Flying With a Service Dog on Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines accepts trained service dogs in the cabin at no charge — provided you submit the DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form ahead of your flight. Southwest's open-seating model actually makes the experience easier than most legacy carriers: no seat assignments to renegotiate, family boarding to lock in front-galley positioning, and a relatively simple online check-in that handles the form upload. Here's the complete walkthrough.

The two things you need before booking

1. The DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form. Required by federal law since 2021. Self-certifies that the dog is task-trained, vaccinated, and behaved. Southwest accepts the standardized DOT form — no proprietary version. Download from the DOT website or have your USAR Premium/Elite registration include a pre-filled copy.
2. For flights over 8 hours: the DOT Relief Attestation Form. Confirms the dog can either relieve itself in a sanitary manner during the flight or won't need to. Most domestic Southwest segments don't trigger this; longer Hawaii routes can.

Both forms are part of every USAR Premium and Elite registration. Build Your Own and Essential tiers can add the DOT form individually.

Southwest's specific service dog policy

• No fee. Service dogs travel free in the cabin.
• Dog stays at handler's feet. The dog must fit on the floor in front of the handler's seat — not on the seat, not blocking the aisle, not extending under the row in front (other passengers' foot space).
• Two service dogs maximum per handler. Standard DOT rule.
• Open seating works in your favor. Southwest's free seating means you can position yourself in a row with extra floor room (bulkhead exception below) without negotiating with assigned-seat passengers.
• Bulkhead seats are NOT permitted for service dogs. Southwest restricts bulkhead rows because there's no seat in front for the dog to lie under. Choose a regular row.
• Emergency exit rows are NOT permitted. Same logic as every airline — exit-row passengers must be free of obstructions.

The booking + check-in walkthrough

Step 1: Book your flight as normal

Book on southwest.com or via the Southwest app. Don't add a "pet" to the booking — service dogs are not pets and are not handled through the in-cabin pet flow.

Step 2: Submit the DOT form before check-in

Southwest's preferred process is to submit the DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form via their dedicated service animal form portal at least 48 hours before your flight. The form asks for confirmation number, flight details, and an upload of the completed DOT form. Southwest's Customer Service team reviews and confirms by email.

You can also submit at the airport on the day of travel, but doing it 48+ hours ahead avoids any check-in delays.

Step 3: Check in 24 hours before

Southwest's boarding position is determined by check-in time, not seat assignment. Check in exactly 24 hours before — earlier check-in means a better boarding position, which means more open rows to choose from when you board.

If you have a Customer of Size pre-purchase, EarlyBird, or A-List status, your position is locked. With a service dog, family boarding (between A and B groups) is also available — let the gate agent know if you'd like to use it.

Step 4: At the airport — TSA

Bring your USAR ID card and pull up the Wallet pass on your phone. TSA does not legally require either, but having both makes the conversation faster. The dog walks through the metal detector with you (handler may be patted down if the dog's harness or vest sets off the detector). The dog is not separately screened.

Step 5: Boarding

Pick a row with empty floor space ahead of you (the dog needs room under the seat in front). Window seats are typically more comfortable for the dog because they're out of aisle traffic. Place a small mat or blanket if your dog is more comfortable on a familiar surface — this is permitted.

What Southwest crew typically asks

Flight attendants and gate agents are required to follow the same DOT framework as any US airline. Expect:

• Confirmation that you submitted the DOT form (they'll have it in their system if you submitted ahead)
• The standard ADA two questions: "Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?" and "What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?"
• A glance at the dog's behavior — Southwest can refuse boarding if the dog shows aggression or appears not housebroken

They cannot ask about your specific disability, demand training documentation, or require the dog to demonstrate the trained task on the spot.

Where Southwest's service dog policy differs from other airlines

• Open seating. Most legacy carriers force you to coordinate seat assignments and sometimes pay for "preferred" seats with extra floor space. Southwest's model lets you self-select on board.
• No second pet permitted alongside a service dog. If you'd normally bring a second small pet in cabin, you can't on the same booking as a service dog. The service dog occupies your in-cabin animal allowance.
• Hawaiian routes have additional state quarantine rules. If you're flying Southwest Hawaii, Hawaii's animal quarantine program applies regardless of service dog status. Plan ahead — service dogs are eligible for Hawaii's 5-day-or-less program with advance documentation.

What about emotional support animals?

Southwest no longer recognizes emotional support animals as service animals for cabin travel. This change took effect across the US airline industry in early 2021 following the DOT's revised ACAA rule. ESAs flying Southwest are treated as pets — small in-cabin pet fee for animals that fit under the seat in a carrier, cargo for larger animals.

If you've been treating your dog as an ESA but the dog actually performs trained tasks for a psychiatric disability (PTSD, anxiety, depression), the dog may qualify as a psychiatric service dog (PSD) — which retains ACAA cabin access. See our PSD vs ESA guide for the distinction.

Frequently asked questions