Aeromexico Pet Policy: Cabin Limits, Cargo and the Six-Hour Rule

Hold and cargo

• Larger animals travel checked into the hold, in a pressurised and temperature-controlled compartment, up to around 45 kg including the carrier.
• An IATA-compliant crate is required — rigid, ventilated, secure, and large enough for the animal to stand, turn and lie down.
• Above that, or travelling without you, the animal goes through the airline's cargo service as a separate booking.
• Flat-faced breeds are not accepted in the hold, for the usual welfare reasons. For those animals the cabin is the only route, which brings the six-hour rule and the weight limit back into play.
• Minimum ages for hold travel are reported as 10 or 12 weeks depending on the source — work to the longer figure.

Vaccination and documents

• Rabies vaccination administered at least 30 days before travel for animals over three months old.
• A veterinary health certificate, issued inside a short window before the flight.
• Proof of deworming is commonly requested alongside the vaccination record.
• Destination requirements on top, which the passenger is responsible for confirming — the airline's position is explicitly that this is your job, not theirs.

For any dog entering the United States — including an American family's own dog coming home — a CDC Dog Import Form receipt is required, along with an ISO-compliant microchip, a minimum age of six months and a healthy appearance on arrival. The receipt has to be shown to the airline before boarding, so a missing one stops you at the departure gate in Mexico rather than at the border.

Service animals

Trained service animals assisting passengers with disabilities are carried in the cabin at no charge, with certification from a recognised service animal institution required, and a reported weight ceiling. Emotional support animals are not treated as service animals under current US rules and travel as ordinary pets. Some third-party pages still describe older emotional support arrangements; treat those as out of date.

A realistic timeline

• Three months out (international): confirm the destination's import rules and whether your breed and flight length allow cabin travel. Microchip the animal if needed.
• Two months out: rabies vaccination if not current — it must be at least 30 days before travel. Book the flight and add the pet, checking the aircraft type and flight duration.
• Six weeks out: buy the carrier or crate and start leaving it open at home with meals served inside.
• One month out: weigh the animal in its carrier and confirm which compartment applies. Confirm the pet is on both directions in writing.
• Within the certificate window: veterinary health certificate and deworming record.
• The final days: CDC form completed for a dog entering the United States, nails trimmed, carrier packed as you will actually travel.

How the airport day actually goes

Before you leave. Walk the animal properly and let it relieve itself. Water up to the point you set off, then stop. Keep the health certificate and vaccination record where you can reach them without unpacking.

At check-in. Arrive earlier than you would alone. The animal is looked at as well as the paperwork, and an animal that appears unwell can be refused.

At security. A cabin animal comes out while the carrier is scanned, and you carry it through. Fit the harness and lead at home rather than in the queue.

On board. The carrier goes under the seat in front and stays closed. Most animals settle once the engines start, and a darker enclosed carrier helps more than an open one.

After landing. Plan the first hour: water, a relief area, somewhere quiet. For a hold animal, collection is at oversized baggage and customs or veterinary checks may apply.

What can go wrong, and how to reduce the chance

• A flight longer than about six hours. The cabin is not available, whatever the animal's size.
• The wrong cabin booked. On many aircraft pets are accepted only in the forward cabin.
• The small per-flight capacity already taken.
• Combined weight over about 9 kg. Weigh the animal in its carrier.
• A flat-faced breed booked into the hold. Not accepted.
• A rabies vaccination given fewer than 30 days before travel.
• A dog under six months, or no CDC receipt, flying into the US.

What Mexico requires on arrival

The destination's rules sit alongside the airline's, and for animals arriving in Mexico they are more straightforward than many countries — but they are not nothing.

• A health certificate from a licensed vet, issued inside a short window before travel and in a form the authorities accept.
• Evidence of rabies vaccination, current and given with enough lead time.
• Evidence of treatment for internal and external parasites, which is commonly requested and easily forgotten.
• An inspection on arrival, where the animal and the paperwork are both looked at. A clean, well-presented carrier helps here more than people expect.
• No food in the carrier on arrival in many cases — check the current rule, since agricultural restrictions apply to pet food as to anything else.
• Keep everything in one folder. Producing documents quickly at an inspection is the difference between a short stop and a long one.

Questions to settle before you book

1. How long is the flight? Over about six hours and the cabin is closed to pets.
2. What cabin does the aircraft accept pets in?
3. What does the animal weigh in its carrier — under 9 kg?
4. Is the rabies vaccination at least 30 days old on the travel date?
5. Is your dog flat-faced? If so, the hold is closed.
6. If a dog is entering the US, is it over six months and is the CDC form done?

How Fond Travels can help

• We check the flight duration against the six-hour limit before anything is booked, which is the rule that most often reshapes these trips.
• We check the aircraft type and cabin, since pets are accepted only in the forward cabin on many aircraft.
• We tell you which compartment applies based on the actual weight with the carrier.
• We raise the flat-faced breed question early, because for those animals the cabin is the only route.
• We check the vaccination timing, including the 30-day rabies rule that is easy to miss.
• We walk you through the US entry rules for dogs, including the CDC form that catches families coming home.

To plan a trip with a pet, call +1 (323) 800 6001. A travel expert answers any hour.