Why Airlines and Hospitality Providers are Expanding Pet Travel Offerings

As travelers are increasingly demanding that pets are brought along in travels instead of leaving them behind, airlines as well as hospitality providers are adding a greater percentage of pet-friendly travel services.

Pets aren't just animals that stay home anymore while owners go away, as for a lot of households, they're family, and that's reshaping how people plan vacations, relocations, and even short business trips.

Airlines are answering with in-cabin options, dedicated cargo services, and stronger safety measures for animal transport. Meanwhile hotels are adding pet-friendly rooms with food and water bowls, dedicated walking areas, and other key amenities.

Furthermore, the expanding pet-friendly services offered by airlines and hospitality providers is a key element in the upward growth trajectory of the pet travel services market. In 2026, the market reached a valuation worth USD 2.42 Billion, while by the end of 2033, the market’s valuation is poised to reach USD 4.35 Billion, expanding at a CAGR of 8.7%. The rising pet ownership, pet humanization, and growing demand for travel options that include pets are all helping push the growth of the market.

The shift is that as people want to travel, and more and more, they don't want to leave an important member of the household behind.

More People Own Pets Than Ever?

Pet ownership is a major force behind the rise in pet travel. Dogs and cats especially are part of everyday family life for millions of households, and that naturally spills over into travel plans.

A major trend is that pet humanization is driving a lot of this as owners are spending more on their pets' comfort and treating them as companions who belong on vacations, relocations, and the rest of the family's lifestyle, not something to hand off to a sitter every time there's a trip.

Domestic travel takes up the largest share of the market, at 73.7% in 2026, emerging as a leading segment. Traveling within the same country can be easier for pet owners as it means fewer cross-border requirements as well as greater control over the journey.

Another leading segment in pet travel is Dogs, accounting for 44.8% revenue share in 2026. This is due to the large ownership of dogs and how often they are brought along on road trips, holidays, as well as outdoor activities. Furthermore, dogs also require more specialized accommodation, right from suitable transport options to exercise-friendly stays. That shapes how travelers make decisions as a family flying from New York to California, for instance, might pick an airline partly based on whether the dog can ride in the cabin and what restrictions apply.

Hotels run into a similar calculation, as if a traveler is choosing between two properties and only one welcomes pets, that property has an obvious edge. Regionally, North America holds a leading revenue share of 38.8% in 2026. Within North America, the U.S. market is leading, as it is backed by very high pet ownership, well-established pet-care infrastructure, and an extremely wide network of airlines as well as pet-relocation providers. Additionally, over 66% of the U.S. households owned a pet in 2023, based on available research.

Travel is Becoming More Pet-Friendly

Airlines are gradually loosening up on pet travel, though the rules still vary a fair bit between carriers. Some allow small pets in the cabin; others route certain animals through dedicated cargo arrangements instead.

Hotels have more room to get creative here. Some hand over a basic pet kit with bowls and treats, while others go further with walking areas, sitting services, daycare, or more elaborate pet amenities.

The Pet Transport Services segment accounts for 47.8% of the market in 2026, making it the largest service category, a sign of how far pet transport has come from just getting an animal from one airport to another. Owners increasingly want transportation that accounts for health, behavior, safety, comfort, paperwork, and every other detail of the journey.

That's opened the door to more specialized services. Someone moving across the country with a pet may need ground transportation, airport assistance, document preparation, and boarding if there's a delay. International moves pile on customs requirements, health certificates, and quarantine rules. It all points to the same shift driving the broader Pet Travel Services Market, where the pet is becoming part of the service itself.

Customers Expect Better Comfort

Pet owners want more from travel providers than just permission to bring the animal along. One major transition is the shift toward more personalized, premium pet travel experiences.

A key trend is that of owners looking for safer transport, comfortable accommodations, pet-friendly spaces, and services built around the individual animal, plus growing demand for accessories like carriers, harnesses, and seat covers, along with pet-sitting and monitoring services.

For airlines, that translates into trained staff, better handling procedures, and clearer travel rules. Delta, for instance, currently lets eligible small dogs, cats, and household birds travel in the cabin on certain domestic flights, subject to size, health, kennel, and booking requirements.

