The government has decided that service animals can only be dogs for air travel. Animals used to provide emotional support will not count.
Flights may not be permitted for emotional-support animals
The Department of Transportation published a new rule Wednesday that seeks to end tension between airlines, passengers and those who bring companions along onboard for no cost.
The Department requested airlines to allow animals on board with passengers who have a medical note from a doctor proving they require emotional support. The airlines claimed that passengers didn’t respect the rule and brought several animals, including turtles, pigs and cats, onboard for no cost.
According to the Department of Transportation, the policy was changed due to complaints from passengers with disabilities, animal misbehavior and dishonest representation.
Guidelines for documentation and species limits from the DOT
Because passengers who bring animals on board as emotional support have damaged the trust in service animals, the agency is revising its rules. The agency also stated that passengers who bring their service animals to board have increased in number.
The new rule requires passengers to transport their emotional support animal to the cargo hold. They will also have to pay a pet fee. According to the agency, airlines will receive more than $59.6 millions annually. In 30 days, this rule will be in effect.
A service dog is a dog that has been trained to assist people with mental or physical disabilities. Service animals and emotional-support animals serve a therapeutic purpose.
Airlines may ask owners to verify that their dog is well-behaved and trained. They can also ask owners to submit paperwork up to 48 hours prior to a flight. They cannot, however, ban travelers from checking-in online as they can for other passengers.
Airlines can also ban aggressive dogs because of cases where emotional-support animals bit passengers.
Airlines can refuse service dogs to animals if they pose a threat to their safety or health, the animal is dangerous for passengers, or the owner of the emotional support animal is unable to provide required paperwork.