GPS Trackers on Flights: Airline Cargo Rules, Explained
Quick answer: Your pet's own GPS tracker collar likely won't travel with them if they're flying in cargo — American Airlines, for example, requires all collars, harnesses, leashes, and clothing removed before cargo acceptance, specifically as a choking hazard precaution inside the kennel. What each airline offers instead varies a lot: United allows an electronic tracking device to be placed inside the shipment/crate itself (mainline flights only, not United Express or interline), while Delta sells its own proprietary in-cargo pet-tracking service (the PT300 device, $50 per flight, from 10 specific U.S. airports) rather than letting owners use their own tracker. Separately, standard small GPS/bag trackers (AirTag-style, under 0.3g lithium metal or 2.7 watt-hours) are FAA-permitted in regular checked baggage without declaration — a different scenario from a pet traveling as live cargo.
Our international travel guide covers GPS coverage maps and microchip standards for crossing borders with a pet. This is a narrower, different question: what actually happens to your pet’s tracking tech specifically during the flight itself, when a pet travels as cargo — and the answer varies a lot more by airline than most owners expect.
Your pet’s own GPS collar likely comes off before boarding
This is the detail most owners don’t anticipate: American Airlines’ pet cargo policy specifically requires all collars, harnesses, leashes, e-collars, and clothing to be removed before cargo acceptance, citing choking-hazard risk for an animal contained alone in a kennel during transport. In practice, this means a pet’s everyday GPS tracker collar generally doesn’t travel on the pet during the flight itself on carriers with this kind of policy, regardless of how useful continuous tracking would be during transport. This isn’t necessarily a universal rule across every airline, but it’s a real, documented policy worth checking directly with your specific carrier well before travel, rather than assuming your existing tracker just comes along.
What airlines offer instead varies enormously
United Cargo takes a different approach: it explicitly permits an electronic tracking or temperature-monitoring device to be placed inside the shipment — the crate itself, not the collar — for added visibility during transport. The real catch: this is approved specifically for United mainline aircraft, and explicitly not approved for United Express-operated flights or interline itineraries involving other carriers. If your routing includes a regional or partner-airline leg, this option may not actually apply, even if it would on a mainline-only trip.
Delta takes a third, different model entirely: rather than letting owners bring their own device, Delta sells its own proprietary in-cargo pet-tracking service — the PT300 device, at $50 per flight, offered from 10 specific U.S. airports — giving real-time location and cargo-hold temperature monitoring during the flight. This is airline-managed tracking, not an owner-supplied tracker, and it’s only available from the specific departure airports Delta actually offers it from.
The practical takeaway: there’s no single answer to “can I track my pet during the flight” — it depends entirely on which specific airline, which specific routing (mainline vs. regional/interline), and which specific departure airport, so this needs a direct check with your actual carrier rather than assuming any general pet tech advice applies.
A separate, simpler case: tracking your luggage, not your pet
Worth distinguishing clearly from the above: a standard small GPS or location tracker (AirTag-style) placed in regular checked baggage — not attached to a live animal in cargo — follows different, simpler, well-established FAA rules. Devices with a lithium battery under 0.3 grams (lithium metal) or 2.7 watt-hours are permitted in checked baggage without needing to be declared or powered off, and this is allowed by every major U.S. airline. This is a completely separate scenario from a pet traveling as live cargo, governed by general lithium-battery-in-baggage rules rather than a live-animal-specific cargo policy.
What to actually check before flying with a pet in cargo
- Your specific airline’s live-animal cargo policy on collars and attached items — some, like American, require them removed entirely regardless of what the collar contains.
- Whether your airline offers an owner-supplied or airline-provided tracking option for the crate itself — check by carrier and by the specific routing (mainline vs. regional/interline can matter, as with United).
- Whether an airline-provided tracking service is actually available from your specific departure airport — Delta’s PT300, for instance, isn’t offered everywhere.
- Confirm directly with the airline rather than assuming, since none of this is standardized across carriers the way general aviation lithium-battery rules are.
Bottom line
Don’t assume your pet’s regular GPS tracker collar rides along during a cargo flight — several major carriers require collars and attached items removed as a choking-hazard precaution. What each airline offers instead is genuinely different by carrier: United allows an owner-supplied device inside the crate on mainline flights only, Delta sells its own proprietary tracking service from specific airports, and other carriers may offer neither. Confirm directly with your specific airline and routing well before travel, since this varies far more than a single universal rule would suggest.
Frequently asked questions
Can my dog or cat wear their regular GPS tracker collar while flying in cargo?
Likely not, at least on some major carriers — American Airlines specifically requires collars, harnesses, leashes, e-collars, and clothing to be removed before cargo acceptance, citing choking-hazard risk inside the kennel. This means a pet's everyday GPS tracker collar generally doesn't stay on during the flight itself, regardless of how useful it would be to keep tracking them. Check your specific airline's live-animal cargo policy directly, since this isn't a single universal FAA rule — it varies by carrier.
Does any airline let me put my own GPS tracker in the crate instead of on the collar?
United Cargo explicitly allows an electronic tracking or temperature-monitoring device to be placed inside the shipment (the crate itself, not the collar) for additional visibility during transport — but only for United mainline flights, not United Express-operated flights or interline itineraries with other carriers. This is a real, useful option if it applies to your specific routing, but it's not a universal airline policy, so confirm directly with whichever airline you're actually flying.
Does Delta offer pet tracking during cargo transport?
Yes, but as the airline's own proprietary service, not a device you provide yourself — Delta's PT300 pet-tracking device costs $50 per flight and is available from 10 specified U.S. airports, giving real-time monitoring and cargo-hold temperature data during the flight. This is a genuinely different model than United's approach of allowing an owner-supplied device in the crate; check whether your departure airport is one of the ones Delta actually offers this from before counting on it.
Is a small GPS tracker (like an AirTag) allowed in checked luggage separately from a pet?
Yes — this is a separate scenario from live-animal cargo. Standard small GPS/location trackers with a lithium battery under 0.3 grams (lithium metal) or 2.7 watt-hours are FAA-permitted in regular checked baggage without needing to declare or power them off, and this is allowed on every major U.S. airline. This applies to tracking your luggage, not your pet in a live-animal cargo shipment, which follows the separate airline-specific rules covered above.