Hotels are approaching the experience from a different angle. Hilton's current pet-friendly offering includes access to expert pet-travel advice through its partnership with Mars Petcare, and Home2 Suites welcomes pets across its entire portfolio. Being pet-friendly on paper is starting to mean less on its own. A comfortable, well-planned stay is what actually adds value now.

Social Media is Driving the Trend

Social media has given pet-friendly travel another push. People love posting pictures of dogs on beaches, cats curled up in hotel rooms, pets on road trips. A well-run pet-friendly property can ride that exposure without paying for every bit of it through advertising.

A guest posting about a good stay with their dog can put a hotel in front of a completely new audience. The same goes for airlines and pet-travel providers, and one good experience can travel a long way online.

That kind of word-of-mouth carries real weight because pet owners tend to pay close attention to other owners' experiences before picking a service. They want to know what actually happened, not just what a company promises on its website.

New Revenue Streams for Businesses

There's a lot of opportunity in making pet travel easier. Airlines can charge pet-travel fees, and hotels can add pet fees or build paid packages around grooming, sitting, food, or other services. Travelers that are already spending on a holiday tend to be willing to pay a bit more for something that takes the hassle out of bringing a pet along.

Technology is playing a growing role too, establishing itself as a third major trend and driving new streams of revenue. For instance, digital tools like online booking, GPS tracking, digital health documentation, and health monitoring give owners more visibility while helping providers manage complicated journeys behind the scenes.

Air Animal, for instance, says it now uses AI alongside its human pet-move specialists to support bookings, real-time tracking, and data management. PetRelocation has built its service around customized travel plans, itinerary management, travel oversight, and regular updates for owners. Airpets International has expanded its own digital and personalized approach, offering custom estimates and end-to-end domestic and international relocation services. The common thread is that pet travel is turning into a managed service rather than a simple transportation booking. The key players in the pet travel services market are CitizenShipper, World Care Pet Transport, LLC, All Care Pet Transport, FlyPets UK, AeroPets Worldwide, and more.

There's a regulatory side to all this too, as the international pet travel can involve health certificates, vaccination requirements, quarantine rules, and shifting entry restrictions. The IATA Live Animals Regulations 2025 edition has become a baseline for airline animal transport, and the U.S. rules can require pets arriving from high-risk countries to use designated CDC-registered Animal Care Facilities.

For businesses, all of that opens room for services that handle the paperwork and logistics along with the actual journey.

FAQs

• What is the Pet Travel Services Market?
  • The Pet Travel Services Market covers the businesses and services that help people travel with or relocate their pets and they include pet transport, boarding, travel insurance, and pet-friendly accommodation, along with the logistics behind them. It's estimated at USD 2.42 billion in 2026 and expected to reach USD 4.35 billion by 2033.
• Why are airlines allowing pets in cabins?
  • Airlines allow pets in cabins mainly to meet the rising demand from owners who don't want to leave their animals behind. Policies still vary by carrier, such as Delta, for example, allows eligible small dogs, cats, and household birds on certain domestic flights, subject to size, health, kennel, and booking requirements. Thus, it's worth confirming the specifics before booking.
• Do hotels charge extra for pets?
  • Yes, many hotels charge a pet fee, though the amount and what's included vary by property. Some only offer pet-friendly rooms, while others build in walking areas, sitting services, grooming, or bundled pet packages as a way to add revenue.
• Is pet travel safe on flights?
  • Pet travel is generally safe on flights when airline requirements, veterinary guidance, and kennel standards are followed. Safety also depends on the animal, the route, and how the pet is transported as international trips add further safeguards like the IATA Live Animals Regulations and, for pets entering the U.S. from high-risk countries, designated CDC-registered Animal Care Facilities.
• Why is pet travel growing so quickly?
  • Pet travel is growing quickly because more households’ own pets and increasingly treat them as family rather than something to leave behind while traveling. That's reflected in the numbers as the Pet Travel Services Market is expanding at a CAGR of 8.7% through 2033, driven by rising pet ownership, pet humanization, and stronger demand for pet-inclusive travel options.