Do you want to fly with your emotional support animal? You can still take your pet, but the Department of Transportation has changed and updated some rules. Before, an ESA letter was enough to travel with your animal but it has changed now.
As of now, some airlines don't let people bring their pets on the plane. They make you pay for it like a normal pet. But now, more airlines let people bring pets on the plane, and they don't charge anything extra. The Department has also put new rules in place that affect which animals can fly on the plane.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) has updated guidelines for emotional support animals. Following these new guidelines, many other airlines have also updated their policies.
The airlines are happy with this decision, and they are looking forward to making these changes. These changes will happen because many people complain about the passengers who bring their poorly trained or badly behaved animals on flights.
Passengers might bring animals like pigs, ducks, and monkeys with them. These animals can be difficult to handle, and sometimes they are dangerous.
The new rules and policies on pets and service animals went into effect on January 15, 2019. Airlines are starting to follow these rules. American Airlines says they will only allow well-trained service animals and pets on their flights. These animals should stay well-behaved in public settings.
According to the new policy, the airlines are bound to allow individually trained service animals on the flights, while other assistance animals like therapy animals, psychiatric service animals, and emotional support dog will be treated as usual pets.
What does this mean for people who travel and have an emotional support animal?
Here are the answers to some commonly asked questions regarding flying with an emotional support animal.
The Department of Transportation has changed its policy for emotional support animals. These animals are no longer considered "special" but are treated as pets. The owners will have to pay the pet fee for their animal, and the animals will have to air travel in the carrier or cargo area of the plane.
Only service dogs can sit in the cabin. Service dogs must be trained, and they should sit at their owner's feet. If the dog is too big, it can travel in the cargo, or you could explore other options that are available.
No! DOT only recognizes dogs as service animals. Lots of people say that DOT can also recognize miniature horses as service animals. But others say that this is not true because horses are livestock and cannot be trained like dogs.
Moreover, horses have hooves, and it could damage the airplane. Considering these risks, DOT has decided not to allow them as service animals.
The main reason behind doing it is to revise the Department of Transportation's Air Carrier Access Act. It also has other important reasons for doing it, including:
The department made some changes to its policies regarding animals on flights due to all these and other such concerns.
Multiple airlines have brought various changes to their policies. Some of these are explained below:
JetBlue Airlines
For more information, please read the JetBlue airlines’ policies page.
Spirit Airlines
If you want to know more about Spirit Airlines’ policies, you can visit their policy page.
Alaska Airlines
The detailed policies of Alaska Airlines are given on its page.
American Airlines
Check out American Airlines‘ official policy page for more information about the updated policies.
United
If you want more information about their policies, you should read the full United’s policy page.
Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines has a list of policies that they follow, but they do not accept emotional support animals as service animals. For service animals, only a service dog is allowed. The animal should be leashed at all times and should be well-trained.
On the airplane, your animal must be small enough to fit under the seat or sit comfortably at your feet. For more information on their policies, read the Frontier airlines’ policies page.
Southwest
The policy details on Southwest's website page can tell you more about the policy.
Delta
For more information, go to Delta's policies page on service and emotional support animals.
As per the new airline rules and policies, service dogs are now permitted to travel in the cabin. They will not need to be in a carrier or pay any additional costs.
Emotional support animals will not be allowed to travel freely or be seen as service animals. These animals can be anything, but they no longer have the right to travel without a carrier and free of charge.
Previously, airlines accepted ESA letters. However, now because of many complaints about rude and dangerous animals on board, airlines do not accept these letters. However, having a legal ESA letter is still important.
However, you can still travel with your animal if it is well-trained and you are willing to pay the price for traveling with it. The prices on different airlines are different, and they can usually be found on their official website.
According to the updated emotional support animal laws, If your animal meets the airline's guidelines and requirements, then you can take him with you on a flight. The animal needs to be well-trained and not be a danger for other passengers and animals that are also on the flight.
Yes, because most airlines do not recognize ESAs as pets. For this reason, you will have to pay to bring your animal to the cabin.
The cost ranges from $99 on Frontier Airlines and $125 on others, including American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, and United. The price may vary. So, you could be paying more or less than what is stated here.
If your service dog can fit into the pet carrier, then you can travel with them. But if they are only comfort or emotional support animals, they cannot be in the cabin anymore.
Emotional support animals are treated like other pets. They will travel in the cargo since having a large ESA dog on the plane might be dangerous.
Yes, the policy does not change. But for people with large service animals, there are other choices. Many people argue that all kinds of service animals should be allowed to travel with their owners, but the Department of Transportation has offered several options.
If you have a service animal, the airline might charge you extra for an additional seat. You can ask if your animal can go in cargo or wait for another flight. Or, if there is no other option, the airline might let you switch seats with someone who doesn't mind sitting near your service animal.
Yes, you can take your service animal on the airplane and not have to pay a pet fee. But only use a dog as your service animal because other animals like miniature horses or capuchin monkeys are no longer recognized as service animals.
Dogs have the ability to perform tasks while being safe. This is why they are the only animals that are recognized as service animals.
Since the airlines updated their policies on November 30, 2020, they are adopting them slowly. Some airlines have already adopted these changes while others are working on them.
Always better to be safe than sorry!
So, before you get on the plane, it is important that you talk with someone from the airline about your emotional support animal.