On November 25th, the federal government set new rules requiring that airlines only allow dogs as service animals on U.S. flights as an effort to clamp down on supplying a variety of accommodation for other support animals.
Picture this: you book a flight with your family to an island during the summer and while boarding, you see a passenger with a dog entering the plane. One would not see much of a problem with this act. Now, instead of a dog, what would you do if you saw a monkey?
For many years, first class fliers were able to bring their dog or cat on board and place them in a ventilated compartment for an addition price to their tickets. Along with these fliers, those with special needs are able to bring a service animal to provide support during their travels, if necessary. In 1986, congress passed the Air Carrier Access Act as a stride to improve the airflight experience and ensure that discrimination would be vanish upon those with disabilities.
This act allowed disabled fliers to travel with animals without any additional fees, unlike a first-class flier. According to ESA Doctors, “The Air Carrier Access rules are designed to minimize the special problems that travelers with disabilities face as they negotiate their way through the complex air travel system (moving over one million passengers each day) from one place to another.”
Since the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) has been in full effect since 1986, there was a recent spike in disabled fliers that needed to bring support for any animal on board. As claimed by the BBC, “Trade group Airlines for America estimates that the number of emotional support animals on commercial flights jumped from 481,000 in 2016 to 751,000 in 2017.” But all good things must come to an end. Because any animal was allowed to board, many fliers began abusing the policy by bringing a multitude of different animals like monkeys, peacocks, horses, pigs and more.
According to New York Times’ Neil Vigdor, “Most recently, transportation regulators had said that dogs, cats and miniature horses should be prioritized as service animals by airlines. But passengers have tried to travel with monkeys, birds and rabbits, raising eyebrows of other passengers and testing airline policies.”
As a result, the Department of Transportation created new rules to ensure the safety of passengers and crewmembers from unkept or untrained animals. Now airlines will be requiring disabled passengers to require documents that their service pet is in good health and behave well. Neil Vigdor stated in the New York Time’s that “The new rules require airlines to treat psychiatric service animals the same as other service animals. The owners of those service animals must provide documentation developed by the Transportation Department attesting to the animal’s health, behavior, and training.”
Travelers have shared a great deal of relief to know that their safety and those around them are not being compromised by untamed animals and documents are being required. The union’s president, Sarah Nelson, stated in the New York Time’s, U.S. to Limit Service Animals on Planes to Dogs Only, “’Passengers claiming pets as emotional support animals have threatened the safety and health of passengers and crews in recent years. Flight attendants have been hurt and safety has been compromised by untrained animals loose in the cabin.’”
On the other hand, advocates for the disabled feel that they have been robbed of their rights and that these restrictions do not take those with special needs into consideration. As claimed by Neil Vigdor, “They have kindled an intense debate among the airlines, advocates for people with disabilities who rely on service animals and passenger rights groups, and came as a growing number of travelers have taken a variety of animals on flights in recent years.”
The Department of Transportation hopes to make travels safer and easier for both travelers and workers by enacting this new rule next month.