American Airlines allows pets on board with hand luggage

FORT WORTH, Texas: This week, American Airlines is relaxing part of its pet policy to allow owners to bring their animals along with a full-size carry-on bag as hand luggage.

Previously, those carrying a pet into the cabin were charged US$150 and could only have one other small item that fits under their seat.

American will now allow passengers to bring a pet into the cabin with a regular carry-on bag or a personal item.

Recalling a previous flight with his pet Yorkshire terrier, travel blogger Gary Leff, who first wrote about the change, said on March 29, "It was always frustrating that the dog counted as the carry-on even though I was paying the extra pet fee that was sometimes more than the ticket for me."

He added, "American's change will reduce the urge for travelers to falsely claim that their pet is a service animal that flies for free."

A day earlier, a spokeswoman confirmed that American Airlines had adopted the new rules.

She said, "We made the change to provide a more convenient and comfortable experience to customers whose pets fly American."