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Delta Air to tighten onboard emotional support animal requirement

Last activity 19 February 2018 by cratedivision

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kohlerias

Since many questions are asked on this forum regarding animal transportation, I  thought I would add this article today.
I wouldn't be surprised that other airlines if others follow suit.

"Delta Air Lines is tightening the requirements for passengers traveling with on board service and emotional support animals, the carrier said on Friday, following a sharp uptick in animal-related safety issues over the last several years.

Effective March 1, Delta, the second largest U.S. airline by passenger traffic, said it will require passengers seeking to fly with pets to present additional documents outlining passenger's need for the animal and proof of the animal's training and vaccinations, 48 hours prior to the scheduled flight.

This comes in response to what the carrier said was a 150 percent increase in the number of service and support animals carried onboard since 2015.

Alongside that increase has been an 84 percent spike in the number of reported animal incidents since 2016, including urination and/or defecation, biting, and a high-profile 2017 mauling of a passenger by a 70-pound emotional support dog.

"The rise in serious incidents involving animals in flight leads us to believe that the lack of regulation in both health and training screening for these animals is creating unsafe conditions across U.S. air travel," John Laughter - senior vice president of corporate safety, security and compliance - said in a statement.

Under federal law, service animals are permitted to fly in-cabin with their owners, provided they do not pose a threat to the health and safety of others.
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kohlerias

Another link to Delta, and what is not going to be acepted with additional  information.

Good for them!

samramon

Yes. I am all for emotional support animals but I also am allergic to cats and dogs and there are other negatives involving animals on flights. I really think allowing them on flights should be extremely limited.

kohlerias

My complaint is with those who claim that they require their pets as  'emotional support animals', when they are clearly not.
Especially when providing  instructions on 'how to do it' solely to avoid paying the fees for transporting their pet, which many admit to.
Bring as many pets as you can afford...

cratedivision

Totally in agreement with kohlerias.......I travel two or three times a year with my 10lb. dog and he has to stay in a soft crate squished underneath the seat and is not allowed out under any condition.  The paperwork we do in order to bring him with us is UNBELIEVABLE and the cost just keeps going up.   We travel back and forth from Canada and were not aware of these "emotional support" dogs until we started asking questions and nine times out of ten, we were told "just go online and fill out the forms - it's easy" and "costs nothing".......That really annoys me.  I am jumping through hoops and barrels and paying through the nose to bring a tiny little dog with us and here is someone else with a huge lab taking up space is allowed to just get on the plane for nothing.
Oh no - don't get me started......What about the poor people that truly need their dogs for emotional support (likely few and far between).  In Canada, you need to have a tending physician (psychiatrist) to sign the documents stating you need the dog for emotional support, not just some online survey.  I am just waiting on all the airlines stating no more dogs/cats in the cabins and to be perfectly honest, it's probably best.  Sad for us, but everyone should think about how their own personal actions affect other people - just not happening in our society any longer.

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