dave1013

From email just received:

Alaska Airlines introduces new rules for emotional support animals

New policy aims to increase safety for employees, flyers and service animals


Alaska Airlines today announced a new policy for guests flying with emotional support and psychiatric service animals.

As part of the new policy, starting May 1 all (guests with) emotional support animals traveling on Alaska Airlines will receive a boarding pass with tips and guidelines for making their flight a success

For tickets purchased on or after May 1, guests traveling with emotional support or psychiatric service animals must provide animal health and behavioral documents, as well as a signed document from a medical doctor or mental health professional, at least 48 hours in advance of departure. The change does not apply to Alaska's policy for traditional service animals.

"Alaska is committed to providing accessible services to guests with disabilities and ensuring a safe environment for all flyers," said Ray Prentice, Alaska Airlines' director of customer advocacy. "We are making these changes now based on a number of recent incidents where the inappropriate behavior of emotional support animals has impacted and even injured our employees, other guests and service animals."

In recent years, the overall number of emotional support and psychiatric service animals traveling on Alaska Airlines has increased dramatically. Every day, approximately 150 emotional support and psychiatric service animals travel on Alaska Airlines.

"Most animals cause no problems," said Prentice. "However, over the last few years, we have observed a steady increase in incidents from animals who haven't been adequately trained to behave in a busy airport setting or on a plane, which has prompted us to strengthen our policy." Alaska Airlines consulted with its disability advisory board and disability advocacy groups to ensure that the expanded policy accommodates guests with disabilities.

New Policy

For new bookings made on or after May 1, 2018, guests traveling with emotional support and psychiatric service animals must email or fax Alaska Airlines three completed documents, which will be available on alaskaair.com starting April 30:

1. Animal Health Advisory Form – On this form the flyer acknowledges Alaska Airlines' recommendation that all emotional support and psychiatric service animals travel with a veterinary-issued health certificate.
2. Mental Health Form – Currently required, this is a letter issued by a mental health professional or medical doctor approving the use of an emotional support and psychiatric service animals.
3. Animal Behavior Form – A signed affidavit affirming the emotional support or psychiatric service animal is trained to behave in public and that the owner accepts all liability for any injuries or damage to property.

Additionally, just like traditional service animals, emotional support and psychiatric service animals must be well-behaved in a public setting and under the control of their owner or handler at all times.

Guests with tickets purchased after May 1 who do not submit the required documentation 48 hours in advance, will be offered to fly with their pet under existing policies for travel in the cabin or in the temperature-controlled cargo compartment. Existing fleet and breed restrictions, as well as health certificate requirements, will apply.

tatterdema

Glad that they are making an effort, although this does not do much to help. I can easily get required documents in a quick afternoon....and I do not need them. If I am reading it correctly, 2 of the forms you fill out yourself, the 3rd, you get from your doctor or any therapist.

***Ooops, I see one of them has to be filled out by a "Vet" within a year. Still pretty easy to get.

IStream

Not a huge hurdle, but it's a start. Kudos to AS for starting to tighten this up.

3Cforme

They may have seen the lack of pushback when Delta announced changes three months ago, followed by United.

https://news.delta.com/delta-introdu...mals-effective

dayone

Requiring additional documentation is a step in the right direction.

diver858

While the process may appear straightforward for some, including those with a legitimate purpose, there will be a good number of more questionable situations, where some passengers will be unaware of the new rules, other will plead ignorance, assuming they are exempt, play the HIPAA card (claiming such information is confidential), creating a scene.

As 3Cforme states above, the implementation at DL and UA appear to have gone smoothly, so the risk of a major incident is low, good to see the industry coming together, creating common rules in this regard. I expect AA and WN to quickly follow, or risk becoming the emotional support animal carriers.

beckoa

Thank you Alaska.

DUT

Two thumbs up!

First working on carry on size (and hopefully enforcement);

Now therapy pets;

Perhaos next focus will be Gate lice :-))

Thanks AS for taking these steps forward!

DUT

JPat

A slight aside here;
If you are traveling to Hawaii does that state waive it’s pre-existing rules regarding quarantine for pets?

CalanMan

Whether an animal is traveling as an ESA or Pet makes no difference for quarantine requirements to Hawaii. (Service animals do have a different set of rules.) There are multiple programs that can be used, though. Direct Airport Release is an alternative to quarantine, but I wouldn't think of it as a waiver. It's a lot of work, but all that work is done on the mainland. It's what we did, and it required multiple visits to vets over the course of 6 months and wound up costing around $1000 in vaccinations, tests and fees, but was absolutely worth it to avoid quarantine. https://www.hawaiilife.com/blog/faq-...e-between-them

Alaska has a less-detailed summary of requirements here: https://www.alaskaair.com/content/tr...aveling-hawaii

rune87

Sounds great in theory, but all the person has to say is it's a service animal, or more generically "Your not allowed to ask that" and for fear of lawsuits they will let it go. We really need a Service Animal certification program.

dayone

The documentation required for service and support animals should be similar to what's required for a handicapped parking permit (i.e., rigorous).

DragonSoul

"A signed affidavit affirming the emotional support or psychiatric service animal is trained to behave in public ..."

Might seemingly cut down the number of ES goldfish and peacocks, but in reality it will up the number of "not faaaaair" claims.

We know there are already people figuring out ways around these rules, and how to profit from them.

beachmouse

I suspect that one is an attempt at shifting liability from airline to ESA owner following the well-publicized pit bull mauling on a Delta flight that is probably going to cost that airline a whole bunch to settle.

Kevin AA

Unless you have some assets to your name beyond a car and house (what % of the plane doesn't? half?), signing an affidavit that your dog is behaved and that you'll be financially responsible for damages means nothing (i.e. judgment-proof). I know the airlines can't do anything more. I wish they could, but that requires an act of Congress.