Southwest allows alcohol to be carried in checked luggage under the following conditions.
For a list of key topics please visit our Pet FAQs.
Southwest Airlines accepts small vaccinated domestic cats and dogs. All in-cabin pets must be carried in an appropriate carrier, as indicated below and are subject to a $75 Pet Fare each way per pet carrier. The pet carrier counts as either a carryon item or a personal item.
Reservation for small cats and dogs can only be booked by calling Southwest Airlines at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792). Pets will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until capacity is reached. The Pet Fare must be collected at the ticket counter and is nonrefundable and may not be applied toward future-date travel if unused. Customers traveling with a cat or dog must check in pet at the airport ticket counter and pay the Pet Fare before going to the departure gate. Customers can still secure their boarding pass online, at curbside checkin, the airport kiosk, or the ticket counter.
We maintain the right to refuse acceptance of a cat or dog exhibiting aggressive behavior or any other characteristics that appear incompatible with air travel.
The following guidelines apply to Customers bringing a cat or dog:
Please note: These requirements do not apply to assistance animals or emotional support animals accompanying a person with a disability. For more information about assistance animals or emotional support animals, please visit our Medications and Assistive Devices Policy.
All pet carriers are subject to being searched by the Transportation and Security Administration, other airport security authorities, as well as searches by Airline personnel.
Note: When passing through security, Customers will be asked to hold the pet and walk through the screening device while the carrier is x-rayed.
In-cabin Pet Kennels:
Southwest Pet Carriers available for purchase for $45 (tax included) at all Southwest ticket counters.
Pet carriers can also be purchased from The Freedom Shop* at www.swafreedomshop.com.
*Not an affiliate of Southwest Airlines Co.
*Pet carriers are nonrefundable.
Soft-sided and hard-sided carriers specifically designed as pet carriers are acceptable. The carriers must be leak-proof and well ventilated. The pet carrier must be small enough to fit under the seat in front of the Customer and be stowed in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations
However, please keep in mind that some seats might be slightly smaller in width.
Please note: Pet carriers are considered either a personal item or a carryon item. A Customer may board the aircraft with either a pet carrier and a personal item or a pet carrier and a regular size carryon bag. A Customer may not board the aircraft with a pet carrier, a regular size carryon bag, and a personal item. The pet carrier must conform to all carryon baggage regulations.
In-cabin Pet Restrictions:
Battery Safety Tips from the Transportation Security Administration
Guns
Ammunition
Medications
Please visit the TSA's web site for instructions and allowable medication in carryon baggage.
Medical Oxygen
Southwest is not equipped to transport or provide medical oxygen or other hazardous materials and/or contained gas, either in the passenger cabin or as cargo or baggage. Any Customer who requires a constant supply of compressed or liquid medical oxygen cannot travel on Southwest Airlines. If there is a question as to a Customer's ability to travel the duration of a flight without the use of medical oxygen, we may request documentation from a licensed physician to verify that the Customer can complete the flight safely and without the use of medical oxygen.
Liquid oxygen cannot be carried onboard our aircraft. If a liquid oxygen unit is empty (and contains a gauge or color indicator verifying the unit is empty), then the unit can be transported, as long as the valve remains open.
See Medications and Assistive Devices for full details.
Portable Oxygen Concentrators
While Portable Oxygen Concentrator (POC) devices may be brought onboard our flights, in accordance with Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) No. 106, 14 CFR Part 121, only the AirSep FreeStyle, AirSep LifeStyle, Delphi RS-00400, DeVilbiss Healthcare iGo, Inogen One, Inogen One G2, International Biophysics LifeChoice, Invacare XPO2 (XPO100), Oxlife Independence Oxygen Concentrator, Repironics EverGo, and SeQual Technology Eclipse POC models are approved for use during flight.
Regardless of which option you choose, the physician's letter must state:
Making Reservations:
At the Airport:
Onboard the Aircraft:
Packing Rules
Seafood (including fresh seafood, shrimp, fish of all kinds, live lobsters, live crabs, and live crawfish), meat, fowl, game, and other perishable foods must be suitably packed in leak-proof containers. Styrofoam® or other plastic foam containers are not acceptable for frozen food or other items that may leak during transit.
Refrigerants: Shipments packed in wet ice will not be accepted unless the ice is contained in sealed polyethylene bags (Ziploc® bags). Frozen gels or dry ice/carbon dioxide are the preferred refrigerants. Dry ice/carbon dioxide may be used as a refrigerant for perishables under the following limitations:
Sports Equipment
Any of the items listed below may be checked in substitution of one piece of the free Checked Baggage allowance for each Passenger at no charge on a one-item-for-one-bag basis. If the item of sporting equipment exceeds 50 pounds in weight or 62 inches in size (outside length plus height plus width), excess weight and size charges may apply.
The items listed below will be accepted as Checked Baggage for a $50 each way charge, unless otherwise notes.


