Plan animal travel
with Royal Jordanian.

Start with the operating flights

Write down every operating flight, connection and airport, with species, breed or cross, age, animal weight, loaded-carrier weight and external measurements. Ask for written animal-space confirmation, the applicable documents and a complete charge quote before committing to the itinerary.

Keep a cabin pet, a checked-hold pet, unaccompanied cargo and a qualifying service dog as separate planning questions. A passenger ticket does not establish animal acceptance. Recheck after any aircraft or routing change; a partner carrier needs its own confirmation.

Cabin and checked-hold limits

RJ’s cat/dog cabin option is Economy only: combined weight up to 7 kg, carrier up to 50 × 40 × 26 cm, and flight up to 5 hours 30 minutes. It lists two cabin pets and four checked-hold animals per aircraft.

Pet requests go through an office, call centre or agent, not its website/app. Booking and approval are required at least 48 hours ahead.

Checked pets are charged outside baggage allowance. Confirm the current route/kennel price and published prohibited breed/mix list before payment.

Sources: Pet policy.

Resolve the route before paying

RJ currently suspends checked-hold dogs to Dallas (DFW). Its stated exception is for military-order travellers with military ID, still subject to approval and compliance.

RJ’s India-export table says 72 hours for checked-hold pets, against its general 48-hour rule. Ask which deadline applies.

Do not substitute a cargo booking or different arrival airport without checking the entire journey, handling arrangements and government entry pathway. Obtain the accepting team’s written decision for the exact flight.

Sources: Pet policy.

Use the actual acceptance checklist

RJ’s June 2025 checklist asks whether the animal is at least eight weeks old, with destination rules still applicable, and whether it is fit, unsedated and supported by required veterinary documents. It also checks interline arrangements.

The form checks space for natural movement and lying down, ventilation, labelling and suitable dimensions. Cabin containers may be non-rigid; hold carriers must be hard-shell, leak/escape-proof, have lifting features and feeding/watering facilities. It says a failed item prevents acceptance.

The cabin container-compliance section is not required for certified assistance dogs. This is a form-specific exception, not blanket approval for a dog or route.

Use the carrier planning guide to prepare measurements; ask the accepting station to confirm the actual carrier, rather than relying on a shop’s label.

Sources: Acceptance checklist.

Service dogs: clarify the recognition pathway

RJ describes free cabin carriage for qualifying dogs, up to two per passenger, harnessed/leashed, near the seat and clear of exits or aisles.

Its page mixes recognition wording: the general section asks for official training/recognition evidence, while another lists documents or credible verbal assurances. Ask which applies to your route; this does not establish a worldwide accreditation-only rule.

It also groups emotional-support and psychiatric service animals together and requests a medical certificate, medical-advisor approval and 48-hour notice. Do not treat that wording as the U.S. rule; see the separate distinction below.

Sources: Assistance policy.

Long-flight wording needs clarification

RJ’s short sensory-assistance overview mentions flights no longer than eight hours, while its detailed service-animal section provides a relief-documentation pathway for longer flights. Obtain a route-specific answer rather than assuming either automatic acceptance or a blanket ban.

Sources: Assistance policy.

Apply the U.S. service-dog rules to U.S. flights

For flights to, within or from the United States, DOT recognises individually task-trained dogs, including psychiatric service dogs. Emotional-support animals and dogs still in training are not service animals under this rule.

An airline may require the DOT transport form and, for flights of eight hours or more, a relief attestation. DOT limits additional documentation except where another relevant authority’s animal-transport requirements apply. If an accommodation issue remains unresolved, ask for the airline’s Complaints Resolution Official.

The current transport-form instructions allow the handler to be the trainer and do not require a training certificate. When travel is booked within 48 hours of departure, the airline must allow the form at the gate instead of insisting on advance submission. For other late forms, it must make reasonable efforts to accommodate the passenger before refusal.

These U.S. rules do not establish approval for a separate non-U.S. connecting flight. Confirm each operating sector and its entry requirements.

Sources: U.S. guidance · Transport form instructions.

Check entry separately from airline acceptance

RJ’s pet page retains expired U.S. transition wording. Use current CDC guidance for U.S. entry.

CDC’s pathway depends on vaccination location and the dog’s country history during the preceding six months. Use its current navigator, including the high-risk-country branch when applicable; additional USDA and destination requirements can also apply.

RJ’s carriage conditions require prior approval and the health, vaccination and departure/transit/entry documents required for the journey. Airline acceptance does not replace those documents.

For other destinations and the return trip, confirm the responsible authority, authorised arrival point and any inspection or handover arrangements. Keep service-dog recognition, animal-health entry and public-access rights separate.

Sources: Pet policy · Current U.S. entry · Carriage conditions.

Keep a written journey record

Collect the confirmed animal booking, operating itinerary, original documents, carrier measurements, charge quote and arrival contact in one place. Record who confirmed each requirement and when. Use the blank journey worksheet and connection guide for unresolved questions.

If a reply conflicts with a published page, ask the airline or authority to resolve the discrepancy for your specific flight before paying. Avoid sending personal medical documents to unofficial intermediaries.

Related planning

Related reading: Service-dog planning · Connections · Journey worksheet.

Official sources and scope

• Pet policy
• Acceptance checklist
• Assistance policy
• Carriage conditions
• U.S. guidance
• Transport form instructions
• Current U.S. entry

Official sources checked October 18, 2026. Resolve conflicting or dated wording with the responsible airline team or authority for your itinerary.