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.
Emotional support: turkey and horse fly, but squirrel and peacock grounded
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.
Airlines will be able to require owners to vouch for the dog’s health, behaviour and training. Airlines can require people with a service dog to turn in paperwork up to 48 hours before a flight, but they can’t bar those travellers from checking in online like other passengers.
The passengers faking health conditions so pets can fly in cabin with them
Airlines can require that service dogs to be leashed at all times, and they can bar dogs that show aggressive behaviour. There have been incidents of emotional-support animals biting passengers.
Airlines for America, a trade group for the biggest US carriers, said the new rule will protect passengers and airline employees while helping people travel with trained service dogs.
Delta, however, is giving no indication of backing down. In a statement, a Delta spokeswoman said the airline is reviewing the new rule but, “At this time, there are no changes to Delta’s current service and support animal policies”.
The Transportation Department proposed the new rule back in January. It received more than 15,000 comments, many of them complaining about emotional-support animals.
