Cats, pigs, and peacocks can no longer travel as emotional support animals on passenger flights after the Department of Transportation issued new rules surrounding emotional support animals on airplanes.
The department revised regulations involving the Air Carrier Access Act of 1986 and limited what is considered a service animal to “a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability.”
For years, a loophole in the ACAA has allowed passengers to bring peacocks, miniature horses, turkeys, and other nontraditional “support” animals on flights with them, according to NBC News.
“Because airlines charge passengers for transporting pets, and are prohibited from charging passengers traveling with service animals, passengers previously had an incentive to claim their pets were ESAs,” the department wrote. “Airlines and other passengers have also reported increased incidence of misbehavior by ESAs on aircraft and in the airport.”
Emotional support animals are not afforded the same legal status as service animals by the Americans with Disabilities Act. For example, restaurants must allow patrons with a guide dog to bring their service animal into their facilities, but they are not required to allow emotional support animals — even if the patron has a letter from a doctor.
The DOT’s rule change moves department policy to be in line with that guidance and “no longer considers an emotional support animal to be a service animal.” However, psychiatric service animals, which are protected by the ADA, will still be allowed on flights.
“This final rule defines a service animal as a dog, regardless of breed or type, that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a qualified individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability,” the department wrote. “It allows airlines to recognize emotional support animals as pets, rather than service animals, and permits airlines to limit the number of service animals that one passenger can bring onboard an aircraft to two service animals.”
The rule change comes with a few other caveats — on flights lasting longer than eight hours, passengers must attest “that the animal has the ability either not to relieve itself on a light flight or to relieve itself in a sanitary manner.” Airlines are also allowed to require that service animals fit within the passenger’s foot space on the plane.
Passengers can still travel with pets if they’d like, as long as they abide by individual airlines’ pet policies.
