Cabin, checked baggage or cargo: how your pet will actually cross the Pacific

The three modes, side by side

In the cabin

• Where the pet sits: in a soft carrier under the seat in front of you, for the whole flight.
• Who it suits: small dogs and cats that fit the carrier and the airline's limits.
• What decides it: the airline, the route, the aircraft and the destination. Many carriers on transpacific routes do not offer it at all.
• Booked as: an add-on to your own ticket, with a pet fee.

Checked baggage (accompanied, in the hold)

• Where the pet sits: in a hard crate in the hold, on your flight, in the space the airline sets aside for live animals.
• Who it suits: pets too large for the cabin, on airlines that still accept checked pets.
• What decides it: the airline's weight and crate limits, breed rules, seasonal embargoes and the aircraft type.
• Booked as: a request linked to your reservation; you check the pet in at the passenger counter.

Manifest cargo

• Where the pet sits: in a crate in the hold, but shipped on an air waybill through the airline's cargo division, with or without you on board.
• Who it suits: large dogs, pets traveling on a different day from their owners, and routes where the airline or destination requires cargo.
• What decides it: cargo acceptance rules, which can be stricter on breeds and temperature, and sometimes who is allowed to book.
• Booked as: a separate cargo booking, often through a shipper the airline approves.

We explain how we book that third option on our airline cargo service page.

Who actually decides the mode

Three parties each have a veto, so check them in this order.

1. The destination. Some import rules dictate how a pet must arrive, and every country's paperwork applies whichever way the pet flies. Start with your destination guide.
2. The airline. Each carrier publishes its own list of accepted modes, routes, aircraft, breeds and seasons. Two airlines flying the same city pair can give opposite answers.
3. Your pet. Size, weight, age, breed and health decide which of the remaining options are realistic.

Examples from airline pages, as read on October 29, 2026

These show how differently carriers set the rules. They are examples, not a complete list.

• Delta, in the cabin: its pet travel page allows cabin pets on international flights when documents are complete, with a fee of USD 200 each way. Hong Kong is the only Asian place on its list of cabin exclusions. Delta recommends a soft kennel of at most 18 x 11 x 11 inches that fits fully under the seat.
• Delta, as cargo: its shipping page says it is currently shipping pets only for active US military and State Department Foreign Service staff on permanent change of station orders.
• China Airlines: its pet transport page describes household cats and dogs as checked baggage in the hold, up to 8 cages per flight and 2 per passenger, booked at least 48 hours ahead. It does not describe a cabin pet option, and it suspends pets between Taipei and Phoenix from April 1 to October 31 because of heat.

Why the cabin is often not an option

Cabin travel sounds like the easy answer, and for a small cat or a toy breed on the right airline it can be. But it fails more often than people expect on US–Asia trips:

• the airline may not accept cabin pets on long-haul or transpacific flights at all;
• the destination may be excluded, as Hong Kong is on Delta's cabin list;
• the pet plus carrier must fit under the seat for the entire flight, which rules out most dogs above toy size;
• connections on a second airline may not accept the pet in the cabin.

If the cabin is ruled out, the hold or cargo becomes the plan. A well-sized crate, good crate training and the right season matter more than which door the pet boarded through.

Checked baggage versus cargo: the practical difference

Both put your pet in a crate in the hold. The differences are in the booking and the handling around the flight.

• Timing. Checked pets fly on your flight. Cargo can fly on a different day, which helps when the human move and the pet's earliest legal arrival date do not line up.
• Paperwork at arrival. Cargo usually clears through the airport's cargo terminal rather than the passenger hall. Plan for that in your pickup.
• Rules. Cargo divisions often apply their own breed lists, temperature limits and approved-shipper requirements. Delta, for example, requires international cargo customers to use a shipper approved by the International Pet and Animal Transportation Association.

IATA's Traveler's Pet Corner advises confirming with the airline that it accepts your pet on your preferred day and flight, then reconfirming at least 48 hours before departure. That applies to every mode.

A note on connections

A connection can change more than your travel time. For dogs flying to the US, CDC treats a dog that clears customs during a layover as having entered that country. If that country is on CDC's high-risk list, the dog must then meet the high-risk entry rules (CDC layover guidance). Our CDC dog import guide explains those rules.