Emotional support animals will no longer be considered service animals on flights

[vailpass]

Fair, and overdue, IMHO. My only concern is for military vets who need emo support animals for PTSD. Hopefully it will be made easy for them to get certified. No restrictions on breed, which is a little surprising.

Emotional support animals will no longer be considered service animals on flights, DOT decides

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced that emotional support animals will no longer be considered service animals on flights, updating its final rule on the controversial travel topic.

DOT shared the news in a Wednesday news release, explaining that the revision to the Air Carrier Access Act followed over 15,000 comments on the proposal, which was first pitched in January.

“The final rule announced today addresses concerns raised by individuals with disabilities, airlines, flight attendants, airports, other aviation transportation stakeholders, and other members of the public, regarding service animals on aircraft,” the agency said.

Now, the DOT will define a service animal as "a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability.”

While the DOT "no longer considers an emotional support animal to be a service animal,” the department will require airlines to “treat psychiatric service animals the same as other service animals.”

Moving forward, the department is allowing airlines to require DOT-approved forms affirming a service animal's health, behavior and training before travel, and allowing carriers to cap the number of service animals traveling with a single passenger at two.

In addition, the DOT has given airlines the OK to require a service animal to fit within its handler’s foot space on the airplane, and mandate that the animal be harnessed, leashed, or tethered at all times on the plane and within the airport during the travel journey.

The DOT further supports a carrier’s agency in refusing transport to service animals acting aggressively, while barring airlines from refusing to transport a service animal based on breed.

The subject of emotional support and service animals on airplanes was a major travel news topic of 2018, after an emotional support peacock named Dexter and his owner were denied boarding on a United Airlines flight. Months later, a French bulldog died in the high skies after being accidentally placed into an overhead bin by a United Airlines flight attendant for the duration of the trip. From there, emotional support cats, squirrels and hamsters continued to make headlines and spark debate.

Various carriers have since tightened the leash on their respective rules regarding the transportation of both emotional support and service animals; the DOT’s latest update will be a game changer for policy.

https://www.foxnews.com/travel/dot-s...nimals-flights

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by fan4ever

Tell them to get their doctors to give them handicapped placards so they can REALLY **** the system. What's the difference?

I have no respect for people like this. Sometimes I can't help myself and confront some of these people. When I see a seemingly able bodied person at the grocery store loading cases of water or sodas and crap into their car in a handicapped spot I offer to help them. I politely say "Hey, let me help you with that". Whether it's female or male I almost always get the same reaction...like "It's OK...I'm good". Then I say "Well I try to help out handicapped folks when I can...I have a son who's 23 and has been in a wheelchair his whole life so I know how challenging being handicapped can be". Most people slink away and get into their car without saying much. The people truly impacted give me a caring look and will say something like "Bless you and your son". I don't like to be a justice warrior but at my age I'm SO sick of seeing people act like a-holes because most people are too good natured to call them on it.

You aren't wrong. Though I'd view fraudulently taking a handicap space as a lot worse than taking your ankle biter on the plane.

[BWillie]

But my cat makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by BWillie

But my cat makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

That's still illegal in several states.

[Valiant]

Originally Posted by srvy

And chip the animals that they have been certified. Make the scanner affordable that any business can have one on hand. No chip no enter.

The people chipping animals will sell the chip to anyone who has money.

I am for just getting rid of all service animals that are not for the blind or seizures.

[Megatron96]

They're just trying to put an end to all the fraudulent claims, like that moron that tried to bring a peacock onto a plane as an 'emotional support animal,' and the like. It gotpretty idiotic, and flight crews were even injured by some of these animals, so you can blame all the BS artists for the new rule.

[eDave]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Privacy laws are very important in California so there may be a court battle on the horizon. I don't fly as much as I did pre-kids and while I'd see people, generally females, with tiny dogs in their carry-on bags or even purses, I'd never had or seen a problem with animals on flights.

My biggest issue with flying now will be obtaining a Read ID. I just can't freaking believe that to fly, I'll need to either renew my passport or take my birth certificate and Social Security card to the DMV to apply and pay for a Read ID, just to travel domestically.

It's a load of horseshit.

Speaking of that, what is the new deadline? Was Oct. of this year I believe.

Oh, and, eat an edible, leave the animal.

[Spott]

Originally Posted by EPodolak

Even with her pony there she looks pretty shook.

Maybe she’s realizing that bringing the donkey home from Tijuana wasn’t such a great idea.

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by eDave

Speaking of that, what is the new deadline? Was Oct. of this year I believe.

Oh, and, eat an edible, leave the animal.

They postponed it to next year, same month/day.

[mr. tegu]

I’ve had clients ask for me to provide them with emotional support animals. The only one I agreed to was for someone who was able to get a reduced apartment rent rate. Otherwise we discuss why they want one, what it would change, how it would improve their daily life, etc.

Inevitably it comes down to a realization that the purpose of the animal wouldn’t actually help their mental and emotional issues and in fact perpetuates and reinforces that there is something “wrong” with them and they have needs and issues which they can’t resolve which is typically not accurate. I know there are extreme cases and specific scenarios where they are beneficial and needed but far too many are simply people taking advantage and using the animal because they think it fixes their issues (don’t want to do the real work) as opposed to a tool to help them continue making improvements and function in their daily life.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by suzzer99

Am I supposed to take my pony on the train now?

Do we think those two people are a couple, or is one of them a stranger who got a story to tell later.

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Do we think those two people are a couple, or is one of them a stranger who got a story to tell later.

Why does the couple have to be the people? Judgy aren't we? maybe it's the pony and the lady there that are the couple.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

I’ve had clients ask for me to provide them with emotional support animals. The only one I agreed to was for someone who was able to get a reduced apartment rent rate. Otherwise we discuss why they want one, what it would change, how it would improve their daily life, etc.

Inevitably it comes down to a realization that the purpose of the animal wouldn’t actually help their mental and emotional issues and in fact perpetuates and reinforces that there is something “wrong” with them and they have needs and issues which they can’t resolve which is typically not accurate. I know there are extreme cases and specific scenarios where they are beneficial and needed but far too many are simply people taking advantage and using the animal because they think it fixes their issues (don’t want to do the real work) as opposed to a tool to help them continue making improvements and function in their daily life.

You seem like a good counselor. I know some women who should talk with you about this issue so you could tell them these truths. Of course none of them would internalize it.

[Oxford]

Originally Posted by fan4ever

It's really great that the people who have real issues are now being denied because of so many fake self centered A-holes out there. Really great that people are exploiting laws that are designed to comfort/help the most impacted people of our society so they can take their purse dogs with them.

We raise pups for Leader Dogs for the Blind. We do the basic obedience, settle in public, foundational training for doors, elevators and curb work, house manners, public manners etc. If the federal ADA is the standard we cannot fly with our dog even if we are returning the dog to the school for advanced training as a guide dog.

Now does this rule allow us to fly? And you bet we can spot a trained service animal versus an ebay trained service animal.

[TribalElder]

So this system was definitely being abused

but flights are empty since covid anyway, so who cares

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by TribalElder

So this system was definitely being abused

but flights are empty since covid anyway, so who cares

Flight crews.