May 14, 2018, 12:35 pm
Last edit by: JDiver
The US Department if Transportation (the FAA’s parent agency) announced a new policy banning Emotional Support Animals (ESA) onboard December 2, 2020 (link). American Airlines has changed its policies to conform to the new USDOT / FAA policy as of 5 Jan 2021. Please see this thread for discussion.
For general discussion on the new FAA policy, please see the current thread in TravelBuzz:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travelbuzz/1733424-definitive-discussion-emotional-support-animals-airlines.html
AA policy for Emotional Support Animals (ESA) allowed onboard as of 1 July 2018. (“For tickets issued on or after July 1, 2018, emotional / psychiatric support animals must meet a set of enhanced requirements, detailed here.”)
Policies covering trained service animals used by people with visual or hearing impairments, seizures or mobility issues will not be affected.
Link to new policy on aa.com.
Link to forms required for Emotional or Psychiatruc Service Animals.
In part:
Emotional support and psychiatric service animals
Emotional support animals provide emotional, psychiatric or cognitive support for individuals with disabilities. Specific disability training isn’t required for animals to meet this classification.
Advance notice required
To travel with an emotional support and psychiatric service animal in the cabin, you must contact the Special Assistance Desk with all required documentation at least 48 hours before your flight.
Documentation validation will include American Airlines contacting your mental health professional.
Forms required for travel
Service animals
On flights over 8 hours, documentation is required stating your animal won’t need to relieve itself or can do so in a way that doesn’t create a health or sanitation issue.
Emotional support and psychiatric service animals
The emotional support and psychiatric service animal document packet contains instructions and 3 forms that are necessary for approval to fly:
Banned animals include Amphibians, Ferrets, Goats, Hedgehogs, Insects, Reptiles, Rodents, Snakes, Spiders, Sugar gliders, Non-household birds (farm poultry, waterfowl, game birds, & birds of prey), Animals with tusks, horns or hooves (excluding miniature horses properly trained as service animals), Any animal that is unclean / has an odor.
Forms and further information can be downloaded from or seen here.
Link to Chicago Tribune article
Link to Dallas News article
Link to blog article on One Mile at a Time
Source:
OMAAT)
Summary:
Summary:
Emotional Support Animals (ESA) are no longer Service Animals
The DOT is no longer categorizing emotional support animals as service animals. Service animals are being redefined, and have new restrictions:- Airlines may limit service animals to dogs, may limit each traveler to two service animals, and may require service animals to fit on their handler’s lap or within their handler’s foot space on the aircraft
- Service animals have to be “individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a qualified individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability”
- Airlines can require passengers to remit a completed hardcopy or electronic version of the DOT’s “Service Animal Air Transportation Form” as a condition of transport
Airlines can start charging for emotional support animals, and restrict them
The biggest implication of this policy change is that emotional support animals are now going to be categorized as pets, rather than service animals. What does this mean?- Airlines will be able to charge travelers for their ESAs, rather than having to allow them on for free
- Not just that, but airlines can apply their weight and size limits to ESAs going forward; for example, most US airlines only allow in-cabin pets weighing up to 20 pounds, so airlines could apply those restrictions
For general discussion on the new FAA policy, please see the current thread in TravelBuzz:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travelbuzz/1733424-definitive-discussion-emotional-support-animals-airlines.html
AA policy for Emotional Support Animals (ESA) allowed onboard as of 1 July 2018. (“For tickets issued on or after July 1, 2018, emotional / psychiatric support animals must meet a set of enhanced requirements, detailed here.”)
MODERATOR GUIDEPOST: This thread is strictly moderated and limited to practical discussion of new AA policies regarding psychiatric and emotional support animals and personal experiences on / relating to AA specifically. This is not the forum to discuss general flying animal issues (e.g. whether or not animals should be permitted in cabins, what constitutes a service animal or an emotional support animal, etc.
Posts with referrals to sites offering spurious ESA documents, discussion best suited to OMNI, attacks against members or those with ESA / PSA meeting the AA guidelines, among others, will be considered dilatory to this and will be subject to summary deletion.
Posts with referrals to sites offering spurious ESA documents, discussion best suited to OMNI, attacks against members or those with ESA / PSA meeting the AA guidelines, among others, will be considered dilatory to this and will be subject to summary deletion.
Link to new policy on aa.com.
Link to forms required for Emotional or Psychiatruc Service Animals.
In part:
Emotional support and psychiatric service animals
Emotional support animals provide emotional, psychiatric or cognitive support for individuals with disabilities. Specific disability training isn’t required for animals to meet this classification.
Advance notice required
To travel with an emotional support and psychiatric service animal in the cabin, you must contact the Special Assistance Desk with all required documentation at least 48 hours before your flight.
Documentation validation will include American Airlines contacting your mental health professional.
Forms required for travel
Service animals
On flights over 8 hours, documentation is required stating your animal won’t need to relieve itself or can do so in a way that doesn’t create a health or sanitation issue.
Emotional support and psychiatric service animals
The emotional support and psychiatric service animal document packet contains instructions and 3 forms that are necessary for approval to fly:
- Mental Health Professional Form
- Behavior Guidelines
- Animal Sanitation During 8+ Hours Form (only required if your flight is scheduled to be over 8 hours)
Banned animals include Amphibians, Ferrets, Goats, Hedgehogs, Insects, Reptiles, Rodents, Snakes, Spiders, Sugar gliders, Non-household birds (farm poultry, waterfowl, game birds, & birds of prey), Animals with tusks, horns or hooves (excluding miniature horses properly trained as service animals), Any animal that is unclean / has an odor.
