Gone are the days of having to sacrifice your full-size carry-on bag in order to bring your pet aboard with you–that is if you’re flying American Airlines.
American Airlines has relaxed its pet policy and is now allowing passengers to bring both their pet and a full-size carry-on bag into the cabin.
Up until now, those who paid the $150 fee to bring their pet into the cabin were only allowed one other small item that fit under the seat. If fliers didn’t want to put their pet in the cargo hold, anything larger than a personal item–such as a full-size carry-on bag–had to be checked for a $35 fee.
Moreover, fliers felt the old policy which included the additional $35 fee was unfair since they were already paying a $150 pet fee. To be clear, under the new policy passengers must still pay a pet fee, but that pet is no longer considered a carry-on.
An American Airlines spokeswoman stated that they “made the change to provide a more convenient and comfortable experience to customers whose pets fly American,” according to a press release.
Though the airline’s pet policy is now more relaxed, fliers with pets can still only bring one additional piece of luggage onto the plane (which includes the pet carrier). Additionally, only cats and dogs are allowed to be carried onto the place, and their breed and size must meet the airline’s requirements.
On the flip side, as one cost goes down another is going up. American Airlines just recently raised the fee for checking a bag on a domestic flight from $30 to $35 online and $40 if purchased at the airport. Fees for additional checked bags will also rise from $40 to $45 both online and at the airport.