WestJet publishes more of its pet policy than most carriers do, and two of the rules it publishes will stop a booking that has already been paid for. Neither is hidden, and neither is anywhere near the fare page. This is what the airline’s own pages say, read on 7 September 2026.
| How the pet travels | Within Canada and the US | Outside Canada and the US |
|---|---|---|
| In the cabin, as a personal item | $50 to $59 | $100 to $118 |
| As checked baggage | $100 to $118 | $200 to $236 |
Two things about that table are easy to read past. WestJet states that the fees apply to both directions of travel, so a return trip is charged twice and the number to budget is double the one you first see. And a domestic Canadian flight sits in the same band as a flight to the United States, so the border does not change the pet fee even though it changes almost everything else about the paperwork.
Kennel fees are paid through WestJet’s contact centre by credit card or with Travel Bank funds rather than added at checkout, which is the first sign that booking a pet is not a self-serve step.
WestJet’s published maximum for a kennel beneath the seat is 41 cm long by 21.5 cm high by 25.4 cm wide, which is 16 by 8.5 by 10 inches. It also warns that the space beneath the seat varies by aircraft type and that you may need to adjust the kennel to fit, so the published maximum is a ceiling rather than a promise.
The kennel must be soft-sided, airline-approved, leak-proof, secure and well ventilated. It must not allow the animal’s head to stick out, and it must not be a duffle bag, a gym bag or any other bag that is not a kennel. Every kennel is subject to approval by WestJet at check-in, which is a sentence worth taking literally: approval happens at the airport, not when you pay.
The space rule is the one to measure against. WestJet asks that the pet be able to stand, sit, turn around and lie down comfortably. Sitting is in that list, and it is the condition that catches cats, because a cat sitting up is taller than a cat standing, so a carrier that clears your cat’s standing height can still fail. Our guide to crate sizing asks for the sitting measurement for the same reason.
The kennel counts as your personal item within the carry-on allowance. One exception is worth knowing: on routes where UltraBasic fares do not include a carry-on bag, WestJet permits an UltraBasic guest to bring a kennel, empty or occupied, in addition to their personal item. Species accepted in the cabin are birds, cats and dogs, one animal per kennel and one kennel per guest.
This is the one to check before anything else:
Pets are not permitted on itineraries which include flights operated by our code-share and interline partners.
An itinerary sold under a WestJet flight number is not necessarily an itinerary flown entirely by WestJet. Code-share and interline segments appear in ordinary search results, they are booked in the ordinary way, and the rule excludes the whole itinerary rather than the offending leg. A traveller can hold a confirmed booking, a paid fare and a pet that cannot be on it.
The check is to read who operates each segment before paying rather than after. On a connecting itinerary that is the difference between a trip and a refund request.
WestJet limits how many pets it carries on each flight, and says that if you do not request space for your pet at least 48 hours before departure, space may not be available and you may not be permitted to travel with your pet. Booking a seat is not booking a pet. The request is a separate step, it goes through the contact centre, and it should follow the fare booking immediately rather than in the last week.
If you are flying with a cat and another guest on the same flight has a severe allergy to cat dander, WestJet may be required to move you toward the rear of the aircraft to meet the Canadian Transportation Agency’s buffer zone requirement. The airline says you will be told before boarding, and that the seating will leave at least a bank of seats between the allergic passenger and your cat.
It is not a refusal and it is not common, but it is a rule that can undo a seat you chose deliberately. If being near the front matters to you, it is worth knowing that the accommodation runs the other way. Separately, and for the same reason of space rather than allergy, some aircraft types require a guest travelling with a pet to sit in a window seat.
Two more conditions are worth reading in full on WestJet’s own page rather than paraphrased. WestJet assumes no responsibility for the care or feeding of pets in transit, and the liability limits that apply to baggage apply to pets as well, with consequential losses excluded. Pets must be fed and watered within four hours of check-in.
An animal too large for the cabin travels as checked baggage at the rates in the table above, and an animal travelling without its owner goes through WestJet Cargo, which quotes separately.
WestJet Cargo’s published kennel conditions read like an inspection rather than a specification, and two of them are about the crate’s history rather than its design. It asks for a kennel that is clean with no offensive odours and secure with no cracks or damage that risks its structural integrity, so a borrowed crate can meet every dimension and still be refused. It requires ventilation on all four sides, a leak-proof floor covered with absorbent non-consumable material, and one end that is a metal grated door with nothing obstructing the ventilation. Kennels with wire roofs are not allowed.
Non-consumable is deliberate: shredded paper and a puppy pad qualify, straw and wood shavings do not. Our guide to airline crate requirements sets these against the international standard and against Air Canada’s rules.
On sedation, WestJet Cargo is more specific than most carriers and it is worth quoting: tranquilization is not recommended, but if necessary, a notice from the administering veterinarian is required at the time of tender, along with a sedation record. That is a document requirement rather than advice, and our sedation guide explains what it means in practice.
WestJet Cargo also puts the animal’s fitness on the shipper, and does not accept female dogs and cats in heat or pregnant, or weaned puppies and kittens under eight weeks.
In the cabin, $50 to $59 within Canada and the United States and $100 to $118 outside that. As checked baggage, $100 to $118 within Canada and the US and $200 to $236 outside. WestJet states that the fees apply to both directions of travel, so budget the return.
41 cm long by 21.5 cm high by 25.4 cm wide, or 16 by 8.5 by 10 inches, soft-sided and airline-approved. WestJet notes that under-seat space varies by aircraft, so treat that as a maximum rather than a guarantee, and check that your pet can stand, sit, turn around and lie down in it.
Only if every segment is operated by WestJet. Pets are not permitted on itineraries that include flights operated by code-share and interline partners, and the restriction applies to the whole itinerary rather than just the partner leg. Check the operating carrier on each segment before you pay.
As soon as the fare is booked. WestJet caps the number of pets per flight and says that without a space request at least 48 hours before departure, space may not be available and you may not be permitted to travel with your pet. The request goes through the contact centre, not the booking page.
Last updated 8 September 2026
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