[NAGDU] article from the Los Angeles Times: Feds Detail Limits on Flying with Service Animals

[Sherrill O'Brien]

Greetings all,

 

Here's an article which appeared in the August 13 Los Angeles Times. Right
from the get-go, it drives me nuts because the title and first sentence
contain the words "service animals" but then the bulk of the article goes on
to deal with emotional support animals. No wonder the public and airline
personnel are confused.

 

Sherrill

 

Feds Detail Limits On Flying With Service Animals

by Hugo Martin, Los Angeles Times/TNS | August 13, 2019

 

The U.S. Department of Transportation is giving airlines more guidance about
service animals on planes. (Kent D. Johnson/The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution/TNS)

A month after a flight attendant was bitten by an emotional support animal,
the U.S. Department of Transportation told the airline industry this month
that carriers can't bar certain dog breeds because airlines deem them
dangerous, handing a victory to pit bull fans.

But the federal agency gave airlines the green light to require passengers
to produce records on vaccinations and training to determine if a specific
animal poses a threat on a plane. And bans on certain species - snakes, for
instance - will be allowed to stand.

The effort by the Department of Transportation to clarify its policy on
animals in planes is the latest chapter in the long-running saga over
emotional support animals. An increasing number of airplane passengers have
been bringing animals, some quite exotic, contending that they were needed
for emotional support during flights; airlines suspected the passengers were
merely trying to save money.

To control the proliferation, Southwest, JetBlue and United, among others,
last year began tightening restrictions on airborne animals, particularly
the unusual species. Delta Air Lines' ban last year of all "pit bull-type
dogs" as service animals or emotional support animals proved especially
controversial.

An airline trade group and a flight attendants union voiced support for the
federal agency's efforts to clarify its rules regarding animals. The
Department of Transportation is expected to begin enforcing the guidelines
later this year after they are published as part of a formal "notice of
proposed rulemaking."

Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, called
the new guidelines "an important step to address what has become a mess of
animals loose in the aircraft cabin."

Airlines for America, a trade group for the country's largest carriers, said
that many fliers have been fraudulently passing off their pets as emotional
support animals to avoid having to pay animal transport fees.

"With over a million passengers bringing (emotional support animals) on
flights last year, airlines and airports saw a sharp increase in incidents
such as biting and mauling by untrained animals," the group said. "The DOT's
guidance is an important step toward addressing this growing problem and
ensuring a safer and healthier travel experience for all."

United Airlines, one of the country's biggest carriers, reported a 75
percent increase in emotional support animals on flights in 2017 compared
with 2016. Along with the increase has come a rise in incidents of animals
urinating, defecating, biting and barking on planes.

A passenger was mauled by a 50-pound dog on a Delta flight in 2017, and a
flight attendant on an American Airlines flight in July had to get five
stitches on his left hand after being bitten by an emotional support dog.

Federal law says that any airline passenger who relies on an animal to help
quell anxiety or other emotional problems must be allowed to bring the
emotional support animal on flights without charge. But the 1986 law fails
to provide procedures for diagnosing a person who needs to be accompanied by
an emotional support animal and doesn't address what type of animals fliers
can bring on planes.

Service animals must complete training to be assigned to aid someone who is
blind or has some other disability.

Without clarity on what kind of animals are permitted, several airlines
adopted their own restrictions.

JetBlue announced last year that it would allow only cats, dogs and
miniature horses as emotional support animals. American Airlines banned
several types of creatures, including hedgehogs, goats, ferrets, chickens,
birds of prey and snakes. Southwest Airlines said it would allow only dogs
and cats on leashes to be emotional support animals.

Delta's pit bull ban came after a pit bull bit two Delta employees on a
plane. Pit bull owners and their supporters collected tens of thousands of
signatures on a petition asking the Atlanta-based carrier to reconsider the
ban.

Such a restriction appears to violate the latest guidance by the Department
of Transportation. "While the Enforcement Office is aware of high-profile
cases involving pit bulls, airlines have not presented evidence that any
particular breed is inherently more dangerous than others," the agency said.

Still, the federal agency also said airlines can require passengers to
produce documentation related to an animal's vaccination, training and
behavior to determine if a specific animal that is scheduled to fly is a
"direct threat to the health or safety of others."

A Delta Air Lines spokeswoman said the airline is still reviewing the new
guidelines.

"Delta continuously reviews and enhances its policies and procedures for
animals onboard as part of its commitment to health, safety and protecting
the rights of customers with disabilities," the airline said in a statement.