Airlines cannot bar certain dog breeds
A month after a flight attendant was bitten by an emotional support animal, the U.S. Department of Transportation told the airline industry Thursday 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 longrunning saga over emotional support animals. An increasing number of airplane passengers have been bringing animals, some quite exotic, contending 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.
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 Atlantabased carrier to reconsider the ban.
Such a restriction appears to violate the latest guidance by the Department of Transportation.
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.”