Airlines for America (A4A) officials said the organization supports the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) revision of its Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) regulations regarding service animal air transport.
The USDOT received more than 15,000 comments on the notice of proposed rulemaking. The final rule addressed concerns raised by individuals with disabilities, airlines, flight attendants, airports, other aviation transportation stakeholders, and other members of the public regarding service animals on aircraft.
The new rule, per the USDOT, primarily defines a service animal as a dog individually trained to do work or perform tasks to benefit a person with a disability. Additionally, the rule no longer considers an emotional support animal (ESA) to be a service animal and requires airlines to treat psychiatric service animals the same as other service animals.
“Airlines are committed to promoting accessibility for passengers with disabilities and ensuring their safe travel,” A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio said. “The Department of Transportation’s final rule will protect the traveling public and airline crewmembers from untrained animals in the cabin, as well as improve air travel accessibility for passengers with disabilities that travel with trained service dogs.”
According to A4A, the number of passengers on domestic airlines traveling with ESAs in the cabin has risen, contributing to increased incidents caused by ESAs. The misbehavior of some ESAs has ranged from mauling and biting to urinating and defecating.
The USDOT’s final rules, the A4A maintains, will facilitate a safer travel experience for qualified individuals with a disability who need to travel with a service animal while preventing service animal-related fraud and abuse jeopardizing health and safety in the cabin.