Emotional support animals that can be taken on planes:

1) Dogs
2) Cats
3) Birds
4) Monkeys

All reptiles must be in a cage. These animals require zero training and you cannot discriminate (for example, no pit bulls).

That is freaking awesome, didn't have a clue. Im taking a bird with me next time.

Glad to hear these

Yet when one tries to have a few emotional support drinks before a flight, he risks being denied boarding. Seems so unfair!!!

I dunno, personally I'd be pretty happy if the person next to me had a cute puppy / cat with them.

The flight attendant made me take my 13" macbook out of the seat pocket and put it on the floor. That's unsafe apparently. Much better to have a slick computer sliding around on the floor.

But a large cat that was apparently bred from Indian leopards (Bengal), sitting on the lap. That's ok.

What I posted were just the rules for Southwest Airlines. Other airlines do allow pigs and miniature horses.


http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/16/bu...anes.html?_r=0

***Classifying animals as emotional support animals has long been permitted under antidiscrimination laws, allowing owners to take them into restaurants and shops or to residential buildings that have no-pet policies.

For that matter, so would have a cat, a monkey, a miniature horse or even a potbellied pig, if they were certified. The Air Carrier Access Act allowed for emotional support animals to be taken on planes, broadening the American Disabilities Act, which recognized service animals in public places, said Robert Farr of the Pacific A.D.A. Center.***

How is a support monkey possibly justified?

Don't monkeys get enjoyment out of harassing people and causing mischief?

I can't even imagine the chaotic scene of a "support monkey" deciding to jump around the plane and **** with people/ fight crew.

I disagree with the information below. Any medical professional can prescribe an emotional support animal. Just like any medical professional can prescribe anti-depressants.


https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...rowing-problem

***The Air Carrier Access Act

My daughter’s friend who snagged a free trip to Asia for her dog did so under the auspices of a different federal agency–the Department of Transportation. The DOT regulations differ from the Americans with Disabilities Act in several important respects. First, unlike the ADA, the Air Carrier Access Act gives legal standing to animals whose sole function is to provide emotional support. This means that, unlike service dogs, emotional support animals are not required to be trained to perform specific tasks. It’s enough that they are necessary for your psychological wellbeing. Thus your lovable pet puppy may well be entitled to free air travel if she helps you get through your day.

But don’t get too excited just yet. In some ways, the rules for emotional support animals are more rigorous than for service dogs. That’s because the feds have given airlines considerable flexibility in what is required of passengers who claim they need to be in the company of their emotional support animal.

Take Delta Airlines. If you claim to need four-legged emotional support to stave off a panic attack on your next flight, you will need to provide the airline with a signed letter from a “licensed mental health professional” (your family doctor will not do the trick). The letter must include the professional’s address and phone number, and it must state that you have a disorder listed in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. Further, you have to be under active treatment for your disorder by this “mental health professional.” The good news is that this letter, however, will allow your pet to accompany you in the cabin of the plane for free for a year.

The AACA differs from the ADA in another respect as well. Emotional support animals are not restricted to dogs. So if it is okay with the airline, you can bring your iguana along on the ride to calm your jangled nerves. I would advise, however, against becoming psychologically dependent on a Great Dane; emotional support animals flying on Delta are required to fit under their owner’s seat.***

You are responsible for being in control of your emotional support animal and can be held liable for any of their actions. They are not pets.

I am just imagining an entire plane full of people and their pets in a few years. Cats, dogs, monkeys, barking and hissing at each other, jumping on seats, flight crew frantically trying to restore order.

Someone needs to make a new Airplane movie involving this concept.

Nah, you're thinking of DudeImBetter.

This is the only letter you need. And, ironically, you could be faced with a discrimination lawsuit for asking to see this letter.

[Date]

To Whom It May Concern:
[Full Name of Patient] is my patient and has been under my care since [date]. I am intimately familiar with his/her history and with the functional limitations imposed by his/her emotional/mental health-related issue.

Due to this emotional disability, [patient first name] has certain limitations coping with what would otherwise be considered normal, but significant day to day situations. To help alleviate these challenges and to enhance his/her day to day functionality, I have prescribed [patient first name] an emotional support animal. The presence of this animal is necessary for the emotional/mental health of [patient name] because its presence will mitigate the symptoms he/she is currently experiencing.

Sincerely,

(Physician’s name and title)

Here is one specific for airlines Air Carrier Access Act. I don't think it is necessary. A general letter should suffice.


