The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) regulation relating to the transportation of service animals by air has been revised to ban emotional support animals from flights, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).
The revisions, which include the check-in process and other restrictions, comes in an effort to “ensure the safe and accessible air transportation system.”
Say goodbye to emotional-support animals in airplane cabins https://t.co/YbfE0Wq5Yc
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) December 2, 2020
These changes come after more than 15,000 comments related to the proposals.
Despite no longer allowing emotional support animals on flights, the DOT will be allowing psychiatric service animals. (RELATED: Student Claims Spirit Airlines Forced Her To Drown ‘Emotional Support’ Hamster)
Those traveling with service animals will be required to provide documentation on the animal to the DOT at the departure gate.
The DOT goes on to say that airlines can restrict the number of service animals per person to two.
Under the latest revisions, service animals are restricted to dogs that are “individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability.”
Airlines will also not be permitted to refuse transportation based on a service animal’s breed.
The finalized rules will be put in place after 30 days from publication in the Federal Register.