manymanymiles

I really do not know why this is allowed and my laptop bag is not!

The response from Alaska when I asked was :
'Bags can fall or slide around hitting and injuring passengers. Where as animals who are trained, unlike luggage, can remain seated or lied down'

AKLifetimeFlyer

Take it up with the FAA, this has nothing to do with Alaska Airlines.

davie355

well the airline writes the policy which the FAA then approves. Then airlines use FAA as a crutch to deflect blame. This is why airlines often claim that bag size restrictions are FAA policy. They are, but it was the airline's policy to begin.

jrl767

s0ssos

Yes, please report it to the FAA.
Did Alaska certify the dog was trained? Doesn't seem like a service dog to me.

s0ssos

Did you respond, asking "Does that mean my well-trained toddler can sit on the ground then?"

u2g0d

Must be an "emotional support" animal.

CDKing

fake ESA

kileysmom

Yes, but even I, a mobility impaired person who campaigns for the rights of those of us who are truly less able, think this is getting ridiculous. I love dogs but it I had to wait or try to climb over a large animal in a fire there would be hell to pay. No different that the hell to pay for someone holding me up while they take down their carry on from the overhead causing possible injury to others needing to evacuate the aircraft (the BA fire in Las Vegas was a testament to crew but sure not to many of the pax seen walking across the tarmac dragging their roll aboard bags). I see no reason why a person is not required to provide a letter from a state licensed medical provider and the animal to wear a vest stating its status when in the cabin and that vest needs to be issued by a government agency....not simply purchased online.

All that said, I think my much loved Irish Wolfhounds could become emotional support animals and join me in F soon....they are taller but no more "bulky" than that standard poodle! Okay, I jest...I have the IW's but wouldn't dream of putting another passenger in the position of having to climb over them even just to go to the toilet or even see my animal left behind because it is a true emergency and humans need to leave the plane without being put in jeopardy by an animal of the 4 legged sort.....there's enough difficulty with the ones of the 2 legged sort! I sit back waiting for the hail of bullets!

Edit.....you can buy an emotional support animal vest on Amazon for less that $20....go figure.

s0ssos

Wait, is this the airline that does not allow you to plug in devices when taking off or landing?

Aliquot

Why would you assume it is a "fake ESA". There certainly are people who abuse the system, but there are also many legitimate service animals, many who serve people with serious but invisible conditions.

As for why a service dog is allowed but a suitcase isn't, presumably a well trained dog can, and likely will get up and move on it's own in a emergancy.

vgc

Because ESAs are not required to have any sort of training for it to be considered as such. All you need is a prescription from a licensed mental health professional, which means anybody can go to a licensed therapist and go, "I need my dog to be an ESA to help with my anxiety." And I know that a lot of people don't even do that, instead opting to just get an ESA vest off of Amazon.

Also, Americans have a weird obsession with dogs. If that had been an ESA pig or a miniature pony or a peacock, that person would have been roasted alive on this thread. Anytime you see a dog in public, off leash, in an area they don't belong, you'll get plenty of people go, "Awwwww, what a cute little doggieeee!!!!" If you point out that dog needs to be on a leash, or if dogs are not allowed in this space, or even if the dog seems nervous with so many people around, you'll get a shrug and a "But it's sooooo cute!!!"

"But dogs can be trained to get out of the way!!!" you may cry. First of all, how would you even train a dog to do so? I wouldn't trust an adult human to get out of the way if there was an emergency. And the vast majority of dogs aren't those well trained military dogs you see on TV. People seem to get this idea in their head that all dogs are hyper intelligent and are automatically trained to do anything. Newsflash, they're not.

be_rettSEA

To be fair, simply bringing an animal with an ESA vest bought off the internet isn't going to cut it to qualify as an ESA on Alaska or most other airlines at this point. Alaska requires forms be completed and sent prior to travel, completed by a mental health professional. Sure, anxiety does qualify, but if I had a license to practice psychology or psychiatry, I'd maybe be hesitant to risk my license and complete these on a regular basis for someone I didn't feel truly needed their animal with them. Maybe others don't have the same ethics, but I don't agree with the 'FAKE ESA!' arguments many on here immediately assume without any knowledge of someone's mental health history.

If the animal is misbehaving, causing a nuisance or creating safety issues for other passengers, that's another story, but aside from that, it's really not anyone else's business. I don't particularly like traveling with infants seated nearby, but know they're allowed to fly with their parents and wouldn't suggest they shouldn't be. This is the current law, and while surely there are some who take advantage of it to avoid pet fees or having their animals travel as cargo, there are plenty who are helped by having their ESA travel in the cabin with them. If traveling with an animal in the cabin makes you uncomfortable, you could switch seats, or just fly private and know that you'll be fully comfortable and no dogs will disturb you in-flight.

Often1

Definitely file a complaint with DOT and send a copy to its general counsel via snail mail.

The underlying issue is simply that the dog is an object which weighs enough to injure another passenger in turbulence. It has nothing to do with service animals, ESA's or pets.

allset2travel

+1