[Date]

To Whom It May Concern:
[Full Name of Tenant] is my patient, and has been under my care since [date]. I am intimately familiar with his/her history and with the functional limitations imposed by his/her emotional/mental related illness.

Due to this emotional/mental disability, [first name] has certain limitations related to [social interaction/coping with stress/anxiety, etc.]. In order to help alleviate these difficulties, and to enhance his/her ability to function independently, I have prescribed [first name] an emotional support animal. The presence of this animal is necessary for the emotional/mental health of [patient name] because its presence will mitigate the symptoms he/she is currently experiencing.

Please allow (patient's full name) to be accompanied by his/her emotional support animal in the cabin of the aircraft, in accordance with the Air Carrier Access Act (49 U.S.C. 41705 and 14 C.F.R. 382).

I am licensed by the state of (state) to practice (medicine/psychiatry/therapy--choose applicable). My license number is (license number).

Sincerely,

(Physician’s name and title)

If this is indeed a requirement, I can tell you from personal experience that the requirement has been overlooked. I've had full sized dogs on my plane a few times.

The whole "emotional support" angle seems to me to be a subversion of the ADA. Basically, people have found a loophole. If you are really so emotionally fragile that you need a pet with you to be able to cope, perhaps you shouldn't be on public transportation to begin with.

I just know from my observation of the people I've seen bringing dogs on board that they're simply scamming the system. It's a travesty. And, as I mentioned before, where is the concern for the seatmate who may be emotionally disturbed by your pet, or even be allergic? No thought given to that, because it's "me, me, me" in modern society.

I know of an instance recently on one of our flights (related to me by one of the pilots on it) that two support dogs in first class both took dumps. Neither owner did a thing about it.

And, btw, they most certainly are pets.

You might think they are pets, but according to the law they certainly are not. My issue is that 1) You cannot ask for verification and, 2) It may not even be limited to one animal. You can, theoretically, be "prescribed" a dog, cat, bird and monkey.

https://www.animallaw.info/article/f...upport-animals


***1. What is an emotional support animal and what are the requirements to obtain one?

An emotional support animal is not a pet. An emotional support animal is a companion animal that provides therapeutic benefit to an individual with a mental or psychiatric disability. The person seeking the emotional support animal must have a verifiable disability (the reason cannot just be a need for companionship). The animal is viewed as a "reasonable accommodation" under the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 (the FHA) to those housing communities that have a "no pets" rule. In other words, just as a wheelchair provides a person with a physical limitation the equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling, an emotional support animal provides a person with a mental or psychiatric disability the same opportunity to live independently. Most times, an emotional support animal will be seen as a reasonable accommodation for a person with such a disability. Failure to make reasonable accommodations by changing rules or policies can be a violation of the FHA unless the accommodation would be an undue financial burden on the landlord or cause a fundamental alteration to the premises.

To qualify, a person must meet the federal definition of disability and must have a note from a physician or other medical professional stating that a person has a disability and that the reasonable accommodation (here, the emotional support animal) provides benefit for the individual with the disability. The emotional support animal alleviates or mitigates some of the symptoms of the disability. No specific training of the animal is required.***

Regardless of what the law says, they are pets and the owners have found a way to indulge their narcissism. I know someone who has exercised this loophole. He brings his dog with him to the poker room all the time and he has acknowledged to me that he's scamming the system. You can't honestly think that's a rare circumstance.

Let's put this line of discussion to bed. Feel free to start a thread about it if you wish.

Regarding the weight saving stuff, here's an article from the New Yorker about how first-class cabins are designed:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...ame-of-thrones

An interesting quote about entertainment screens:

Done. I was on an airplane this past weekend and I saw two obvious support dogs. I was thinking what the hell have I done (will put that in another thread) and why do they get that benefit and not me.

I would guess 95%+ are scammers. Small portion that truly needs a bird to function in society.

LOL!!. Agree with the number.

I know you don't fly the 'bus, but I bet you've got the answer to this:

On the A320 and similar, right before pushback there is a repeated "ratcheting" sound that you hear. Almost like something is being torqued down. My best guess has something to do with really closing up the baggage doors or something, but I'm prepared to be laughably wrong.

I think you're right. Since I don't fly that plane, I just went to our Flight Ops web page to download the operating manual for the plane, and I've confirmed that the cargo doors are operated hydraulically.

So pro. It's a pain to look stuff up in the owners manual for my car. Something tells me the operating manual for a passenger jet doesn't fit in the glove compartment

Thanks!