Rules For Service Animals On Planes

Updated to Include the DOTs Latest Rules for 2021 and Beyond.

Rules for service animals on planes. Big changes for passengers flying with service and emotional support animals will go into effect at the end of December after the Department of Transportation released updated rules for the Air Carrier Access Act ACAA this week. You can read all the details here but here are some key points to keep in mind if youre planning on flying on a commercial flight with a service animal emotional support animal or pet. Service animals are not pets.

Certain small service animals may be permitted to sit on your lap if it can be done so safely. Airlines can require people with a service dog to turn in paperwork up to 48 hours before a flight but they cant bar those travelers from checking in online like other passengers. The only animal airlines will be required to allow onboard are dogs and only dogs that are considered service animals that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit.

Most airlines will allow passengers to bring their registered service animals to assist passengers during travel and Air Canada is no exception. Air Canada Service Animal Policies. Your service animal cannot block a space that must remain unobstructed for safety reasons ex.

Priority will be placed on ensuring that the most commonly recognized service animals dogs cats and miniature horses are accepted for transport. Trained service animals and confirmed emotional support animals may ride in the customers lap for all phases of the flight including ground movement take off and landing provided the trained animal is no larger than a lap held child under 2 years of age. 2 2020 351 pm.

Animals under 4 months of age may not travel as a service animal. The Department of Transportation is considering overhauling current rules for service animals on planes including allowing airlines to prohibit those used for emotional support. The proposed changes announced on Wednesday include only allowing specially trained service dogs to qualify as service animals which ride for free in a planes cabin.

Department of Transportations new rules regarding service animals and emotional support animals on airplanes goes into effect January 11 2021. The new rules require airlines to treat psychiatric service animals the same as other service animals. Emotional support animals will no longer qualify as service animals for plane flight according to the rule but psychiatric service animals will.