Private air travel has skyrocketed since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. Grady Trimble from Fox Business with more.
While some of the major airlines have cracked down on emotional support animals, most pet owners are willing to pay dearly for their animal companions – whether they provide emotional support or not.
According to a new consumer survey by Value Penguin, 80% of pet owners say they would pay more money to secure a seat in the pet’s cabin than in the cargo hold.
One in five respondents went so far as to say that they would be willing to shell out more than $ 300 to put their pet on a plane, while nearly two out of five said they would be willing to spend more than $ 100.
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Meanwhile, 22% said they would spend less than $ 100 to ensure that their pet has a seat on the plane.
Most pet owners are willing to pay dearly for their animal companions, according to a survey by Value Penguin. (iStock)
Of those who support pets on airplanes, 24% told Value Penguin that they would do their best to avoid an airline that has restrictive pet policies.
While not all travelers are fans of emotional support animals and pets on commercial flights, most believe that exceptions can be made when there is a legitimate need.
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Thirty-three percent of survey respondents said they think a limited selection of animals should be allowed on airplanes, while 31% said they think animals should be left on a flight if the passenger has a “valid reason”
Another 20% said they think pets should be allowed on an airplane without restrictions, but also note that there must be clear rules and guidelines in place.
13% of consumers think that people who want to bring animals on a flight should overpay for the ticket.
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Value Penguin’s research comes three months after the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that emotional support animals would no longer be considered service animals under the Airline Access Act, which removes federal protection for animals that do not perform a task .
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a service animal is defined as a dog that has been individually trained to work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability, and the “tasks performed by the dog must be directly related to the person’s disability. . ”
Service animals perform a task that is directly related to a person’s disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. (iStock)
Dogs and other animals that provide only comfort or emotional support do not meet the requirements of the ADA. Without the same recognition as their service animal counterparts, emotional support animals are not allowed in government facilities or companies that cater to the public, including commercial airlines.
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Shortly after the Department of Transportation’s announcement, several airlines updated previous boarding policies to exclude emotionally supportive animals, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, Frontier and Alaska Airlines.
In recent years, some airline passengers have made headlines for trying to bring unconventional emotional support animals on flights, from birds, hamsters, pigs, horses and more.
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These strange cases may be the reason why 34% of consumers told Value Penguin that they support banning emotional support animals on flights, although they feel bad because people who are really in need can be harmed by the policy.