Spirit Airlines flying with pets

What is Spirit Airlines’ policy on pet acceptance?

Spirit Airlines only accepts pets to travel in the passenger cabin. Pets are not accepted, under any circumstances, for transportation in the cargo compartment as checked baggage.

On which flights can passengers travel with their pets?

Spirit Airlines allows passengers to travel with their pets only on domestic flights, including flights between the U.S. and Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Pets are not accepted on international flights, with the exception of service animals accompanying passengers with disabilities.

Which pets are allowed to travel in the passenger cabin?

Small domestic dogs, cats, household birds, and household rabbits are the only pets accepted to travel in the passenger cabin. However, household birds and rabbits are not accepted on Spirit Airlines flights to/from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Pets in the Passenger Cabin

The number of pets allowed in the passenger cabin is subject to space availability, so you should reserve space for your pet at the time of or immediately after booking. You can add a pet to a reservation by calling Spirit Airlines Reservations Center. A pet cannot be booked online. Passengers traveling with pets must check in at the ticket counter (Online or Kiosk Check-in is not available) and should allow extra time beyond normal check-in guidelines.

Spirit Airlines does not require a health certificate for pets traveling in the passenger cabin, except for flights to the U.S. Virgin Islands. To be accepted, pets must be at least 8 weeks old, fully weaned, harmless, and odorless. Spirit Airlines maintains the right to refuse acceptance of any animal that is exhibiting aggressive behavior and will remove any animal that becomes offensive or causes a disturbance during transit, at the first en route stop.

The pet must require no attention and be completely contained within the pet carrier at all times on board the aircraft. The passenger is responsible for assuring that the container meets all government requirements, but the container is subject to inspection and approval by Spirit Airlines. The combined weight of the pet and carrier must not exceed 40 lbs (18.14 kg).

Spirit Airlines requires that the container must be able to fit under the seat and not exceed the following dimensions: 18 x 14 x 9 in (45.72 x 35.56 x 22.86 cm). Only soft-sided pet carriers are accepted, but not the type which permits the pet’s head to remain outside the container. The pet must be able to stand upright and move about comfortably in the pet carrier.

Spirit Airlines restricts the number of pets and pet carriers allowed as follows:

  • A maximum of 6 pet containers per flight.
  • Only one pet container per passenger.
  • A maximum of 2 pets per container, as long as pets are similar and there is enough room for both of them in the container.

Fee

Pets are accepted for transportation only for a service fee of $125 per container, each way. The fee is non-refundable and must be paid at the time the reservation is made. The pet will count as one-plus-one carry-on luggage.

Service Animals

Spirit Airlines allows Service Animals to travel in the passenger cabin on any Spirit Airlines flight, domestic or international. Service Animals are accepted based on the reasonable credible verbal assurance from the individual with the disability using or accompanying the animal or evidence that the animal is a Service Animal (identification cards or written documentation regarding the medical need for the presence of the animal in the cabin).

As per the new federal regulations, only dogs individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a qualified individual with a disability will be accepted as trained Service Animals, and the U.S. DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form must be completed and submitted online 48 hours before the flight. There is a limit of 2 Service Animals per passenger.

Emotional Support Animals and Psychiatric Service Animals are no longer accepted for transportation in the passenger cabin

Passengers traveling with a Service Animal must check in at the ticket counter, one hour before the check-in time for the general public, for document verification. For international flights, it is the passenger’s responsibility to follow any applicable regulations. Passengers traveling with a Service Animal may choose to sit anywhere they wish, except emergency exit rows. If available, they are seated in the bulkhead row, where the animal can lie on the floor at the passenger’s feet without blocking an aisle or other area that must remain clear for emergency evacuation.

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