Service Dog

Hawaiian Airlines is pleased to transport trained service animals accompanying qualified individuals with disabilities at no charge. For details on restrictions, and required documentation, read on. For specific airline regulations about traveling with service, comfort and/or emotional support animals, please view our section on Service Animals. 

 

Service Animal Requirements 

If you’re a qualified individual with a disability, your service animal is one who’s trained to help you with necessary activities. You can fly with your service dog, cat or household bird in the passenger cabin, as long as you both meet the following conditions:
  • Your service animal will need a harness or markings on the harness, tags, an identification card or written documentation verifying that the animal is a certified service animal
  • Service animals will have to be properly harnessed or leashed and under your control at all times. If not, we may deny boarding or remove your service animal from the flight. 
Hawaiian Airlines reserves the right to ask guests what specific tasks your service animal is trained to provide. 

Note: For safety reasons, we cannot transport service animals who have not completed their training.

 

Emotional Support and Psychiatric Service Animals

Not all service animals are trained for tasks. Emotional support and psychiatric service animals are welcome aboard Hawaiian Airlines flights. In order to be accepted, you’ll need to:

Bring a letter from the medical doctor or licensed mental health professional treating you for your condition, dated no more than one year before your scheduled initial flight. It should be on the medical professional’s letterhead and say:
  • You have a mental or emotional disability that’s recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition (DSM-IV),
  • You need your emotional support or psychiatric service animal for your air travel or for an activity at your destination,
  • The writer of the assessment is a licensed mental health professional and you are under his or her professional care, and
  • The date and type of the mental health professional’s license and the state or other jurisdiction where it was issued.

 

Where Are You Flying To?

Laws and regulations on service animals—including requirements for entry permits and health certificates—differ by destination. In Hawaii, for example, all animals must enter the State via the airport animal quarantine holding facility in Honolulu. That means Hawaiian Airlines cannot transport animals on non-stop flights from the Continental United States to the neighbor islands. 

Domestic Travel

As a guest, you’re responsible for making arrangements and complying with any applicable laws, customs, and/or other governmental regulations, requirements or restrictions of the state to which you’re taking your service animal. Here are some websites to get you started. 

International Travel

Heading abroad? You will need to make arrangements and comply with any applicable laws, customs, and/or other governmental regulations, requirements or restrictions of the country or territory to which you’re taking your service animal.
  • Tahiti (PPT): Hawaiian Airlines is prohibited from transporting any animals into Tahiti (PPT) without an import authorization from the Governor. For more information please contact the Service du développement rural de Polynésie française at Tel: (689) 42-81-47.
  • Pago Pago, American Samoa (PPG): Hawaiian Airlines may transport animals to Pago Pago provided the animal originated in a country designated as "rabies-free" and is accompanied by an import permit from the American Samoa Department of Agriculture. A copy of this permit must accompany the animal. Dogs and cats originating from the continental United States must spend at least 120 days in quarantine in Honolulu before they are acceptable for transportation into American Samoa. For more information please contact the American Samoa Department of Agriculture.
  • Sydney, Australia / Other International Destinations: Hawaiian Airlines does not accept animals for transport.

 

Seat Assignments

Although we want your service animal to be comfortable, we have a few safety restrictions that need to be followed. Service animals will be prohibited from traveling: 

  • On a seat
  • In an emergency exit row, or;
  • Obstruct an aisle or other areas that must remain clear in case of evacuation
Service animals must be small enough to sit, confined, on your lap without invading your seatmate’s space or in his or her carrier under the seat.  If not, and your service animal is too large to sit in front of your seat and needs the leg room of the seat next to you, you’ll be given two options:
  1. You will be asked to purchase that seat at full fare. The good news? If seats are still available on your flight the day of departure, we’ll refund you the fare of the extra seat. 
  2. Or, if you’d prefer, your service animal can be checked as baggage, free of charge. 

 

Reservations

If you are traveling with your emotional support/psychiatric service animal in the passenger cabin, or if you’re bringing your service animal on a scheduled flight please contact Hawaiian Airlines Reservations no less than 48 hours in advance. 

And please check in one hour before the general public’s check-in time so we can properly accommodate you and your animal.