What Does It Cost to Fly a Pet? Flight-Nanny Prices, Airline Pet Fees, Export Endorsement Fees and Entry Rules for Dogs and Cats from Company, Airline and Government Sources, 2008–2026

Moving a pet by air involves several separately priced components, but their costs are rarely documented together. We compile published prices and fees in force in September 2026 from seven US flight-nanny companies, thirteen airlines, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the State of Hawaii, together with Department of Transportation animal incident reports for 2015–2024. Published domestic flight-nanny starting prices ranged from USD 400 to USD 1,900, with a median of USD 675 and a mean of USD 853.6; only two of the seven included the escort's airfare and the airline fee, and one itemised estimator added fixed lines totalling USD 1,245 before airfare. Across nine US airline fee schedules the in-cabin pet fee ranged from USD 50 to USD 150 each way, with a median of USD 125; Delta's rose 58%, from USD 95 to USD 150, in April 2025. Only Alaska and Hawaiian accepted checked pets from the general public, at USD 200 each way. The median nanny price was 5.4 times the median airline fee domestically, and an international nanny tier 3.65 times the USD 301 cost of an airline fee plus the lowest USDA endorsement. USDA endorsement fees ranged from USD 101 to USD 275 by the number of laboratory tests, and Hawaii charged USD 185 to USD 244 for airport release. Reported animal incidents fell from 1.18 to 0.81 per 10,000 animals between 2015 and 2024, while animals carried fell 69.8%. Prices are published list prices, not transaction data.