Tl;dr – Rumors are circulating that Alaska Airlines will change an unofficial in-cabin pet policy.
For anyone contemplating taking a trip with their small-medium-sized four-legged furry friend, there may soon be one fewer option of flying in-cabin with your canine companion. For some time now, Alaska Airlines has offered an ‘unofficial’ cabin baggage’ policy for (up to) medium-sized dogs. The policy allows passengers to book a seat and fly with their dog inside its carrier, in the adjacent seat, as ‘cabin baggage.’ I recently stumbled upon a social media thread suggesting this policy will soon sunset. To be clear, the unofficial policy at hand is distinct from Alaska’s public facing rules for traveling with smaller pets in the cabin. Those public facing rules remain in effect. Ok, let’s dive into it.
Pet as Baggage-In-Cabin
Under this policy, reserving a seat for your medium-sized dog was pretty easy. To book a ticket for you and your dog, you need to call Alaska’s call center, and when chatting with the reservations department, mention that you want to travel with a pet as a baggage-in-cabin. The representative will reserve a seat right next to you, and you’ll need to pay the full airfare (as well as a fee for reserving the ticket with an agent). One of the underrated parts of this policy is that it is valid on all of Alaska’s flights, even to international destinations, so long as you have the correct pet health certificates for the country you’ll be flying to. This policy is a game changer for owners of medium-sized dogs (with access to a route Alaska flies). My dog – whose flying adventures I’ll be detailing in a later post – is a few jerky snacks out of the medium-weight class, so while I could never personally take advantage of this policy, I recognize how valuable it can be.
Whether it be the aforementioned international destinations or even any of Alaska’s cross-country routes, flying with your dog next to you for a 5-6 hr flight at commercial costs is a much more accessible option than any of the chartered services, particularly if you’re someone like me who’d never put his ‘dog under the plane.’ This Reddit thread has more details on the policy, and folks have shared several success stories in the comments.
Is in-Cabin Fido, No Mo’?
Recently, I came across a Facebook post suggesting that the ‘pet cabin baggage’ option will be removed on or around June 4, 2025.
I don’t know the original poster (I took a screenshot of the post, which already had the blackout/anonymization done), so while the source’s trustworthiness is inherently questionable, this does feel real. At least one of the comments seems to hint at insider knowledge in the form of a revamped employee manual in which the policy is now allegedly disallowed.
It’s unclear if flights booked for after June 4, 2025, with the pet cabin baggage option, will be honored (the post seems to suggest so), though I imagine if there are changes to those plans, Alaska will reach out to all affected passengers.
Conclusion
Alaska’s pet cabin baggage option is rumored to sunset on June 4, 2025. If you have concrete knowledge of this, feel free to share in the comments.
