Jeff Flock of FOX Business on how airports and airlines are handling the latest coronavirus travel guidelines.
Southwest Airlines will ban emotional support animals on all flights from March 1, according to a new final rule issued by the Department of Transportation in December.
AMERICAN AIRLINES TO PROHIBIT EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS IN FLIGHT
According to Southwest senior vice president of operations and hospitality, Steve Goldberg, the move will allow the company to “address a number of concerns raised by the public and airline employees regarding the transportation of untrained animals in aircraft cabins” .
Southwest customers can still travel with their cat or dog as part of the airline’s existing pet program for a fee of $ 95 per way, per pet carrier. However, animals must meet all applicable requirements for stowage in the cabin.
Customers with existing reservations for travel with animals not accepted after February 28th should contact Southwest for more information and assistance.
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In addition, Southwest will limit service animals on flights to dogs that are individually trained to work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. The DOT rule allows airlines to require a service animal to fit in their attendant’s feet on the plane and to order the animal to be harnessed, trapped or tied at all times on the plane and inside the airport during the journey.
ARCHIVE- In this April 1, 2017 archive photo, a service dog named Orlando rests on the feet of his trainer, John Reddan, of Warwick, NY, while sitting inside a United Airlines plane at Newark Liberty International Airport during a training exercise in N
As a result, customers traveling with trained service dogs must now submit a complete and accurate DOT Service Animal Transport Form at the gate or ticket on the day of travel to confirm the health, behavior and training of a service animal.
The form, which must be completed after booking the trip, is available both online on the Southwest website and in person at airport agencies. Customers must provide the form at check-in at the ticket counter or at the departure desk or up to 48 hours before the travel date if the reservation is made before that time.
| Ticker | Safety | Last | change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LUV | SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO. | 45.62 | -1.77 | -3.73% |
| AAL | AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC. | 15.43 | -0.39 | -2.47% |
| ALK | ALASKA AIR GROUP | 52.90 | -1.57 | -2.88% |
Southwest is the latest airline to make changes to align with the Department of Transportation’s new regulations, following similar announcements from competitors American Airlines earlier this month and Alaska Airlines last month.
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The Department of Transportation was asked to revise its rules in part because passengers carrying unusual animals on board “have eroded public trust in legitimate service animals”. He also cited the increasing frequency of people “fraudulently representing their pets as service animals” and an increase in the inappropriate behavior of emotional support animals, ranging from peeing on the carpet to biting other passengers.
The Department of Transportation proposed the new rule in January 2019 and received more than 15,000 comments. While 3,000 commentators advocated abandoning protections for support animals, 6,000 spoke in favor of them, including people suffering from depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, the department said.
Fox News Janine Puhak and the Associated Press contributed to this report