Which Airlines Actually Carry Pet Birds To and From Canada (Maintained 2026 Table)

Across the three largest Canada-origin carriers we could verify, there is no cabin route for a pet bird. Air Canada’s cabin policy names only cats and small dogs. Porter bars birds from cabin and hold entirely. WestJet allows birds but refuses pets outright — cabin or hold — to five destinations. If you’re planning to fly a parrot out of (or into) Canada, plan around that reality rather than assuming it away.

This table is built from each carrier’s own published pet page, not from a pet-travel blog or a forum thread. It’s the kind of thing that changes without notice, so treat “last verified” as exactly that — a date we read the page, not a guarantee it hasn’t changed since. Reconfirm directly with the carrier before you book.

Quick-answer table: birds in cabin and hold, by carrier (verified 2026-07-26)

Carrier	Birds in cabin?	Birds in hold?	Notes	Source
Air Canada	Not listed as an accepted cabin animal	Not confirmed — ask them	Published policy names only cats and small dogs for the cabin; carriers must be soft-sided since 1 June 2025	Air Canada pets policy
Porter Airlines	No — restricted to house cats and small dogs	No — pets barred from the hold entirely	Max two pets per flight, 24 hours’ notice, cabin pet counts as your carry-on	Porter pet travel
WestJet	Not confirmed — ask them	Not confirmed — ask them	Publishes bird-specific embargoes; refuses pets entirely (cabin and hold) to Barbados, Hawaii, Dublin, Jamaica and the UK	WestJet pets policy
Air Transat	Not confirmed — ask them	Not confirmed — ask them	We could not confirm a published pet-bird policy — contact Air Transat directly	—
Flair Airlines	Not confirmed — ask them	Not confirmed — ask them	We could not confirm a published pet-bird policy — contact Flair directly	—
Air Canada Cargo	N/A (cargo, not cabin)	Not confirmed — ask them	We could not confirm a published live-bird acceptance policy — contact Air Canada Cargo directly	—

Air Canada: cabin pets are cats and small dogs, full stop

Air Canada’s own pets policy page states “your cat or small dog is welcome to join you in the cabin,” and limits it to “only one cat or small dog in the cabin… per passenger.” Birds simply aren’t on that list. The page doesn’t say “no birds” in those words — it just never mentions them as an accepted cabin animal, which in practice means the same thing for a traveller trying to book one.

Since 1 June 2025, every cabin pet carrier must be soft-sided. Cabin fees run CA/US $50–60 for travel within Canada and between Canada and the US, and $100–120 for international routes — but those fees apply to the cats and small dogs the policy actually covers, not to birds.

We could not confirm what, if anything, Air Canada offers for a pet bird travelling as checked baggage or via Air Canada Cargo, so treat that as an open question for the airline rather than an assumption either way.

Porter: no birds, cabin or hold, anywhere in the policy

Porter’s pet travel page is the most direct of the three: “pet travel is restricted to house cats and small dogs,” and separately, “pets are not permitted in the baggage hold of any Porter flight.” That closes both doors — a bird can’t fly in the cabin because it isn’t a cat or small dog, and it can’t fly in the hold because Porter doesn’t put any pet in the hold, on any flight.

For the pets Porter does carry, the cost is $50–57.50 per direction, capped at two pets per flight, with a minimum 24 hours’ notice required and the carrier counting as the passenger’s one carry-on item. None of that helps a bird owner — it’s included here only so you know exactly what’s being ruled out.

WestJet: the one carrier that actually talks about birds

WestJet is the outlier of the three in a useful way — it’s the only one that publishes a dedicated “Bird embargoes” section, which tells you it at least contemplates birds as cargo or pet travel rather than staying silent on the species. That section states that birds of any type may not be imported into the Dominican Republic, that endangered birds and remains of extinct birds may not be exported from Mexico, and that travelling with a bird may require an import or export permit arranged in advance — both to leave and to come back into Canada or the US with a pet bird.

Separately from the bird-specific embargoes, WestJet refuses pets altogether — no exceptions for cabin versus hold — to or from five destinations: Barbados, Hawaii, Ireland (Dublin), Jamaica and the United Kingdom. The policy is explicit that “does not accept” covers both carry-on and checked baggage, so there’s no workaround by switching a booking from cabin to hold on those routes.

We could not confirm from the published page exactly what species, carrier requirements or fees apply if WestJet does carry a bird on a route it doesn’t embargo — that’s a direct question for WestJet before you book, not something to infer from the embargo list.

WestJet’s page also states plainly that the passenger is responsible for meeting the entry requirements of every province, territory or country on the itinerary — including the country of departure — and that WestJet assumes no responsibility for a passenger’s compliance with those requirements. Pets, including birds, can be refused entry even into Canada if judged to be in poor health, with any resulting medical exam billed to the owner.

Air Transat, Flair and Air Canada Cargo: we couldn’t find a published policy

For Air Transat, Flair Airlines and Air Canada Cargo, we were not able to locate a published pet-bird policy on the carrier’s own site. That’s not the same claim as “these carriers refuse birds” — it simply means the information isn’t publicly posted where we could verify it, and the only responsible move is to contact each one directly before assuming either way. If you fly one of these routes regularly, it’s worth asking the carrier for their policy in writing so you have something to point back to at check-in.

