Hey, America:Â Get your goats, pot-belly pigs, and other fake emotional support animals off our airplanes!! That’s the message American Airlines and JetBlue Airways is delivering to the traveling public in a long overdue crackdown on supposed emotional support pets.
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American Airlines has joined other carriers in making it very clear that insects, goats, and hedgehogs can no longer be brought on planes as emotional support animals. Neither can ferrets, spiders, chickens, or hawks. Now, only cats, dogs, and miniature horses will be allowed onboard most flights.
According to JetBlue, the policy change “follows a dramatic increase in industry incidents involving emotional support animals that haven’t been adequately trained to behave in a busy airport or the confined space of an aircraft.” The airline added that this “creates health and safety risks for customers, crew members and other service or support animals.”
The policy change is also a deliberate attempt to halt the practice of faking a support animal.
With the average cost of flying a pet at around $125 (excluding the expense of an airline pet carrier), many passengers have stooped to pretending their pet is necessary for emotional support. These travelers purchase a cheap and easily obtained doctor’s note from the internet claiming they need an emotional support pet in their presence at all times, then avoid paying the $125 fare for Fido to fly. This practice has seen animals of all types and sizes flying free inside the passenger cabin and airlines are finally saying enough is enough.
“We support the rights of customers, from veterans to people with disabilities, with legitimate needs for a trained service or support animal,” American Airlines said in a press release. “Unfortunately, untrained animals can lead to safety issues for our team, our customers, and working dogs onboard our aircraft.”
According to American Airlines, the number of customers transporting service or support animals aboard their planes between 2016 and 2017 rose by more than 40%. To combat the rising percentage, airlines are now requiring passengers who wish to bring such an animal onboard to file paperwork 48 hours before a flight as “proof” that the animal is in good health and has been vaccinated.
Fliers will also be required to sign new behavioral guidelines for their animals. The form requires emotional support animals to be kept on a leash or harness throughout the flight, and includes a clause allowing for the animal to be denied travel if it exhibits “any severely aggressive behavior.”
Additionally, airlines will now begin directly contacting mental health professionals well in advance of flights in order to verify their notes claiming the need for an emotional support pet.
The message here is crystal clear: cheaters beware!
