[nagdu] why do we have to let airlines know that you have a dog

Steve Johnson stevencjohnson at centurytel.net
Wed Apr 14 01:34:55 UTC 2010


Cheryl, taken from the updated Air Carrier Act of 2009:

.Requires 48-hour notification that a customer is bringing an emotional
support animal or psychiatric service animal on board the aircraft.

Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals
The definition of service animals includes guide dogs, signal dogs,
psychiatric service animals, and emotional support animals.  Air carriers
are required to allow service animals traveling with persons with
disabilities to sit with them in the cabin of the aircraft.65 Passengers
traveling with pets, as opposed to service animals or emotional support
animals, do not have any rights under the ACAA. To determine whether a
passenger with a disability is entitled to travel with a service animal, air
carriers may ask questions and request documentation in certain
circumstances. The questions that may be asked and the level of
documentation that may be required will vary depending on the individual's
disability and the type of service animal. The purpose for the variation in
requirements is because 1) many people traveling with a service, comfort or
psychiatric support animal may have a have a hidden disability so the need
for a service animal is not apparent and 2) the reason an individual with an
obvious disability requires a service animal is not always evident.
 
As evidence that an animal qualifies as a service animal, an air carrier
must accept identification cards, other written documentation, presence of
harnesses, tags, or the credible verbal assurances of the passenger with the
disability using the animal.66 If an air carrier is not certain of the
animal's status, even after being told that an animal is a service animal,
additional questions may be asked, including: "What tasks or functions does
your animal perform for you?," "What has the animal been trained to do for
you?," and "Would you describe how the animal performs this task or function
for you?''

For emotional support or psychiatric service animals, air carriers may
request very specific diagnostic documentation 48 hours in advance of a
flight. The documentation must be 1) current (not be more than one year
old); 2) be on letterhead from a licensed mental health professional; 3)
must state that the person has a mental or emotional disability recognized
in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV); and
4) state that the animal is needed as an accommodation for air travel or for
activity at the individual's destination. The documentation should also
state that the health professional is treating the individual and include
the date and type of the mental health professional's license and the state
or other jurisdiction in which it was issued. It does not need to state the
individual's diagnosis.67

Unusual animals such as miniature horses, pigs, and monkeys may be allowed
to travel as service animals.68 To determine whether the animal will be
allowed in the cabin, the air carrier may take into account the animal's
size, weight, and whether the animal would pose a direct threat to the
health or safety of others, or cause a significant disruption in cabin
service. If the animal would pose or cause any of these things, the animal
may have to travel in the cargo hold. In addition, if there are restrictions
on any of these animals at the final destination point of travel, the animal
may not be allowed to fly at all. Other unusual animals such as snakes,
other reptiles, ferrets, rodents, and spiders may be denied boarding as they
may pose other safety and public health concerns. Foreign carriers are
required to transport only dogs as service animals.69 

Service animals cannot be denied passage because other passengers are
offended or annoyed by animals.70 Any service animal may be denied boarding
privileges if the animal barks, growls, jumps on people or misbehaves in
ways that indicate the animal has not been trained to behave properly in
public settings, poses a direct threat to the health and safety of others,
or poses a significant risk of disruption of cabin service.71 

People with disabilities can sit in any seat with their service animal
unless they block an aisle or an area designated for emergency evacuation.
If they cannot be accommodated in a requested seat, then they must be given
the opportunity to move to another seat within the same class of service. A
person with a disability may request a bulkhead seat or another seat that
better suits their needs. 72 A person traveling with a service animal may
ask to pre-board.

Air carriers are not required to make modifications that would constitute an
undue burden or would fundamentally alter their programs. In order to
accommodate a service animal, a carrier does not have to ask another
passenger to give up all or most of the space in front of their seat (This
is rarely necessary, since most service animals fit comfortably at the feet
of the handler, beneath the seat in front of the handler.) Carriers may try
to find someone willing to share their foot space. Carriers can voluntarily
reseat a person traveling with a service animal to a business or first-class
seat to accommodate a service animal, but are not required to do so.73  

In-flight services and facilities do not have to be provided to service
animals. Individuals traveling with the animals must provide for the
animal's food, care, and supervision.

In the terminal, air carriers must provide animal relief areas. They also
must provide escort service to individuals traveling with service animals to
these areas, upon request.74

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of cheryl echevarria
Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 6:26 PM
To: nagdu
Subject: [nagdu] why do we have to let airlines know that you have a dog

On GDF conference call they are saying that we need to let airlines know we
have guide dogs with us.

Why, that is not so.

Cheryl Echevarria
Independent Travel Consultant
C10-10646

http://Echevarriatravel.com
1-866-580-5574

http://blog.echevarriatravel.com
Reservations at echevarriatravel.com
Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Montrose Travel CST-1018299-10 


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