Dec 21, 2015, 9:01 pm
Last edit by: StartinSanDiego
THIS THREAD IS NOW ARCHIVED. PLEASE CONTINUE THE DISCUSSION HERE: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travelbuzz/2032204-support-animals-cabin-2021-onwards.html
Service and Support Animals (Updated)
Wednesday, December 2, 2020WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation today announced that it is revising its Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) regulation on the transportation of service animals by air to ensure a safe and accessible air transportation system. The final rule on Traveling by Air with Service Animals can be found HERE.
The Department received more than 15,000 comments on the notice of proposed rulemaking. The final rule announced today addresses concerns raised by individuals with disabilities, airlines, flight attendants, airports, other aviation transportation stakeholders, and other members of the public, regarding service animals on aircraft.
The final rule:
Previous rule:
The main requirements of Part 382 regarding service animals are:
• Carriers shall permit dogs and other service animals used by persons with disabilities to accompany the persons on a flight. See section 382.55(a)(1–2).—Carriers shall accept as evidence that an animal is a service animal identifiers such as identification cards, other written documentation, presence of harnesses, tags or the credible verbal assurances of a qualified individual with a disability using the animal.
—Carriers shall permit a service animal to accompany a qualified individual with a disability in any seat in which the person sits, unless the animal obstructs an aisle or other area that must remain unobstructed in order to facilitate an emergency evacuation or to comply with FAA regulations.
• If a service animal cannot be accommodated at the seat location of the qualified individual with a disability whom the animal is accompanying, the carrier shall offer the passenger the opportunity to move with the animal to a seat location in the same class of service, if present on the aircraft, where the animal can be accommodated, as an alternative to requiring that the animal travel in the cargo hold (see section 382.37(c)).
• Carriers shall not impose charges for providing facilities, equipment, or services that are required by this part to be provided to qualified individuals with a disability (see section 382.57).
To determine whether an animal is a service animal and should be allowed to accompany its user in the cabin, airline personnel should:
1. Establish whether the animal is a pet or a service animal, and whether the passenger is a qualified individual with a disability; and then
2. Determine if the service animal presents either
• a ‘‘direct threat to the health or safety of others,’’ or
• a significant threat of disruption to the airline service in the cabin (i.e. a ‘‘fundamental alteration’’ to passenger service). See 382.7(c).
full text can be found: here.
United policy on Emotional Support Animals: https://hub.united.com/united-emotio...530539164.html
Delta policy on Emotional Support Animals: https://www.delta.com/content/www/en...e-animals.html
American Airlines policy on Emotional Support Animals: https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...ce-animals.jsp
Service and Support Animals (Updated)
Wednesday, December 2, 2020WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation today announced that it is revising its Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) regulation on the transportation of service animals by air to ensure a safe and accessible air transportation system. The final rule on Traveling by Air with Service Animals can be found HERE.
The Department received more than 15,000 comments on the notice of proposed rulemaking. The final rule announced today addresses concerns raised by individuals with disabilities, airlines, flight attendants, airports, other aviation transportation stakeholders, and other members of the public, regarding service animals on aircraft.
The final rule:
- Defines a service animal as a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability;
- No longer considers an emotional support animal to be a service animal;
- Requires airlines to treat psychiatric service animals the same as other service animals;
- Allows airlines to require forms developed by DOT attesting to a service animal’s health, behavior and training, and if taking a long flight attesting that the service animal can either not relieve itself, or can relieve itself in a sanitary manner;
- Allows airlines to require individuals traveling with a service animal to provide the DOT service animal form(s) up to 48 hours in advance of the date of travel if the passenger’s reservation was made prior to that time;
- Prohibits airlines from requiring passengers with a disability who are traveling with a service animal to physically check-in at the airport instead of using the online check-in process;
- Allows airlines to require a person with a disability seeking to travel with a service animal to provide the DOT service animal form(s) at the passenger’s departure gate on the date of travel;
- Allows airlines to limit the number of service animals traveling with a single passenger with a disability to two service animals;
- Allows airlines to require a service animal to fit within its handler’s foot space on the aircraft;
- Allows airlines to require that service animals be harnessed, leashed, or tethered at all times in the airport and on the aircraft;
- Continues to allow airlines to refuse transportation to service animals that exhibit aggressive behavior and that pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others; and
- Continues to prohibit airlines from refusing to transport a service animal solely based on breed.
