Another airline tightens leash on support animals

Travelers flying with American Airlines will need to leave their emotional support tarantulas at home under a revised policy announced Monday that's meant to rein in the surging number of support animals being brought onboard planes.

The changes won't affect the Fort Worth-based carrier's existing policy around trained service animals that assist people with disabilities.

Instead, they'll target a broader group of animals that provide emotional or psychiatric support for travelers. While there are a number of legitimate purposes for these animals, U.S. airlines said they've seen a rise in people classifying their pets as emotional support animals.

The designation entitles the animal — whether a dog, cat or something more exotic — to fly with its handler in the cabin at no additional charge, compared with typical fees of a few hundred dollars to transport an animal in the cargo hold, leading to concerns that some travelers are taking advantage of the system.

The spike in support animals being brought onboard — American said the number increased 40 percent from 2016 to 2017 — has prompted airlines including United and Delta to update their policies in recent months.

“We're tightening things down a little bit; as you know we've had some incidents in the past on our aircraft,” said Suzanne Boda, a senior vice president at American Airlines. “We want to make sure the safety of everyone, including service animals, is protected.”

Under American's updated policy, effective July 1, more than a dozen categories of animals will be prohibited from being classified as support animals, including amphibians, ferrets, goats, reptiles, insects, spiders and waterfowl.

It also clarifies expectations around animal behavior, warning travelers that animals won't be permitted in the cabin if they're disruptive and can't be controlled, including growling, attempting to bite or jumping at people.

The company plans to strictly enforce its existing requirement that owners traveling with emotional support animals notify the airline and provide the necessary documentation at least 48 hours before their flight.

American's customer service agents will be getting additional training on what to look for and how to deal with people planning to bring animals onboard their flights.

“It is a very delicate situation, and we want people to have the tools to be able to do their jobs,” Boda said.