U.S. seeks to tighten rules for service animals on airplanes

The days of passengers bringing rabbits, turtles and birds on planes as emotional-support animals could be ending.

The U.S. Transportation Department on Wednesday announced plans to tighten rules around service animals, the biggest change being that only dogs could qualify.

Airlines say the number of support animals has been growing dramatically in recent years, and they have lobbied to tighten the rules. They also imposed their own restrictions in response to passengers who show up at airports with pigs, pheasants, turkeys, snakes and other unusual pets.

“This is a wonderful step in the right direction for people like myself who are dependent on and reliant on legitimate service animals that perform a task to mitigate our disability,” said Albert Rizzi, founder of My Blind Spot, which advocates for accessibility for people of different ability levels.

The U.S. airline industry trade group praised the tighter rules.

Industry officials believe that hundreds of thousands of passengers scam the system each year by claiming they need their pets for emotional support. Those people avoid airline pet fees, which are generally more than $100 each way.

“Airlines want all passengers and crew to have a safe and comfortable flying experience, and we are confident the proposed rule will go a long way in ensuring a safer and healthier experience for everyone,” said Nicholas Calio, president of Airlines for America.

Flight attendants also had pushed to rein in support animals, and were pleased with Wednesday’s proposed changes.

Veterans groups have sided with the airlines, arguing that a boom in untrained dogs and other animals threatens their ability to fly with properly trained service dogs.

Southwest Airlines handles more than 190,000 emotional-support animals per year. American Airlines carried 155,790 emotional support animals in 2017, up 48% from 2016, while the number of checked pets dropped 17%. United Airlines carried 76,000 comfort animals in 2017.

The public will have 60 days to comment on the proposed changes, which could take effect any time after that.

A service dog named Orlando rests on the foot of its trainer, John Reddan, inside a United Airlines plane at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey as part of a training exercise sponsored by the Seeing Eye puppy program.