Airline Requirements for Pet Travel (Other Than ESA Travel Letter)
Flying with your emotional support dog or cat is allowed if you have a valid ESA travel letter. Along with that, you need to consider various things and comply with some airline requirements. What’re those requirements? Well, these may depend from airline to airline.
To have a pleasant, safe journey, make sure you have read all the regulations of the airline before boarding. In this post, we will discuss the rules for pet air travel by major airlines.
Flying with an ESA — Requirements by Major Airlines
American Airlines- To fly with your emotional support dog in the cabin, you must provide proper documentation, such as an ESA travel letter signed by a licensed mental health professional. The letter must be dated within one year of the travel date. They allow one ESA per traveler, and it must be a dog or cat of 4 months or older.
The emotional support animal can’t occupy a seat and eat from tray tables. Additionally, it should be properly trained to behave in the public, and in the case of any disruptive behavior, it won’t be permitted in the cabin.
Forms required to submit for air travel with an ESA-
- Veterinary health form
- Medical/mental health professional form
- Confirmation of animal behavior form
Delta- Delta Airlines recommends passengers interested in traveling with their ESAs to notify about the animal travel when booking reservations. The animals are required to stay on the floor beside the passengers’ seats, and no animal is allowed to occupy any seat.
For flying with an emotional support dog in Delta Airlines, you must submit documentation, which must be on a letterhead of a licensed mental health professional. The documentation must be not-more-than one year old and must contain — title, address, license number of the therapist, state/county it was issued, contact number and signature of the therapist.
In case passengers encounter any issue while traveling with ESAs, they can speak to the Complaint Resolution Office (CRO) at 1 (800) 221–1212.
United Airlines- Passengers with a disability within the meaning of the Department of Transportation Rules (Part 382) can fly with their ESAs. They need to submit 3 forms — from a licensed medical or mental health practitioner, passenger confirmation of liability and ESA behavior, and a veterinary health form.
These forms are valid for 1 year from the date they’re issued, and the passenger must submit to the airline 48 hours before the trip. Animals must be properly controlled. If the ESA is in a kennel or other carrier, it must fit under the seat. Only one ESA per passenger is allowed, and it shouldn’t weigh more than 65 pounds.
JetBlue- For traveling with an ESA, you must notify the airline regarding this, and provide an emotional support animal letter for flying 48 hours prior to the departure. JetBlue allows only dogs, cats, and miniature horses as ESAs, and they can’t occupy the seats.
For adding an ESA to your reservation, you can call 1–800-JETBLUE (538–2583).
Southwest Airlines- Southwest Airlines allows passengers to fly with their ESAs to/from all domestic and international destinations except Jamaica. A traveler must submit their ESA travel letter, which shouldn’t be more than 1 year old, and must be signed by a licensed mental health professional.
The passenger’s mental or emotional disability must be recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders — Fourth Edition.
The conclusion is — air travel with an emotional support animal is allowed as per the Air Carrier Access Act. Different airlines have different regulations for ESA travel. One common among them is that you must submit an ESA travel letter 48 hours prior to the departure. The letter must be signed by a licensed mental health professional, which shows that you’re under his/her care.
Always read the rules and regulations of your airline regarding ESA travel to avoid any problem.
