Alaska Airlines Pet Policy Update: What the October 1, 2026 Brachycephalic Breed Rule Change Means for Your Pet

SHORT ANSWER

Starting October 1, 2026, Alaska Air Cargo, which has now acquired Hawaiian Airlines, is updating its short-nosed (brachycephalic) breed policy for pets traveling in the cargo hold of Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and Horizon Air aircraft. There is good news and bad news. The good news: Staffordshire Terriers, Pit Bull Terriers, and Bull Terriers are being classified as eligible for cargo transport, a change from how these breeds were previously treated under Alaska's restricted-breed rules. The bad news: the core list of brachycephalic dogs and cats, including Bulldogs, Boxers, Pugs, Shih Tzus, Pekingese, Mastiffs, Chow Chows, Boston Terriers, Brussels Griffons, and several flat-faced cat breeds, will no longer be accepted in the cargo hold on any of these carriers, and that now includes flights to, from, and within Hawai'i. That last point is a real change from past practice: Hawaiian Airlines has previously accepted brachycephalic breeds in cargo, and that ends under the unified policy. If your pet falls into either category, the rule change directly affects how, or whether, you can book cargo travel with Alaska, Hawaiian, or Horizon.

What Is Actually Changing on October 1, 2026

Alaska Air Cargo's Pet Connect program is updating its brachycephalic breed restrictions across Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and Horizon Air, and the change cuts two different ways depending on which breed you're moving. According to Alaska's own restrictions page, the update affects both which breeds are excluded from cargo travel and which breeds are being added back to the eligible list (Alaska Air Cargo Pet Connect Restrictions).

For most pet owners researching short-nosed breed rules, this is the detail that matters most: Alaska explicitly states that "Staffordshire Terriers, Pit Bull Terriers, and Bull Terriers remain eligible for transport" once the October 1 changes take effect. In practical terms, this means families relocating with these terrier breeds, which have historically faced additional airline scrutiny under breed-specific policies unrelated to brachycephaly, now have a clearer path to book cargo transport with Alaska, provided every other requirement (health certificate, kennel size, weather acclimation, and so on) is met.

The Good News: Three Terrier Breeds Gain Cargo Eligibility

If you are moving with a Staffordshire Terrier, a Pit Bull Terrier, or a Bull Terrier, October 1, 2026 is a meaningful date. These breeds are being confirmed as eligible for cargo hold transport under Alaska's updated policy. This matters because these breeds are frequently caught in a gray area across the airline industry: they are sometimes grouped with brachycephalic breeds due to their broad, muscular head shape, and sometimes grouped separately under breed-specific or "dangerous breed" restrictions that have nothing to do with respiratory risk. Alaska's update draws a clearer line for these three breeds specifically.

That said, eligibility for cargo transport is not the same as an automatic booking. Every pet, regardless of breed, still needs to meet Alaska's standard requirements: a health certificate issued within 10 days of travel (14 days for Hawai'i-bound pets), a valid rabies certificate where applicable, and kennel specifications that meet USDA or IATA standards depending on the route (Alaska Air Cargo Pet Connect).

The Bad News: Most Short-Nosed Breeds Are Still Restricted

For every other brachycephalic breed on Alaska's list, the policy is not loosening — and for Hawai'i routes specifically, it's getting stricter. As of October 1, 2026, the following breeds remain generally excluded from cargo hold travel on Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and Horizon Air, including flights to, from, and within Hawai'i:

Dogs: Boston Terrier, Boxer (all breeds), Bulldog (all breeds), Brussels Griffon, Chow Chow, English Toy Spaniel, Japanese Spaniel/Japanese Chin, Mastiff (all breeds), Pekingese, Pug (all breeds), Shih Tzu.

Cats: Burmese, Exotic Shorthair, Himalayan, Persian.

Alaska applies this restriction to "any mixed breeds containing these types," which is an important detail for owners of mixed-breed dogs and cats. A dog that is part Pug or part Bulldog, even if the brachycephalic ancestry isn't visually obvious, can still fall under the exclusion. Alaska is explicit that no exceptions can be made once a breed is identified as restricted on the health certificate, so if there is any uncertainty about a pet's breed makeup, it is worth getting a written veterinary opinion or a DNA breed test before assuming cargo eligibility either way.

Why Alaska Restricts Brachycephalic Pets from the Cargo Hold

This isn't a policy unique to Alaska. Short-nosed dogs and cats have a compressed upper airway that makes normal breathing more effortful even under calm conditions, a condition veterinarians commonly refer to as brachycephalic airway syndrome. Air travel adds stress, temperature swings, and time spent unsupervised in the cargo compartment, all of which can worsen breathing difficulty in a way that is harder to manage than it would be in the cabin next to an owner. Alaska's own guidance frames the restriction around animal safety rather than breed temperament, which is consistent with how most major airlines that still transport pets in cargo have approached brachycephalic breeds in recent years. Starwood has covered how these risks compare across carriers in more detail in Airlines and Flat Faced Dogs or Cats.

