Alaska Airlines announced Tuesday that it will no longer allow passengers to bring emotional support animals on its plane for reservations made after Jan. 11. The airline is the first to ban emotional support animals following new guidelines from the United States Department of Transportation on what kind of animals animals should be allowed on passenger planes.
The new rules do not apply to dogs trained to perform specific tasks, such as guide dogs for people with visual impairments. But the rules apply to ’emotional support’ monkeys, peacocks, and snakes – all the things humans have actually tried to put on planes recent years.
As of January 11, 2021, Alaska will only transport service dogs specially trained to perform tasks on behalf of a qualified person with a disability, Alaska Airlines said in a statement posted. online.
The Department of Transportation released new rules in early December were celebrated by some people who complain that unscrupulous people had used “emotional support” as an excuse to bring their untrained and undisciplined pets on airplanes with no real need for it. But disability rights groups warn that the new restrictions could prevent people with disabilities from gaining equal access to the country’s transportation infrastructure.
“Again, in an almost systemic way, DOT has decided to prioritize the aviation industry and corporate interests over the rights conferred by law on people with disabilities,” said Curt Decker, executive director of the National Disability Rights Network. said in one statement earlier this month after the Department of Transportation issued its new guidelines.
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“While it is no secret that we are still a long way from a truly accessible transportation system in this country, the DOT rule will only exacerbate the existing disparities for people with disabilities who participate in air travel and instead almost exclude the to represent the interests of the airline. industry, ”continued Decker.
Alaska Airlines has announced that passengers are now required to complete an online form declaring that their animal is a “legitimate service dog” and is properly trained not to disrupt the flight.
Guests must complete a DOT form, which will be available on AlaskaAir.com beginning Jan. 11, certifying that their pet is a legitimate service dog, trained, vaccinated, and will behave appropriately during the trip. For reservations made more than 48 hours prior to travel, guests must submit the completed form by email. For reservations made less than 48 hours prior to travel, guests must personally submit the form to customer service upon arrival at the airport.
There are still many questions about what kind of animals will be allowed on board for passengers with psychiatric conditions and Alaska Airlines has not been very specific in that regard. We’ve contacted Alaska Airlines for clarification on the new rules and will update this post when we hear back.
Other US-based airlines have not yet announced changes to their official rules for service animals, but they are expected to follow suit soon.
“This regulatory change is welcome news as it will help us reduce nuisance on board while continuing to host our guests traveling with qualified service animals,” Ray Prentice, Alaska Airlines’ director of customer interests, said in a statement.