Previous rule:
—Carriers shall permit a service animal to accompany a qualified individual with a disability in any seat in which the person sits, unless the animal obstructs an aisle or other area that must remain unobstructed in order to facilitate an emergency evacuation or to comply with FAA regulations.
• Carriers shall not impose charges for providing facilities, equipment, or services that are required by this part to be provided to qualified individuals with a disability (see section 382.57).
To determine whether an animal is a service animal and should be allowed to accompany its user in the cabin, airline personnel should:
1. Establish whether the animal is a pet or a service animal, and whether the passenger is a qualified individual with a disability; and then
2. Determine if the service animal presents either
• a ‘‘direct threat to the health or safety of others,’’ or
• a significant threat of disruption to the airline service in the cabin (i.e. a ‘‘fundamental alteration’’ to passenger service). See 382.7(c).
full text can be found: here.
United policy on Emotional Support Animals: https://hub.united.com/united-emotio...530539164.html
Delta policy on Emotional Support Animals: https://www.delta.com/content/www/en...e-animals.html
American Airlines policy on Emotional Support Animals: https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...ce-animals.jsp
The Definitive Discussion of Emotional Support Animals on Airlines
Oct 24, 2016, 10:34 pm
#196
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
Programs: United 1K, JAL Sapphire, SPG Lifetime Platinum, National Executive Elite, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 42,205
Given the choice, I'd much rather have a cute doggie sitting beside me than little Johnny and his obnoxious soccer mom.
Oct 25, 2016, 12:24 am
#197
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Virginia City Highlands
Programs: Nothing anymore after 20 years
Posts: 6,900
I like the approach most Asian carriers - you have an animal - find another airline to fly.
Oct 25, 2016, 4:25 am
#198
Join Date: Sep 2015
Programs: LH SEN; BA Gold
Posts: 8,405
BTW: If you need an emotional support animal to survive air travel, I think you should avoid air traveling altogether. It's a far too stressful experience for such fragile humans. Other support animals (e.g. guiding dog) should however be welcome on board at any time.
Oct 25, 2016, 4:48 am
#199
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: DXB
Programs: EK, AA, DL, UA, SPG, HGP, Amex
Posts: 1,208
Part of the reason it has come to this is that airlines increased cabin fees (now $125 on avg, each way domestic) so there's now a material incentive to use the ESA loophole... and people are shameless.
Oct 25, 2016, 5:50 am
#200
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: LHR
Programs: AA PLT
Posts: 328
Agreed. In the thousands of hours I've spent flying in Europe, in and around South Africa and Australia, I've never once encountered this phenomenon. It sounds as crazy to me as pet rocks but at least that was a fad that didn't impact on anyone else.
Oct 25, 2016, 6:59 am
#201
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: What I write is my opinion alone..don't read into it anything not written.
Posts: 9,686
"Emotional support and psychiatric assist animals
Emotional support and psychiatric assist animals are also accepted in cabin for qualified individuals with a disability if certain documentation requirements are met. Additional documentation may also be required for an animal traveling to an international destination. Please note that not all international destinations allow the entry of animals, and restrictions vary by country. Customers should contact the appropriate consulate or embassy to make sure that all necessary procedures are followed.
An animal should sit at the customer's feet without protruding into the aisles to comply with safety regulations. Customers may elect to use an approved in-cabin kennel for smaller animals. Exit row seating is prohibited. Refer to the U.S. Department of Transportation 14 CFR Part 382 or contact United for additional information.
Customers traveling with an emotional support or psychiatric assist animal must provide a minimum 48-hour advance notification to the United Accessibility Desk by 1) calling 1-800-228-2744 from within the United States or Canada, or from elsewhere calling the United Customer Contact Center and asking to be connected to the Accessibility Desk and 2) submitting the required documentation by fax (1-872-825-0208) or email ([email protected]). The Accessibility Desk must receive and validate the required documentation prior to the time of travel. Verification of documentation will include United contacting your mental health care professional. If we are unable to validate the documentation or if the advance notification is not given, customers will be required to transport the animal as a pet, and pet fees will apply."
Oct 25, 2016, 7:21 am
#202
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: CLE
Programs: UA 1K MM, DL Plat
Posts: 982
Emotional support and psychiatric assist animals are also accepted in cabin for qualified individuals with a disability if certain documentation requirements are met.
...
An animal should sit at the customer's feet without protruding into the aisles to comply with safety regulations.
...
