Restrictions proposed for service animals on planes

By Grace Brombach

Philadelphia — You’re settling into your seat on a plane flight when someone shows up with an animal—and maybe not something small like a dog but a horse or peacock. In recent years, the use and variety of service animals have exploded on plane flights across the country as space has shrunk.

While service animals are critical to help people with disabilities, the explosion of emotional support animals has created challenges for airlines. A new proposal from the U.S. Department of Transportation aims to ensure safe, efficient travel by no longer recognizing emotional support animals and defining service animals as dogs with specific training.

The growing variety of service animals has generated international attention. In 2018, a woman tried to board a flight at Newark Liberty International Airport with a peacock she described as an emotional support animal. She was denied.

Under a previous guidance, miniature horses made the cut. The new definition matches the guidelines provided by the Department of Justice under the American with Disabilities Act.

Without further guidance, individual airlines have developed their own programs to explain what kind of animals passengers could bring on board, including Delta and Alaska Airlines. Twenty two states also adopted regulations, creating a patchwork system filled with confusion.

Under the proposed guidance, if someone wants to bring a service animal on a flight to assist with physical or psychological disabilities, they will need to fill out a federal form confirming it has the necessary training to help. That means online companies that provide certificates, which have proliferated in recent years, will not meet the proposed standard.