Emotional support animals on airplanes—it’s a touchy subject. Crews and passengers object to untrained animals on flights because of allergies, phobias, and hygiene issues. Some disability advocates support disabled passengers’ rights to travel with emotional support animals, but others question the effect of ugly incidents (like the one I wrote about last week) on the access rights of true service animals that might be compromised by the misbehavior of ES animals.
The Department of Transportation formed a committee last year to discuss the question of emotional support animals on airplane flights, but that committee was not able to achieve consensus on a recommendation. Any rewriting of the rules for ES animals on flights is not happening any time soon.
Airlines advocated to eliminate emotional support animals from the Air Carrier Access Act, in part because of the operational issues they create for flight crews and gate agents. Delta in its comments to the agency said: “Due to recent attempts by customers to bring animals on board flights with suspect service potential, there is a need for clear guidance” from the DOT on these topics.
The issue splits disability advocates. Some question lumping emotional support animals with service animals. Others aim to protect the privacy and rights of disabled passengers to travel with emotional support animals.
“Where the struggle comes in is if you have one or two sensationalized reports, then is that enough for us to put what may be undue burdens in the face of people with disability who genuinely need accommodations?” Morris [Brad Morris, of Psychiatric Service Dog Partners, a nonprofit that advocates for service dog users] said.
A proposal from disability advocates on the DOT committee favored requiring that passengers with service animals answer questions and attest “that these statements are true and I am aware that I am committing fraud if I knowingly make false statements here in order to secure federally regulated disability accommodations.”
Some advocates, including Morris, said emotional support animals should travel in carriers, effectively limiting them to smaller animals.
But the exercise yielded no consensus, and the advisory committee on accessibility declined to make a recommendation on the issue in its final report.
http://www.myajc.com/business/delta-mauling-puts-focus-support-animal-rules/2gwdBZtd30KZssvyaroAbL/
What is required to fly with an emotional support animal (ESA)?
In order to fly with an Emotional Support Animal OR Psychiatric Service Dog in the cabin of the aircraft with you, you will need a special letter from a licensed mental health professional. Regulations require that the airline accommodate reasonable requests to fly with an ESA . . . if the airline is contacted at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled departure time and the following described letter is offered on request:
The letter:
▪ must not be more than one year old
▪ must be on the professional’s letterhead
▪ must be from a mental health professional
and must state all of the following:
(Note: bolded phrases are of specific wording that should be used as presented and not paraphrased to minimize rejection of the letter)
1. That the passenger has a mental health-related DISABILITY that appears in the DSM-IV. Note: it is not just a mental illness diagnosis, but a mental illness which substantially limits one or more major life activities. Airlines are not permitted to require the documentation to specify the type of mental health disability or the specific diagnosis, but the letter must state that the diagnosis appears in the DSM-IV.
2. That the presence of the animal is necessary to the passenger’s health or treatment during the flight and/or at the destination.
3. That the individual writing the letter is a licensed mental health professional and that the passenger is under his or her care. The individual writing the letter should clearly indicate what type of mental health care professional they are (psychiatrist, psychologist, clinical social worker, et cetera).
NOTE: Airlines may also require documentation including the date, type, and state of the mental health professional’s license, so it may be wise to just have them include that from the start so you don’t have to go back and ask for it later.
Some airlines do call the professional’s office to verify the contents of the letter.
http://servicedogcentral.org/content/ESA-flying
What is required of the animal that is an emotional support animal?
Nothing.
Most airlines have their own rulebooks, and some do state firmly that certain animals are not acceptable as emotional support animals on their flights. When you remember that—unlike small pets traveling with passengers in the cabin, which are required to remain in their carriers for the duration of their flight—ESAs are allowed out of their carriers (on the floor, in the owner’s lap, loose), you can understand why snakes on a plane are not allowed.
It’s certainly advisable to travel with an animal’s health certificates, ID (including microchip number and registration), and emergency contacts (veterinarian, etc.), but for ESAs riding in the cabin of the plane, it’s not required.
What training is required for an emotional support animal?
None.
That’s the real issue: on planes, ESAs are given the same rights of access as service dogs, but there are no requirements for their training—none.
You can guess that people with legitimate service dogs, often trained from puppyhood for their future duties, tried and tested, highly skilled and socially bombproof, are concerned that their dogs’ rights of access may be threatened by public reaction to the unacceptable behavior of a totally untrained emotional support animal on a flight.
Next week, the scams and shams—online sales of letters from mental health professionals, fake certifications, ID, vests, and other profitable schemes to get pet animals on plane flights for free—and how to do it ethically and legally instead.
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DOT [Department Of Transportation] operates a toll-free hotline to assist air travelers with disabilities. The hotline provides general information to consumers about the rights of air travelers with disabilities and responds to requests for printed consumer information. It also assists air travelers with time-sensitive disability-related issues that need to be addressed in ‘real time.’
1-800-778-4838 (voice) or 1-800-455-9880 (TTY)