Why Hawai'i Is No Longer an Exception

Until now, Hawaiian Airlines has accepted brachycephalic breeds in the cargo hold on flights to, from, and within Hawai'i, even though Alaska Airlines did not. That gap is closing. Under the policy taking effect October 1, 2026, Alaska is aligning Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and Horizon Air onto the same breed and kennel restrictions, which means short-nosed dogs and cats will no longer be accepted for cargo travel on any of these carriers, Hawai'i routes included. This sits alongside Hawai'i's own strict animal import and quarantine framework, which is separately regulated by the Hawai'i Department of Agriculture and the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (Hawai'i Department of Agriculture, Importing Animals to Hawai'i from the U.S. Mainland).

The practical effect: a brachycephalic pet that could previously fly Hawaiian Airlines cargo between the mainland and Hawai'i, or between the islands, will not be able to once the October 1 policy is in place. This is a meaningful shift for families who had been planning a relocation around Hawaiian's older, more permissive rule, so it's worth rechecking eligibility even if you looked into this a few months ago.

Alaska's own public restrictions page has not yet been updated to reflect this change as of this writing, so owners researching Hawai'i routes may still see the older, more permissive wording there. Because Alaska Air Cargo and Hawaiian Air Cargo now operate under a shared network following their merger, the safest step is to confirm current breed eligibility directly with the Cargo Call Center before booking, rather than relying on the website alone.

One Set of Rules Across Alaska, Hawaiian, and Horizon

This update is part of a broader alignment following the merger: Alaska, Hawaiian, and Horizon are moving toward the same pet cargo rates and the same breed and kennel restrictions across all three brands. For pet owners, that increasingly means the specific carrier on your ticket matters less than it used to — the restricted-breed list, the temporary embargo dates, and the standard USDA/IATA kennel sizing requirements apply the same way whether your pet's flight is booked as Alaska, Hawaiian, or Horizon.

If Your Pet Is Still Restricted From Cargo, In-Cabin Travel May Be an Option

Cargo restrictions are not the end of the road for most short-nosed pets. Alaska Airlines allows small dogs and cats, including many brachycephalic breeds, to travel in the cabin with their owner as long as the carrier fits safely under the seat in front of them. In-cabin travel is a separate program from Pet Connect cargo shipping, with its own fees, size limits, and booking process through Alaska Airlines directly rather than Alaska Air Cargo (Alaska Airlines, Traveling With Pets). For pets that are too large for an in-cabin carrier and fall on the restricted breed list, cargo travel with Alaska, Hawaiian, or Horizon is not currently an option, and families in that situation should evaluate other carriers or ground transport alternatives as part of their relocation planning. Starwood's ongoing coverage of airline-by-airline brachycephalic policies is a useful starting point for that comparison, available on our Brachycephalic Breeds blog topic page.

A Separate, Temporary Rule to Watch: The French and English Bulldog Embargo

Timing matters here. Independent of the October 1 breed policy change, Alaska has an active, temporary embargo specifically on French and English Bulldogs traveling in the cargo hold. Effective 12:01 a.m. PST on July 31, 2026, through 11:59 p.m. PST on September 30, 2026, French and English Bulldogs listed on a health certificate are not accepted for cargo hold transport, including as cargo shipments or checked animals connected to passenger travel. This embargo expires the day before the new brachycephalic breed restrictions take effect on October 1, but it does not change the underlying policy: French and English Bulldogs are already part of the general "Bulldog (all breeds)" category that remains restricted from cargo under the October 1 rules. Families with English or French Bulldogs should not read the embargo's expiration as a sign that cargo travel opens up for these breeds after September 30, since the standing brachycephalic restriction still applies.

How to Confirm Your Pet's Eligibility Before You Book

Given how specific these rules are, and how much they depend on exact breed, mixed-breed ancestry, and route, the safest first step is direct confirmation rather than assumption. Alaska's Cargo Call Center (available 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. PST) can confirm current breed eligibility, kennel requirements, and any route-specific exceptions before a reservation is made. Reservations are generally accepted between 24 hours and 30 days before travel, so there is a practical window to get a firm answer before locking in flight plans. If your move involves connecting flights, weather-sensitive routing, or a mixed-breed pet with uncertain ancestry, working through these questions early avoids a surprise at the cargo counter. If you would like help mapping out your pet's full relocation timeline once eligibility is confirmed, request a free quote from Starwood Pet Travel and our team can walk through the rest of the process with you.

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