs are not permitted on flights arriving in Honolulu after 10:00 pm due to Hawaii Department of Agriculture hours of operation.
Visit hdoa.hawaii.gov "This indicates a link to an external site that may not follow the same accessibility or privacy policies as Alaska Airlines. By selecting a partner link you agree to share your data with these sites." to obtain information on health and documentation requirements for transporting service dogs into Honolulu.
To Kona, Lihue, or Kahului:
In order to transport your service dog, a valid, original Neighbor Island Inspection Permit (issued in the traveler's name) must be presented to an agent at check-in. Without it, transport of your animal will be denied.
The Neighbor Island Inspection Permit must be kept in your possession until after you have cleared Agriculture in Hawaii.
Visit hdoa.hawaii.gov "This indicates a link to an external site that may not follow the same accessibility or privacy policies as Alaska Airlines. By selecting a partner link you agree to share your data with these sites." to obtain information on health and documentation requirements for transporting service dogs into Kona, Lihue, or Kahului.
Arriving into Honolulu, Kona, Lihue, or Kahului
When arriving into Honolulu, Kona, Lihue or Kahului, a gate agent will meet you at the aircraft door and will escort you and your animal to the inspection station. Please have all required documentation ready for inspection.
International travel requirements
If you are traveling outside of the United States with your service or animal, we highly recommend that you contact the appropriate consulate or embassy at least 4 weeks prior to departure. This is to ensure that you understand and are able to obtain the specific documentation, including health certificates, import permits, and proof of vaccination–required for entry into your destination country and return travel.
Failure to ensure that all proper steps have been taken and documentation provided may result in your animal being deined travel or placed in quarantine on arrival. Any costs related to the care of your animal in quarantine, issued fines, and any fee associated with returning the animal to its origin will be your responsibility.
All service dogs entering the US are subject to the following requirements prior to travel:
- CDC Dog Import Form receipt stating the applicable US port of arrival.
- Dog must appear healthy.
- Dog must be at least 6 months of age.
- Dog must have a microchip that can be detected with a universal scanner.
Additionally, all service dogs entering the US from countries designated by the CDC as high-risk for dog rabies (Belize and Guatemala) must also provide:
- A valid Certificate of US-Issued Rabies Vaccination completed by a USDA-accredited veterinarian, or...
- A valid Certificate of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip endorsed by an official government veterinarian of Guatemala, and...
- Reservation confirmation for the CDC-registered animal care facility at the US port of arrival (only available at LAX).
Due to CDC classification of Costa Rica and Mexico as high–risk countries for screwworm, travel with service dogs is not
recommended to/from Costa Rica or Mexico.
Service animal-in-training
Service animals-in-training are not covered by the Air Carrier Access Act (Part 382) but may be accepted for no charge at the airline’s discretion. Space is limited and subject to availability. Otherwise, service animals-in-training may travel as pets under our pet travel policy.
Travel requests for a service animal-in-training must be made at least 48 hours in advance by contacting reservations.
Newly trained service animals being delivered to a new owner/handler’s home may be accepted for no charge provided all of the following conditions are met:
- The service animal is being transported by a trainer.
- The trainer can identify the new owner's/handler's name and home city.
- The trainer can provide documentation on official letterhead noting the service animal has successfully completed training.
Service dog/puppy-in-training who are traveling with a trainer/raiser for training purposes may be accepted no charge while they are in training provided all of the following conditions are met:
- Travel is wholly within the United States.
- The service dog/puppy is being transported by their trainer/raiser.
- The trainer/raiser must provide a health certificate or current vaccination record for the service dog/puppy in training on official letterhead from the assistance organization or local veterinarian if traveling in the baggage compartment.
- The trainer/raiser must provide an official Trainer ID card issued by the assistance organization.