Forms and further information can be downloaded from or seen here.
Link to Chicago Tribune article
Link to Dallas News article
Link to blog article on One Mile at a Time
ARCHIVE: AA Emotional Support Animal / ESA Policy established 2018 (obsolete)
May 15, 2018, 7:20 pm
#16
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^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Sounds like AA wants my business
Sounds like AA wants my business
May 17, 2018, 1:14 pm
#18
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https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...tance/pets.jsp
May 17, 2018, 1:52 pm
#19
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 6
How does AA handle scenarios where a passenger is allergic to a nearby emotional support animal? Apologies if that's been covered in a different thread.
Jun 14, 2018, 7:44 am
#20
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: DEN
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In one of the other threads (and in the news) it was reported that a pax who declared her allergy to the ESA next to her was offloaded and re-accommodated on another flight, and the pax with the ESA was allowed to continue on.
Mar 8, 2019, 12:20 pm
#21
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 1,285
Juat saw this https://www.businessinsider.com/american-airlines-bans-certain-puppies-kittens-emotional-support-animals-2019-3
Mar 8, 2019, 12:49 pm
#22
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You missed the important part of that article gateH15.
Your emotional support horse is still permitted. Life is good.
Your emotional support horse is still permitted. Life is good.
Jul 8, 2019, 9:49 am
#24
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 78
Though this thread hasn't been active, figured this was the place to post an observation: I took the post-flight survey sent by AA, and after questions relating to flight itself, I was asked if I would take a few moments to answer additional questions - what followed were numerous questions regarding service animals... as I recall, questions included had I ever been seated next to one on a flight, had I ever been threatened or attacked by one on a plane, would I be okay with limiting types and number of animals allowed, would it be fair to limit "emotional support" animals, etc. Found it interesting - not surprisingly, this issue is still very much up for consideration and adjustments.
Dec 3, 2020, 12:22 pm
#25
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Original Poster
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- The US Department if Transportation (the FAA’s parent agency) announced a new policy banning Emotional Support Animals (ESA) onboard December 2, 2020 (link). American Airlines is expected to change it’s policies to conform to the new USDOT / FAA policy.
- Source:OMAAT)
- Summary:
Emotional support animals are no longer service animals
- The DOT is no longer categorizing emotional support animals as service animals. Service animals are being redefined, and have new restrictions:
- Airlines may limit service animals to dogs, may limit each traveler to two service animals, and may require service animals to fit on their handler’s lap or within their handler’s foot space on the aircraft
- Service animals have to be “individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a qualified individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability”
- Airlines can require passengers to remit a completed hardcopy or electronic version of the DOT’s “Service Animal Air Transportation Form” as a condition of transport
Airlines can start charging for emotional support animals, and restrict them
- The biggest implication of this policy change is that emotional support animals are now going to be categorized as pets, rather than service animals. What does this mean?
- Airlines will be able to charge travelers for their ESAs, rather than having to allow them on for free
- Not just that, but airlines can apply their weight and size limits to ESAs going forward; for example, most US airlines only allow in-cabin pets weighing up to 20 pounds, so airlines could apply those restrictions
- As AA announced its new policy, we will discuss it in a new thread, now linked to in the Wikipost and last post. .
- For general discussion on the new FAA policy, please see the current thread in TravelBuzz:
- The Definitive Discussion of Emotional Support Animals on Airlines
- Moderator
Last edited by JDiver; Jan 5, 2021 at 8:03 pm Reason: Update
Dec 3, 2020, 1:38 pm
#26
Join Date: May 1998
Location: australia
Posts: 5,811
I weep for the peacocks
Last edited by 3544quebec; Dec 3, 2020 at 1:45 pm
Dec 3, 2020, 5:37 pm
#27
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,407
Just like churners look back on the citibank GrAAvy TrAAin days of countless credit card signup bonuses that have been largely curtailed, the ESA travelers will look back at this era of fond memories when they freely took their peacocks, pigs, horses and giant breed dogs along with them without paying a cent. Two close friends of mine will definitely have to change their pet setting arrangements from here on out LOL
Wonder how many peacocks accompanied their owners to overwater bungalows in Tahiti using both churning and ESA methods of scamming AA for free stuff LOL
Wonder how many peacocks accompanied their owners to overwater bungalows in Tahiti using both churning and ESA methods of scamming AA for free stuff LOL
Dec 3, 2020, 6:02 pm
#28
Join Date: Jun 2011
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As a health care professional I am glad people have realized this animal emotional support thing was being abused
Dec 3, 2020, 8:30 pm
#29
Join Date: Dec 2018
Programs: UA 1K, DL PM, AA Nobody, Marriott Ambassador Elite
Posts: 576
And thus one of the biggest scams in the history of air travel has come to an end. It was fun while it lasted, right? The fraudsters could travel with their pets for free, no matter how much other paying customers did not want to be around it.
I rode in F once next to a sight-impaired gentleman who had a well-behaved German Shepard seeing eye dog. That was a legitimate service animal and it did not bother me. However, the scam artists with their poodles...good riddance!
I rode in F once next to a sight-impaired gentleman who had a well-behaved German Shepard seeing eye dog. That was a legitimate service animal and it did not bother me. However, the scam artists with their poodles...good riddance!
Dec 3, 2020, 10:05 pm
#30
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