Finally! get rid of fake service dogs!
May 18, 2018, 1:52 pm
#76
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 6,286
People with ESRs get a letter from someone once a year, getting a renewals would be the same except the practitioner could be verified. Under the current system all that is needed is a letter on a letterhead that says it was signed by a practitioner. The Airline Employee looking at the letter has no way to verify that the letter is genuine. I think I could probably write one and sign the name of just about anyone living, dead or non-existant and the airline couldn't do anything much about it.
You could (and I'm sure some do) also fake a Service Animal since many Service Animals perform functions that aren't immediately obvious, unlike a seeing eye dog.
The Life Coach thing was a joke.
You could (and I'm sure some do) also fake a Service Animal since many Service Animals perform functions that aren't immediately obvious, unlike a seeing eye dog.
The Life Coach thing was a joke.
For ESAs & PSAs, all the major carriers now require specific form(s) be downloaded from their website, completed by the licensed healthcare professional, and in most cases submitted 48 hours prior to travel. Each form is unique to a specific flight. (Although there's nothing to stop passengers from making copies of a single completed form that has the flight information blank, then filling it in as needed for each individual flight.)
Disability advocates are upset about the 48 hour requirement, and that specific forms are being required, as this is different from what they believe the ACAA indicates is acceptable. The DOT Interim Statement makes it clear that the department plans to allow this for the time being. Hence the need for new rulemaking.
Current requirements for Service Animals are less demanding. Many who can pass off their pet and/or ESA as a Service Animal are now doing so, instead of jumping through the ESAs hoops.
Of course it was a joke. But it's a thin line. Should any state begin licensing life coaches, they would be acceptable.
May 19, 2018, 12:09 pm
#77
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5,813
Actually that not completely accurate either.
As far as I can find Southwest hasn't changed it's requirements.
American still allows either a letter or their form although their form includes the flight date which presumably could be copied and filled in by the passenger for each flight.
United requires it's own form but it's good for a year. It has no place for the flight or date.
Delta requires it's form but it's good for a year and is not flight specific. It has no place for the flight or date.
The forms do have to be submitted 48 hours before the first flight on an itinerary for AA UA DL.That does allow the airline time to check to see if the license is valid, but I doubt they will check. In any event looking up a license number isn't that hard for someone attempting to cheat. I'm pretty sure the online services have already updated their software to provide all of the forms, including for some of the smaller airlines like Alaska.
Maybe this will spur the legitimate disability advocates to get behind a real solution to the problem.
For ESAs & PSAs, all the major carriers now require specific form(s) be downloaded from their website, completed by the licensed healthcare professional, and in most cases submitted 48 hours prior to travel. Each form is unique to a specific flight. (Although there's nothing to stop passengers from making copies of a single completed form that has the flight information blank, then filling it in as needed for each individual flight.)
In order for a Customer to travel with an emotional support animal, the Customer must provide a Southwest Airlines® Employee current documentation on letterhead (not more than one year old) from a mental health professional or medical doctor who is treating the Customer's mental health-related disability.
United requires it's own form but it's good for a year. It has no place for the flight or date.
Delta requires it's form but it's good for a year and is not flight specific. It has no place for the flight or date.
The forms do have to be submitted 48 hours before the first flight on an itinerary for AA UA DL.That does allow the airline time to check to see if the license is valid, but I doubt they will check. In any event looking up a license number isn't that hard for someone attempting to cheat. I'm pretty sure the online services have already updated their software to provide all of the forms, including for some of the smaller airlines like Alaska.
Maybe this will spur the legitimate disability advocates to get behind a real solution to the problem.
May 19, 2018, 6:08 pm
#78
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 6,286
Southwest hasn't changed it's requirements yet. 
American claims they contact the passenger's mental health professional (presumably needing those 48 hours in which to do so).
Again, my point is that there needs to be standardization, and verification, on a national level.
American claims they contact the passenger's mental health professional (presumably needing those 48 hours in which to do so).
Again, my point is that there needs to be standardization, and verification, on a national level.
Jun 3, 2018, 2:15 am
#79
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX (elite) and a few others (non-elite)
Posts: 687
Although I am unaffected by these proposals (I don't need an ESA, and any disabilities I may have don't require a service animal) I am interested by the proposal to limit species Dogs are used widely as service animals for very good reasons, but there are many things they cannot do. They also don't have an especially long working life (which is where miniature horses have a huge advantage). There is also the obvious correlation between dogs as service animals and dogs as pets and the concomitant openness to abuse in "re-labelling' pets as service animals.
I do favour a registration system. As noted above, if it can be done for handicapped parking permits, I can't see any obvious impediment to doing it for service animals.
I do favour a registration system. As noted above, if it can be done for handicapped parking permits, I can't see any obvious impediment to doing it for service animals.
Jun 3, 2018, 10:39 am
#80
Join Date: Oct 2001
Programs: LTP, PP
Posts: 8,698
Jun 3, 2018, 2:30 pm
#81
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: RNO
Programs: AA/DL/UA
Posts: 10,773
We should bring back smoking on planes, with a modern twist that we are making a reasonable accommodation for those suffering from nicotine addiction disorder. It is reasonable to have to sit in the back because you won't literally die if you go without a cigarette (I do it on every flight, would just prefer not to have to do that), and it's not race-based (or age or sex).
Same for the ESA's, fake or not. We'll just assume the paperwork is real (what else can you assume? I just give up at this point) This means that if some selfish person with an ESA doesn't want to sit next to someone smoking, well then you have a choice don't you... you can go without your rat dog for a little bit (and not die, just like not smoking) or you can shut up and just don't close the vent.
There are some mental illnesses where you will die without professional intervention/drugs/etc. For example, a serious physical addiction to alcohol. One must go to detox to stop drinking or the side effect of not drinking can be fatal. We can't make a reasonable accommodation on the plane for that. Even if it's okay to let someone board the plane drunk (it's not but it happens if said drunk is quiet), but the problem with this particular mental illness/addiction is that this person is going to insist on a drink before take-off, and another one right after take-off, and so on. Bars are not allowed to overserve someone already drunk and planes are no exception to that rule. It's obvious what a mess that would be, hence no possible REASONABLE accommodation. That is the key word -- reasonable. Not possible/potential/theoretical/etc, just reasonable.
I see nothing unreasonable with putting the ESA's and smokers in the back. The rest of the plane is for humans and nicotine patches.
Same for the ESA's, fake or not. We'll just assume the paperwork is real (what else can you assume? I just give up at this point) This means that if some selfish person with an ESA doesn't want to sit next to someone smoking, well then you have a choice don't you... you can go without your rat dog for a little bit (and not die, just like not smoking) or you can shut up and just don't close the vent.
There are some mental illnesses where you will die without professional intervention/drugs/etc. For example, a serious physical addiction to alcohol. One must go to detox to stop drinking or the side effect of not drinking can be fatal. We can't make a reasonable accommodation on the plane for that. Even if it's okay to let someone board the plane drunk (it's not but it happens if said drunk is quiet), but the problem with this particular mental illness/addiction is that this person is going to insist on a drink before take-off, and another one right after take-off, and so on. Bars are not allowed to overserve someone already drunk and planes are no exception to that rule. It's obvious what a mess that would be, hence no possible REASONABLE accommodation. That is the key word -- reasonable. Not possible/potential/theoretical/etc, just reasonable.
I see nothing unreasonable with putting the ESA's and smokers in the back. The rest of the plane is for humans and nicotine patches.