Customers traveling with an emotional support or psychiatric assist animal must provide a minimum 48-hour advance notification to the United Accessibility Desk by 1)
...
An animal should sit at the customer's feet without protruding into the aisles to comply with safety regulations.
...
Customers traveling with an emotional support or psychiatric assist animal must provide a minimum 48-hour advance notification to the United Accessibility Desk by 1)
Sunday night's brouhaha notwithstanding (since the guy was ultimately banned from the flight for belligerence, not the dog...), I've personally watched staff just roll their eyes and wave small dogs onto the aircraft, and seen a giant German Shepherd crammed into seat 7C on a CRJ-700, "protruding" alternately into 7D's leg space, and/or the aisle during flight. I'm sure there's dozens of counter-cases that I've never seen where people are stopped at their origin, but this scenario is certainly not uncommon anymore. (That, or I'm just somehow weirdly "lucky" to have seen them...)
I would guess that, policy or no policy, a lot of staff are more afraid about getting into the type of heated argument that occurred on Sunday over a "disability", than enforcing this policy, assuming they even know about it. Easier to just wave the passenger through if they say "Oh, it's my emotional support dog" while boarding...
Oct 25, 2016, 7:22 am
#203
Moderator, OneWorld
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: SEA
Programs: RAA RIP; AA ExEXP
Posts: 11,802
I had an experience on a recent AA SEA-PHL flight that I documented here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/27351597-post6.html
It seemed clear to me that the pre-flight check system didn't work very well, to say the least. When I got to Philly I talked about it with my M.D. daughter-in-law, who shrugged and said there are health care and mental health practitioners who will sign anything, which I suspect was the case here. But not making a decision about two big dogs until we were about ready to start our takeoff roll bespeaks a strong need for a more coherent policy and better training, at least.
It seemed clear to me that the pre-flight check system didn't work very well, to say the least. When I got to Philly I talked about it with my M.D. daughter-in-law, who shrugged and said there are health care and mental health practitioners who will sign anything, which I suspect was the case here. But not making a decision about two big dogs until we were about ready to start our takeoff roll bespeaks a strong need for a more coherent policy and better training, at least.
Oct 25, 2016, 7:44 am
#204
Join Date: Sep 2015
Programs: LH SEN; BA Gold
Posts: 8,405
@Darlox
As long as the potential <deleted> storm resulting from refusing an ESA risk to be bigger than the <deleted> storm of cabins transforming into zoos, airlines will reluctantly let any ESA on board.
Eventually, we'll probably see horrendous fees for SA or simply bans of SA. Losers will of course be those that need trained support animals.
As long as the potential <deleted> storm resulting from refusing an ESA risk to be bigger than the <deleted> storm of cabins transforming into zoos, airlines will reluctantly let any ESA on board.
Eventually, we'll probably see horrendous fees for SA or simply bans of SA. Losers will of course be those that need trained support animals.
Last edited by StartinSanDiego; Oct 25, 2016 at 9:07 am Reason: masked profanity
Oct 25, 2016, 9:29 am
#206
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Virginia City Highlands
Programs: Nothing anymore after 20 years
Posts: 6,900
Oct 25, 2016, 12:13 pm
#207
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 19,506
Waiting at a gate at IAH Terminal A this morning when an "emotional support" poodle came up and freakin' LICKED my hand!!!
Am working on a strongly-worded letter to the AZ Congressional delegation urging them to introduce and PUSH legislation to address this idiocy.
Am working on a strongly-worded letter to the AZ Congressional delegation urging them to introduce and PUSH legislation to address this idiocy.
Oct 25, 2016, 12:45 pm
#208
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: VPS
Programs: IHG Diamond, Delta PM, Hilton Gold, Accor Gold, Marriott Silver
Posts: 7,268
Despite the funny haircuts, poodles were originally bred to be smart and very trainable hunting dogs who could be taught to do more than just 'emotional support'. I'd rather have to deal with one of them than a stupid little yapping Yorkie who was created to kill small things and never had that bred back out of the breed. (And who I've seen nearly crushed by other passengers' rollaboards. I've got some sympathy for the dog- it's not their fault where they are- it's the fault of their owners and generations of breeders who created such mean little things.)
Oct 25, 2016, 1:17 pm
#209
Join Date: May 2015
Location: South Florida
Programs: DL Skymiles KE Skypass
Posts: 2,363
I got to witness a lovely little pitched battle in EWR Term A last night, on my connection coming home from Europe. I found it notable for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that this is the 3rd "emotional support animal" fracas I've witnessed in the last ~6-9 months.
