Is it true your dog can be considered a "companion animal" if you have high anxiety when flying?

Question

My wife suffers from extreme anxiety when flying. One thing that helps is flying with our dog. This can be an troublesome and expensive addition to the travel arrangements (United charges $85 for a small dog each way). We've recently heard that your dog can be considered a companion animal and you don't have to pay the fee and you are allowed to take it out of the carrier and hold it while in flight. Is this an urban legend or is this true? It would definitely make our weekend travel plans more tolerable if it is. Does anyone know if we need a doctor's note or something for this privilage?

Answer 1

Companin Animal is nothing but a fancy term for PET. Pets ARE NOT entitled to special prividleges when flying, nor are they covered under the Americians with Disablites Act (ADA).

Service Animals (most commonly dogs, but not always) are any animal **INDIVIDUALLY** (key word here) trained to assist a person with a disability.

Your dog, having no specific traning to assit with a disability, does not qualify as a Service Animal. Passing an animal off as a Service Animal when it isn't one is a federal offense punishable by heavy fines and possible jail time.

While Service Animals travel in the cabin for free, handlers must provide a health certificate for the animal. Also, the gate agent or FA has the final determination on whether or not the animal makes it onto the plane. They are allowed to ask what the animal is trained to do and can deny an animal based on poor behavior in the gate area.

Most airlines require that the animal remain on the cabin floor. Some airlines will allow the passenger to hold the animal on their lap as long as the animal is no bigger than a lap child.

Service Animals can not occupy an exit row, nor can they protrude into the foot space of another passenger. They can not protrude into the asile either.

Emotional Support Animals are the 'new thing' right now. ESAs are allowed to travel in the cabin like a Service Animal, HOWEVER, handlers are REQUIRED to have a letter of necessity from the handler's doctor or mental health provider. ESAs are not considered Service Animals as they are not individually trained to assist a person with a disability. Public buildings (resturants, cabs, buses, hospitals, hotels, etc) are allowed to deny entrance to ESAs.

Every ESA I've encountered (and there have been several) have been mean, nasty little things that disrupt everything around them with their poor behavior.

Your wife should talk to her doctor about what her best options are for her anxiety. Most anxiety can be treated with medications, espically if it's only in certian circumstances such as flying. ESAs are usually used for people who have severe anxiety and can not leave the house on their own.

There are many things you need to consider when flying with a Service Animal or ESA. Feeding schedules must be altered, some animals get nervous or frightened by the noise on the plane and must take sediatives. The handler must have proper medical documents for the animal and themselves if necessary. 'Elimination' needs (potty needs) must be taken into consideration. (Most airports do not have a convient place or Service Animals to eliminate, especially beyond security) Security screening takes twice as long and most TSA screeners do not know the proper protocol.

I have a Service Dog who I take with me when I travel. It is so much eaiser when I travel without him than when I travel with him. Traveling with him means security takes twice as long, I have to find a sutible place for him to potty, I can't check in using a kisok or online because my ticket require 'special handling', I can't feed him the night before or the morning of our flight and he can't have any water for 4-6 hours before the flight, I have to pay for a vet visit and health certificate, I have to deal with ignorant passengers who want to pet my dog or visit with him. The list goes on and on.

Answer 2

Talk to the airlines and ask what their policy is for service animals. You will probably need a note from your doctor in order to prove that the dog is a service dog, but if you don't have to pay to have a service dog on board the plane you don't have to pay. In your case with the extreme anxiety and the proof of the calming effect your pet has, I don't think you should have any trouble getting this pup to fly!

Just a bit more to clear the matter...

Q: What is a service animal?

A: The ADA defines a service animal as any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability (severe anxiety is a disability). If they meet this definition, animals are considered service animals under the ADA regardless of whether they have been licensed or certified by a state or local government.

Also you will NOT get a first class ticket for you and your dog by bringing them in with no documentation. IGNORE the 3rd posting, some people just can't help but be rude. Not quite sure what the Freedom of Information Act(5 USC 122) has to do with your companion animal. The FAA rule (122.31 29) that they referenced is regarding a fine for failure to provide advance notice for a private plane. Some people just pull things out of the air.

Answer 3

You have the right to a companion animal.

Any animal can be a "companion animal" and will be able to fly on the plane with you without being in a crate. Naturally, there are some restrictions for size like a horse cannot be with you. There are also considerations for other passengers so your pet anaconda would not be allowed. Smaller animals like a pig or dogs or cats are allowed without being in a crate.

It is entirely free. Just show up at the airport with your ticket and your pet. You do not need a certificate of any kind but you just have to state to the agent that the animal is your companion animal and under the rules of FAA 122.3129 you are invoking the priviledge. You will be given a complimentary first class upgrade automatically under this FAA ruling and your companion animal will get the seat next to you.

Happy flying.

Answer 4

In the US, almost all airlines require the animal to be a registered service animal. This is usually done through a state registry. A note from a doctor is not enough to qualify, and even as a registered service animal there is often a fee to bring the animal on board. The animal needs to be registered to prove that it is capable of being in stressful situations without being distracted, and able to remain calm. Service animals get special training for this.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

true dog considered companion animal high anxiety flying