Alaska Airlines service animal policy: the Open Doors portal, ESAs and dogs in training

Service dogs on Alaska: what Alaska requires

Alaska's service animal page is titled "Travel With Service Animals - Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines", and one contract of carriage covers both. The rules:

• Forms: the DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form, "one per dog". The contract (revised August 25, 2026) also requires the relief attestation form "For any flight lasting eight (8) hours or more".
• Number: "A maximum of two service dogs will be accepted per guest."
• Behavior: a dog is not accepted as a service animal for "Barking excessively, not in response to a handler's need or distress", aggression toward guests or animals, relieving itself in the cabin or outside relief areas, occupying a seat or tray table, or being "Not responsive to owner/handler's commands". Alaska may charge for damage.
• At the airport: staff confirm the dog is booked on that flight, that it "fits within the floor space", and "briefly assess the service animal's behavior".

Alaska names no breed limits for service dogs. Its page reprints the DOT form's federal false-statement warning, which is worth reading before you sign.

How to add a service dog to an Alaska Airlines booking

1. Book your flight, then fill out the DOT form (one per dog).
2. Submit it through Alaska's optional "Service Animal Form Portal", "operated by our partner, Open Doors Organization". The portal lets you "describe the work or task(s) your dog has been trained to perform" and gives "an optional ID number that you can use to quickly access your DOT Service Animal Form for future flights".
3. Timing: "If you've booked travel more than 48 hours before your flight, we recommend you submit the DOT Service Animal Form 48 hours before departure." Booked within 48 hours? Present the form "at the check-in lobby or departure gate".

Prefer paper? "We will mail you a DOT Service Animal Form upon request."

Submitting the DOT form to Alaska

Alaska's approval lasts longer than most: "The DOT Service Animal Form expires on your service dog's rabies vaccination expiration date". Carry a printed copy of the form and the portal's approval email "in case of a technical outage". Alaska hosts the current 9.20.24 revision; our DOT form guide walks through every field.

Psychiatric service dogs on Alaska

Alaska says plainly that its service animal rules include psychiatric service animals: "This includes psychiatric service animals." Same form, same portal, no mental health letter. The dog must be trained to perform a task; a dog whose presence alone helps is an emotional support animal. See psychiatric service dogs.

Emotional support animals on Alaska: flying as a pet

"Emotional support animals are not considered service animals, but they may travel as a pet under Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines' pet travel policy." Alaska's cabin pet rules:

• Fee: "$100 ($35 if traveling wholly within the State of Hawai'i)" each way per carrier.
• Which pets: dogs, cats, rabbits and small household birds, at least 8 weeks old. You must be 18 or older.
• Carrier: soft-sided only, 17 x 11 x 9.5 inches. "Hard-sided kennels are not allowed in the cabin." It counts as your carry-on (except within Hawaii).
• Booking: reserve before the day of travel; space is first come, first served. Two carriers only with a second adjacent seat. No pets in Business on the A330 or 787.
• Hawaii: unlike Delta, United, American and Southwest, Alaska carries cabin pets to Hawaii (dogs and cats; rabbits to Honolulu only).

Alaska's web page and contract disagree on details: the contract allows only cats and dogs in the cabin and one carrier per person. A larger pet can go in the baggage compartment for "$200 each way per kennel" ($100 within Alaska or on military orders, $60 within Hawaii), with snub-nosed breeds mostly excluded, and French and English Bulldogs are under a hold embargo from July 31 to September 30, 2026. Compare airlines in can emotional support animals fly?

Alaska Airlines and service dogs in training

Alaska has the most generous rule of the big US airlines. "Service animals-in-training are not covered by the Air Carrier Access Act (Part 382) but may be accepted for no charge at the airline's discretion. Space is limited and subject to availability." Ask "at least 48 hours in advance". Two situations qualify:

• A trainer delivering a newly trained dog to its new handler, with a letter "on official letterhead noting the service animal has successfully completed training".
• A "Service dog/puppy-in-training ... traveling with a trainer/raiser for training purposes", only when "Travel is wholly within the United States" and the trainer or raiser shows "an official Trainer ID card issued by the assistance organization".

Otherwise, a dog in training flies as a pet. On the ground, access for dogs in training depends on state law; see service dogs in training.

International and Hawaii flights on Alaska

Hawaii: Hawaii's state documents are required, and "Service animals arriving without proper documentation may be quarantined for up to 120 days in Honolulu at the owner's expense." Alaska's service animal page says "Service dogs are not permitted on flights arriving in Honolulu before 8:30am or after 10pm", while its Hawaii pet page gives 8:00am, so check the time before you book. Direct flights to a neighbor island need an original Neighbor Island Inspection Permit shown at check-in. The full state rules are on our Hawaiian Airlines and Hawaii page.

International: on some international routes Alaska expects training by "An accredited member of Assistance Dogs International (ADI) or the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF), A recognized national or regional accreditation body, or A training program that meets or exceeds these standards, with documentation available upon request." For London Heathrow, send the DOT form at least 48 hours ahead so the Animal Reception Centre can approve it, and contact any destination consulate "at least 4 weeks prior". Alaska currently says travel with service dogs to Mexico and Costa Rica "is not recommended" because of screwworm. Dogs entering the US need a CDC Dog Import Form receipt and a microchip.

Seating, size and large dogs on Alaska

The dog "must not exceed the footprint or personal space of your seat or foot area during the entire flight", and "Service animals must be seated on the floor space below your seat or, if no larger than an infant, seated in your lap". No lap dogs in seats with air belts, no emergency exit rows, and nothing in the aisle. Alaska recommends a window seat and allows the bulkhead for "a fully trained working dog". If your dog is too large for the cabin, "Service animals traveling in the cargo compartment must follow Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines' pet travel policy."

Contacting Alaska, and when we last checked

Alaska's service animal page and the Open Doors portal are linked in our sources. We read Alaska's service animal, pet and Hawaii pages live on 2026-09-25; none shows a "last updated" date, and the contract of carriage says revised August 25, 2026. Compare Southwest and JetBlue, which also uses the Open Doors portal.

Common questions

Sources

1. Alaska Airlines, Travel With Service Animals
2. Alaska Airlines, Contract of Carriage (revised 2026-08-25)
3. Alaska Airlines, pets in cabin
4. Alaska Airlines, pets traveling to Hawaii
5. Open Doors Organization, Service Animal Form Portal
6. DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form (PDF)

General information, not legal advice. Policies and laws change; follow the sources. Last checked September 25, 2026.