No cats, pigs or birds: only dogs can be ‘service animals’ on US flights
- People have increasingly been bringing various animals on board US flights for ‘emotional support’
- From now on, only trained dogs can be brought on board as specifically designated service animals
The US Department of Transportation is putting an end to the melange of pets people bring on planes as emotional support animals. It decided that only dogs can fly as service animals.
The rule aims to settle years of tension between airlines and passengers who bring their pets on board for free by saying they need them for emotional help. Under a long-standing department policy, all the passengers needed was a note from a health professional.
The agency said on Wednesday it was rewriting the rules partly because passengers carrying unusual animals on board “eroded the public trust in legitimate service animals”. It also cited the increasing frequency of people “fraudulently representing their pets as service animals”, and a rise in misbehaviour by emotional-support animals, ranging from peeing on the carpet to biting other passengers.
The new rule will force passengers with emotional-support animals to check them into the cargo hold – and pay a pet fee – or leave them at home. The agency estimated that airlines will gain up to US$59 million a year in pet fees.
Under the final rule, which takes effect in 30 days, a service animal is a dog trained to help a person with a physical or psychiatric disability. Advocates for veterans and others had pushed for inclusion of psychiatric service dogs.