jdrtravel

Nor should your vet. An ESA prescription needs to come from a licensed doctor (a doc for humans) or mental health professional. Also, the ESA prescription is not attached to a specific animal, unlike a service animal which is a specific animal that has been trained to do a specific task. An ESA is about someone having an animal companion to get through situations they would otherwise find unbearably stressful due to mental health issues.

I'm curious what your source of info is that "almost ALL of these folks get these certificates via the Internet"? Perhaps this is true, but it is also possible that the majority of ESA's are legitimate and that these crazy stories are actually the minority but they stand out so much because of how crazy they are that we assume it is the majority. It is possible that this is an example of confirmation bias.

zitsky

I have a condition that might benefit from a support animal. But I dont use one. I believe the majority of these are fake service animals.

FWAAA

In order to obtain the required documentation for an emotional support animal, one has to be examined by a doctor or mental health professional, either of which must certify that the patient has a mental or emotional disability that could be alleviated by an animal companion when flying. Not everyone is willing to admit to a professional that they have such a disability (for fairly obvious reasons).

I don't think you meant to say "fake service animals;" rather, your view is probably that they're actually just pets and their owners don't want to pay the in-cabin pet fee.

I don't mind dogs and cats, so I couldn't care less whether their human is mentally/emotionally disabled or not. No skin off my nose.

zitsky

Yes I meant to say they are pets and owners don't want to pay the fee.

jdrtravel

If Delta did not charge such a high fee for traveling with a pet in the cabin (a pet who fits in a carrier that fits underneath the seat in front of you), this would solve a lot of the issues. For Delta to charge $250 r/t to bring a 5 or 10 pound pet on board, and for that pet to replace one's free carry on, is nothing but an invitation for people to find ways to sneak around that.

If DL needs to charge a $25 administrative fee or something to register that there is a pet on board, fine.

Justin026

Post 485 said it more clearly than Post 487, IMHO.

gooselee

I have dogs that are trained well, but not trained in any sort of assistive specialty. They are just pets.

As an owner of such animals, I think it's ironic (and wrong) that ESA is the loophole people have found to travel with their pets for free. Whenever I travel with my mutts, I find it to be a decidedly MORE stressful experience as they're two more things to take care of and worry about, and I have to figure out when/where they need to pee, and maybe they'll bother strangers because they're in an unfamiliar environment and curious about everything, etc. So, I usually leave them with family or board them when we're traveling.

I'm always amazed by the training, behavior, and sophistication of true service animals...EVEN actual ESAs that have been trained to respond (or not) appropriately in a variety of situations.

All that in mind, I cringe every time I see an animal at an airport wearing an ESA vest but that is clearly untrained to even be a well-behaved house pet. Creates a horrible comparison group for the people who actually need, train, and support true service animals.

pvn

what's the difference between a pet and a "fake service animal" in your opinion?

MSPeconomist

I hope your vet doesn't write a "need ESA" letter for you unless your vet is your psychiatrist too. You're supposed to get the documentation from some people doctor or mental health professional who treats people, not dogs. AFAIK there's no precedent for taking the dog as an ESA because the dog would be stressed to be away from you.

The reality is that most people seem to buy the required document over the internet for a fee, maybe after checking a few boxes to pretend that the person has been evaluated.

MSPeconomist

Perhaps this is part of the problem. If DL groups genuine service animals with ESAs, I'm not surprised if there's abuse. The law establishes different rights for the two categories, so it's DL's fault if their policies don't make clear distinctions.

zitsky

If you really love your pet, why not be willing to pay the fee. One way is what, $125? If you're moving that's a small expense. Or maybe you are on a long vacation and want your pet with you? That does seem expensive, if let's say, the ticket is $500 dollars.

3Cforme

Read the CFR. This is not a problem of Delta's making.

flyerCO

The ADA does. The ACA allows for more wiggle room and DOT has basically made it so that the airlines have to treat them the same. When they made the final rules decade or more back I don't they imagined the abuse that would eventually follow.

3Cforme

I disagree. The people who complain ESAs on-board will complain whether the animals are just pets, or ESAs. If cabin pets are cheaper, there will be even more animals on-board.

There isn't much to do here.

1. Get familiar with the CFR that binds hands of air carriers. It's clear many posters have not.

2. Write your congress(person).

3. Learn to live with it until the DOT (through rulemaking) or Congress changes it.

pvn

Well, they make their own policies when it comes to actual pets. By making those policies overly stringent they have incentivized people to find loopholes.