Service dogs
We have changed our service dog program following significant changes to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) rules on this topic. Starting on August 5, 2021, emotional support animals will not be accepted for travel in any cabin.
To travel with a working dog, please see our Pets section.
We recommend reviewing this entire web page before booking travel.
WestJet only accepts dogs to provide services to persons with disabilities. Service dogs must have been trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a qualified individual with a disability. For domestic, international and Caribbean flights, service dogs must be individually trained by an organization or person specializing in service dog training.
We accept one service dog for a person with a disability. If your itinerary includes a flight to or from the U.S., we accept two service dogs for a person with a disability.
If you are travelling with your service dog and your itinerary contains a flight operated by a partner airline, please contact the partner airline to confirm their guidelines.
Travel and entry requirements
It is your responsibility and extremely important to ensure your dog meets the entrance and import regulations and the destination specific restrictions listed below for all countries on your itinerary, including those where your flight stops.
Failure to meet the requirements for where you are travelling may result in your dog being:
- denied carriage
- denied entry upon arrival
- returned to your point of departure or country of origin
- quarantined, or
- subject to other measures and restrictions as specified by the local government authority
In nearly all instances, you will be responsible for the fines, fees or costs associated with these actions.
WestJet assumes no responsibility for inaccurate or incomplete documentation. For import and export regulations, vaccination and documentation requirements, contact the consulate or embassy of the countries you will be entering.
It is your responsibility to comply with the restrictions imposed by the local, regional, or national authority.
Service dogs are not accepted on flights to or from:
- Bridgetown, Barbados
- Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica
- Rio Hato, Panama
Pre-approval is required for service dogs travelling to the following countries:
| Antigua | The Veterinary and Live Stock Division |
| Belize | Animal Health department at (501) 824-4872 or email animalhealth@baha.org.bz |
| Cayman Islands | Department of Agriculture at 345-947-3090 |
| France | douane.gouv.fr |
| Hawaii | The Department of Agriculture |
| Iceland | Please review the requirements for service dogs then contact the applicable agencies or WestJet regarding travel with a service animal. Your dog must qualify as a service (assistance) dog with MAST, an agency that approves the application for the import, home quarantine or transit permit for a certified service dog. WestJet along with MAST recommend guests originating in Canada apply for the import and home quarantine permit at least 3 months and no later than 30 days prior to the service dogs arrival into Iceland. All service dogs must be quarantined for 14 days or approved for home quarantine. Upon arrival in Iceland, the service dog must complete inspection.
Phone number: +354 530 4800 |
| Ireland | Please review the requirements for service dogs then contact the applicable agencies or WestJet regarding travel with a service animal. You must arrange a compliance check and provide advance notice of your intention to bring your service dog into Ireland, at least 1 working day prior to your departure time. Advance notice should be emailed to petmove@agriculture.gov.ie or call +353 (0) 87 417 8986. For more information and general inquiries (not to book a compliance check), please visit Pet Travel. Email: livetrade@agriculture.gov.ie Phone number: +353 (0) 1 607 2827 |
| Mexico | Servisio Nacional de Sanidad Inocuidad Y Calidad Agrolimaentaria (SENASICA) or by email |
| Panama | Introduction of small animals into the Republic of Panama - Ministry of Agricultural Development Traveling with Pets - Embassy of Panama in Canada |
| Spain | Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the USA and Canada Embassy of Spain |
| St. Lucia | The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries. |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Chief Veterinary Officer - Animal Production and Health Division - Ministry of Food Production, Land and Marine Affairs. |
| Turks and Caicos | Animal Health Service at 1-649-946-5801 or by email agriculture@gov.tc |
| United Kingdom | Please review the requirements for service dogs then contact WestJet and the applicable agencies regarding travel with a service animal. Download and complete the Service Dog Registration Form (pdf). Email both the completed form and required documents to servicedog@contact.westjet.com at least seven days prior to your flight. London Gatwick:
London Heathrow:
Edinburgh:
Glasgow:
Cardiff:
|
| United States | Service dogs entering the United States must have the CDC import form completed and the receipt ready to present to the check-in agent at the airport. Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website to review entrance requirements. |
Booking and advance preparation
To request travel or to add your service dog onto an existing reservation, call us at least 48 hours before your flight departure and ask for the Special Care Desk. Please have any existing reservation code ready for our agent.
Please note, if you are travelling to the United Kingdom, you must submit your request at least seven days prior to departure.
Be prepared to answer some questions regarding your service dog and your needs. You will not be asked to disclose your specific disability, however you will be required to confirm that your animal is travelling to assist you with a disability, and what task or service your dog provides.
To ensure adequate notice we recommend that you request to travel with your service dog as soon as possible at least 48 hours before your flight departs. This helps us to arrange appropriate seating for you and your service dog and to greatly reduce the chances that you will be delayed or denied travel.
In cases where notification is not provided 48 hours before departure, we will make every reasonable effort to accommodate your request, which may include delaying you until another WestJet operated flight is available to your destination.
