Southwest: New rules for animals
Southwest Airlines has become the latest big airline to tighten policies on service and emotional support animals.
The carrier said its “update” would take effect Sept. 17 and would “provide clearer guidelines” to customers.
Southwest says emotional support animals will be: only dogs and cats; one per customer; required to “remain in a carrier or be on a leash at all times.”
The airline says passengers traveling with emotional support animals must still present a letter from a medical doctor or licensed mental health professional on the day of departure.
For service animals, Southwest says it will accept “only the most common service animals – dogs, cats, and miniature horses.” The Americans with Disabilities Act includes a provision about the use of miniature horses as service animals, though it’s unclear how an airline might accommodate a passenger requesting to bring one on a flight.
Southwest also said it would do more to recognize fully trained psychiatric support animals.
Southwest notes that PSAs “are individually trained to perform a task or work for a person with a mental health-related disability. A credible verbal assurance will be sufficient to travel with a PSA,” though Southwest adds “all emotional support and service animals must be trained to behave in a public setting and must be under the control of the handler at all times.”