I had to pay to fly dog home after new rule

QMy wife and I have been in the United States for a month due to a death in the family. My wife has an emotional support animal, a labrador, which British Airways permitted to fly in the cabin with documentation confirming that it was a trained service dog.

On the journey to New York, my wife’s labrador sat with us in Premium Economy. However, BA has refused to accept the dog for the return flight.

The airline says this is due to a change in regulations. On Dec 10, the US Department of Transportation ruled that emotional support animals would no longer be recognised as service animals after Jan 10. However, most carriers said they would honour existing bookings.

A few days before we were due to fly back to the UK, I fell ill and took a Covid-19 test as a precaution. In case it was positive, we decided to delay our return trip and reschedule our flights. When we contacted BA to reconfirm the dog’s travel arrangements, an agent said our amended tickets constituted a new booking and my wife would no longer be allowed to take her dog on board.

We are now faced with having to fly the dog home as cargo, at a cost of £1,150, not to mention the effect on my wife’s health condition. Can you help?

– David Atkinson

AThe US Department of Transportation issued this ruling after complaints from airlines about customers bringing badly behaved pets on flights.

Passengers would obtain a letter from a mental health professional, saying they needed the animal for emotional support, and then turn up with aggressive dogs, cats and even turkeys.

The new ruling affects all airlines flying into and out of the US. Only trained assistance dogs, used by passengers with physical and psychiatric disabilities, can travel in the cabin.

However, I thought BA was wrong to say your amended ticket was a new booking. It has the same six-letter reference as the original, so permission to take your dog on board should not have been withdrawn. Your outbound flight also took place after the DoT ruling.

BA tells me its customer service agent made a mistake, for which it apologises, and has confirmed that your wife’s labrador will be allowed to travel in the cabin free of charge. Increasingly airlines are banning pets from the cabin, though some – including Iberia – allow small dogs, cats and birds on board. On BA, pets must travel in the pressurised cargo hold, for which there is a charge.