Delta's smart move to bar phony support animals
Dogs, cats, turkeys, pigs, rabbits, hamsters, marmots, even iguanas? No, you haven’t wandered into a zoo or a pet shop. This is an airline cabin, and those aren’t pets; they’re emotional support animals. If you have the bad luck to be seated next to someone with one, well, be grateful that snakes and ferrets aren’t allowed.
Anyone who ventures into a U.S. airport these days likely will see a passenger carrying a small furry creature wearing a special vest or tag identifying its distinctive function. Some of these are actual service animals, defined by the ADA National Network as “individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.”
Many, though, fall into a looser category of animals that are supposedly helpful to travelers who don’t have blindness or PTSD but may feel less anxious with a nonhuman companion. The federal Air Carrier Access Act has been interpreted to require airlines to accommodate passengers who need — or claim to need — an animal for emotional support. The main thing it takes to qualify on most airlines is a letter from a physician or therapist.
This policy has spawned a host of websites offering quick, easy certification. One offers 24-hour service, including a five-minute questionnaire and chat with a licensed therapist. Says the site, “Getting an ESA Qualification Has Never Been Easier.”
Another highlights one big attraction: “Pets fly in cabin free.” Oh, we forgot to mention: If you want to take your pet cat aboard, you can expect to pay $125, but if you want to take your emotional support animal, you can expect to pay nothing.
Reply With Quote