Please note, if you are travelling to the United Kingdom, you must submit your request at least seven days prior to departure.
If you are on a WestJet Vacations package booking, we request a minimum of seven days' notice to arrange suitable accommodations, transfers, car rentals or other services.
Registering is optional but sending us your dog’s details before you fly helps to make future reservations easier. Once received, we’ll keep the information on file for up to three years.
Please note, if you are travelling to the United Kingdom, registration is required and must be completed at least seven days prior to departure.
How to register:
- Review the acceptance criteria below.
- Download and complete the Service Dog Registration Form (PDF).
- Email both the completed form and required documents to servicedog@contact.westjet.com.
Form submissions without proof of training documentation attached will be considered incomplete and will not be processed.
Onboard requirements for your service dog
Service dogs are not permitted in the emergency exit row on any aircraft or to occupy an empty seat.
If your service dog does not fit comfortably at your feet, you can request additional floor space by contacting WestJet at least 48 hours before departure. Additional floor space is free of charge for flights within Canada if your dog requires additional room, and you may purchase a second seat to provide additional floor space for flights outside of Canada.
Please be prepared to discuss your dog's breed, weight, length, height, and width as we use this information to determine the floor space required to accommodate your dog. We will make every reasonable effort for requests made within 48 hours before flight departure.
For service dogs that exceed the safe size and weight limitations to travel in the guest’s cabin of purchase, WestJet may offer to rebook to a later flight to the extent there is space available, or the service dog may be transported in the hold of the aircraft.
Acceptance of the service dog in the hold will be free of charge, subject to the guest providing their own kennel.
WestJet considers all service dogs to be on duty for the duration of their time at the gate and onboard the aircraft.
As such, control measures are always required, specifically, your service dog must:
- be under your control
- wear a harness, vest or collar and leash (tether) or be inside a kennel. Regardless of what control measure is used, it must indicate that the dog is a service dog (or animal), for example, a label on a kennel, or embroidery on the leash, vest or harness
- behave in a manner that indicates the dog has been properly trained to be in public environments
WestJet will refuse to transport your dog as a service dog if you do not have the required control measures or your dog demonstrates unacceptable behaviours like:
- running freely
- barking or growling repeatedly at other persons
- biting
- jumping on people
- urinating or defecating in the cabin or gate areas
- causing significant disruption in the cabin or at an airport gate area
Every reasonable effort will be made in these cases to identify alternative methods to transport your service dog. If we cannot and your dog is refused travel, we will explain why and follow up in writing within 10 days.
We recommend guests bring their Registered Identification Card or other written documentation in the event it is required by airport authorities or other service providers.
WestJet accepts one service dog (no other species) in training per trainer or handler, at no charge on flights booked with WestJet and WestJet Encore, provided the flight is operated on WestJet aircraft.
This service is not required under Canadian regulations. As such, and because these dogs are not assisting a person with a disability, we classify the dog as a "pet" on the reservation. Under the classification of a "pet", service dogs in training will only be accepted if space is available in the aircraft cabin at the time of request based on the pet acceptance limitations for pets in the cabin.
A service dog in training may not travel with an unaccompanied minor.
This service is not offered by many transportation service providers. It is your responsibility to confirm the policies for the acceptance of service dogs in training with any other service provider you may be travelling with.
Space for service dogs in training cannot be reserved online. To add your service dog in training to your travel plans, call us.
We strongly recommend requesting space for your service dog in training as soon as you have completed your booking and a minimum of 48 hours before your scheduled departure. If you check in without requesting space for your service dog in training, you may not be permitted to travel with your service dog in training due to space limitations. WestJet does not assume responsibility for a service dog in training that is not accepted for travel.
Your service dog in training must be at least eight weeks old.
If your service dog in training appears to be aggressive, unruly or in distress, the dog will be denied transport at our discretion.
The limits of liability outlined in our baggage claim page apply to your service dog in training as well. These amounts are not automatically payable but reflect the maximum compensation payable, as each claim is subject to proof of loss.
Consequential damages such as loss of enjoyment or companionship, inconvenience, etc. are not compensable.
If your service dog does not fit comfortably at your feet, you can request additional floor space by contacting WestJet at least 48 hours before departure. Additional floor space is free of charge for flights within Canada and available for purchase for flights outside of Canada.
Please be prepared to discuss your dog's breed, weight, length, height, and width as we use this information to determine your dog’s accommodation needs. We will make every reasonable effort for requests made within 48 hours before flight departure.
Service dogs in training are not permitted in the emergency exit row on any aircraft or to occupy an empty seat.
Service dogs in training that exceed a safe size and weight may be denied transport in any cabin of the aircraft.
WestJet considers all service dogs in training to be actively training for the duration of their time at the gate and onboard the aircraft.
As such, control measures are always required, specifically, your service dog in training must:
- be under the control of its trainer
- wear a harness, vest or collar and leash (tether) or be inside a kennel that indicates that the dog is a service dog (or animal) in training