A guy had a full-grown Pit Bull that he was trying to take onto a UA RJ45 express flight departing from the gate next to mine. Prior to departure, this dog was "wrestling" with him in the waiting area, yanking on his leash, barking occasionally, etc... Someone on his flight (not mine) apparently saw that, complained to customer service about the dog, and so staff approached him to talk.
First thing to note is that this was not a small dog / puppy / mix... It was a fully-grown, 3-foot-long rock solid meat log. I can't even begin to figure out where this dog would have fit in an RJ-45 to begin with. Second, while I've known several perfectly friendly Pits, there's no question that there's a bit of "breed prejudice" out there with pit bulls, and a lot of folks are clearly uncomfortable with them.
Nonetheless, this guy got belligerent when they started asking him questions and saying that the dog might not be able to fly on that aircraft. It escalated for a good 10 minutes, ending up with the guy yelling at a supervisor and screaming things like "I'm a combat veteran" and "I have PTSD".
Finally the pilot banned him from the flight for going nuts and screaming at the staff, not for the dog...
Now, I obviously can't say that those weren't true statements, but about 20 minutes earlier while he was waiting in the seats, I overheard him telling a passer-by that he and his girlfriend bred Pit Bulls, and that they were actually really nice dogs, etc... So the assertion that he breeds dogs at least semi-professionally means that this is probably a little something more than just an emotional support animal.
After decades of flying with rarely/ever seeing animals in the cabin, this appears to be an increasingly common thing. Back in July, I was on a CRJ-700 IAD-CLE where a guy had a full-grown German Shepherd -- and a similar argument pre-flight until the person who was in the bulkhead row came forward and offered to switch. The dog was perfectly well behaved, but we had this giant Shepherd sitting in front of row 7 for the whole flight.
Is this just a new "thing" and airlines just haven't figured out a way to deal with it yet? Or is it a loophole being increasingly abused to avoid the cost and problems with PetSafe??
A guy had a full-grown Pit Bull that he was trying to take onto a UA RJ45 express flight departing from the gate next to mine. Prior to departure, this dog was "wrestling" with him in the waiting area, yanking on his leash, barking occasionally, etc... Someone on his flight (not mine) apparently saw that, complained to customer service about the dog, and so staff approached him to talk.
First thing to note is that this was not a small dog / puppy / mix... It was a fully-grown, 3-foot-long rock solid meat log. I can't even begin to figure out where this dog would have fit in an RJ-45 to begin with. Second, while I've known several perfectly friendly Pits, there's no question that there's a bit of "breed prejudice" out there with pit bulls, and a lot of folks are clearly uncomfortable with them.
Nonetheless, this guy got belligerent when they started asking him questions and saying that the dog might not be able to fly on that aircraft. It escalated for a good 10 minutes, ending up with the guy yelling at a supervisor and screaming things like "I'm a combat veteran" and "I have PTSD".
Finally the pilot banned him from the flight for going nuts and screaming at the staff, not for the dog...
Now, I obviously can't say that those weren't true statements, but about 20 minutes earlier while he was waiting in the seats, I overheard him telling a passer-by that he and his girlfriend bred Pit Bulls, and that they were actually really nice dogs, etc... So the assertion that he breeds dogs at least semi-professionally means that this is probably a little something more than just an emotional support animal.
After decades of flying with rarely/ever seeing animals in the cabin, this appears to be an increasingly common thing. Back in July, I was on a CRJ-700 IAD-CLE where a guy had a full-grown German Shepherd -- and a similar argument pre-flight until the person who was in the bulkhead row came forward and offered to switch. The dog was perfectly well behaved, but we had this giant Shepherd sitting in front of row 7 for the whole flight.
Is this just a new "thing" and airlines just haven't figured out a way to deal with it yet? Or is it a loophole being increasingly abused to avoid the cost and problems with PetSafe??
Unfortunately, a small puppy who shouldn't have been there either, died that day as a larger dog, still a puppy at 9 months, was forced to be on the small dog side, and in the gist of trying to play, picked up the small puppy who went into shock as it got so scared.
Oct 26, 2016, 12:29 am
#210
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Global
Posts: 5,998
(deleted)
Last edited by Global321; Oct 26, 2016 at 5:12 am