What about other international carriers flying out of Toronto Pearson?

Pearson (YYZ) hosts a long list of international carriers — KLM, Lufthansa, British Airways, Emirates and dozens more — each running their own live-animal policy, and airline pet policies are commercial terms, not regulation. There’s no central Canadian or international database that aggregates them, so each one has to be checked individually and re-checked close to your travel date. Bookmark the carrier’s own pet or live-animal page rather than a third-party summary, and get any exception in writing from the airline before you rely on it.

Note too that an airline agreeing to carry your bird only answers the transport question — it says nothing about whether the destination country will let the bird in, or whether Canada will let it back out. Those are separate regulatory questions covered in our guides on moving abroad with a pet bird and crossing the Canada–US border with a bird.

If no airline will carry your bird

Given how narrow the cabin options actually are, most Canadian bird owners moving internationally end up looking at one of a few paths: driving across a land border where that’s possible (most practical for a US move — see our Canada–US border walkthrough), a specialist pet-shipping or cargo service you’ve vetted directly with the airline, or, if the bird genuinely can’t travel with you, boarding it in Canada while you sort out permits, or rehoming it if it can’t come at all. If you’re bringing a bird into Canada rather than out, our CFIA import guide covers the regulatory side of that direction.

None of that is an airline question — it’s a permits-and-logistics question, and it’s the subject of the rest of this cluster.

Frequently asked questions

Can I bring my parrot in the cabin with me on Air Canada?

Air Canada’s published cabin pet policy names only cats and small dogs. Birds aren’t listed as an accepted cabin animal, so you shouldn’t assume a booking will be honoured — contact Air Canada directly if you want this confirmed in writing before you travel.

Does Porter allow birds as checked baggage instead of in the cabin?

No. Porter states plainly that pets aren’t permitted in the baggage hold on any Porter flight, and that pet travel overall is restricted to house cats and small dogs. There’s no hold workaround on Porter for a bird.

Which Canadian airline is most likely to carry a pet bird?

Of the three we checked, WestJet is the only one that publishes bird-specific policy at all — its “Bird embargoes” section deals directly with birds rather than staying silent on the species. That’s not a guarantee it will carry your particular bird on your particular route; confirm directly with WestJet before booking.

Are there countries WestJet won’t fly pets to at all?

Yes. WestJet’s policy states it does not accept pets — in cabin or hold — to or from Barbados, Hawaii, Ireland (Dublin), Jamaica or the United Kingdom. This applies regardless of species.

If an airline agrees to carry my bird, does that mean the destination will let it in?

No. An airline’s pet policy only covers transport. Whether a country will admit your bird is a separate legal question covered by that country’s own import rules, which you need to check independently — see our guide on moving abroad with a pet bird.

Why does this page say “last verified” instead of just stating the policy as permanent fact?

Airline pet policies are commercial terms the carrier can change at any time, and there’s no regulator or central database tracking them. We read each carrier’s own page on the date shown and link to it directly so you can check it’s still current before you book.

Can I ship my bird as cargo instead of flying with it?

Some carriers offer cargo services, but we could not confirm a published live-animal policy for Air Canada Cargo, Air Transat or Flair. Contact the carrier directly and get any live-bird acceptance terms in writing before relying on them.

If you’re mid-move and your bird can’t fly with you on the dates you need, boarding gives your bird a stable place to stay in the Greater Toronto Area while you sort out permits, routing or a cargo carrier — get a quote and we’ll hold the dates.

Who to call before you travel

Confirm every requirement below with the agency itself. These are the people who
can actually authorise your bird’s movement — we cannot.

Check these numbers before you rely on them. They were correct when this
page was last reviewed, but government phone numbers, email addresses and web pages change
without notice and we have not re-verified them today. If a number does not connect, find
the agency through its own official website rather than trusting what is printed here.

• Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) — import/export of live
  birds, health certificates, quarantine: 1-800-442-2342
  · inspection.canada.ca
• Environment and Climate Change Canada — CITES permitting — export and
  import permits for CITES-listed species, and what documents exist for repeat crossings:
  1-855-869-8670
  · cites@ec.gc.ca
• USDA APHIS Veterinary Services — US import permits and port
  inspection: aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel
• US Fish & Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement — CITES
  and Wild Bird Conservation Act: 1-800-358-2104

What we can and cannot help with

We cannot help with paperwork. Bird Sitting Toronto is a bird
boarding and care business. We are not a customs broker, an immigration consultant, a
veterinary practice or a legal adviser. We do not file permits, complete applications or
deal with any agency on your behalf, and we cannot guarantee any outcome at any border.
Everything on this page is information only.

There are two things we can do. If your bird cannot travel with you
— because the paperwork is still in progress, the airline will not carry it, or the
timing simply does not work — we can board
your bird in the GTA for as long as you need, including by the month. And if it
becomes clear the bird genuinely cannot come with you, we can help you
rehome it to a good home rather
than leaving you to sort that out alone.

We publish this guide because our clients ask constantly and nobody else has written
it properly for bird owners.