Emotional Support Animals may no longer fly in Airplane cabins

Only trained service dogs are allowed to accompany their owners

The U.S. Department of Transportation has issued a ban on emotional support animals of any kind accompanying their owners inside the cabin of a U.S. flight, and the only service animals allowed to board alongside their owners must be trained dogs.

In a new set of rules announced Wednesday for the Air Carrier Access Act, the DOT now “defines a service animal as a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability,” and “no longer considers an emotional support animal to be a service animal.” Psychiatric service dogs are still allowed to fly.

The agency noted that it “received more than 15,000 comments on the notice of proposed rulemaking,” which purportedly “addresses concerns raised by individuals with disabilities, airlines, flight attendants, airports, other aviation transportation stakeholders, and other members of the public, regarding service animals on aircraft.”

Politico pointed out that the changes were “issued following a litany of complaints from airlines and flight attendants alike about people bringing unusual animals — including pigs, gerbils, turtles and birds, among others — on board that they claimed were for emotional support.”

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