Proposed rules could make flying with service animals more difficult

Would let airlines decide whether to allow emotional support animals on flights, require proof for service animals

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The U.S. Department of Transportation is proposing stricter regulations around service animals on flights. Specifically, the DOT is proposing amendments to its Air Carrier Access Act regulations on the transportation of service animals by air. 

The proposed new rules are open for public comment for 60 days before the agency makes an official decision.

NewsChannel 21 spoke Sunday with some people at Redmond Municipal Airport to hear their thoughts on the proposed ban.

Shannon Baker, who formerly worked with Alaska Airlines, said she once heard of a passenger hoping the airline would let his kangaroo on a flight.

"I think flying can be pretty stressful for people and cause a lot of anxiety,” Baker said. “I think there needs to be better guidelines or rules, like what constitutes a service animal."

Her daughter, Brooke Baker, agreed.

“Like a wild animal, how is that going to be an emotional support animal, compared to just like a cat or a dog?” Baker said. “(An animal) you have living in your home with you who actually does feel your emotions and know you, compared to getting a peacock that has -- no, they don't live in society with us."

The department has said in a statement it “recognizes the integral role” service animals provide for people with disabilities. However, it said the proposed changes could help prevent passengers from “falsely claiming their pets are service animals.”

Under the proposal, passengers with physical or psychological disabilities would be required to fill out a form to prove the animal they wish to bring aboard a flight has been trained to perform tasks that accommodate the person’s disability. 

Passengers who want to travel with animals can still do so under a carrier’s existing rules for bringing pets aboard. The proposed rules would leave it up to an airline to decide whether to allow an animal to fly for a passenger’s emotional support.

For more specific information on what’s included in the proposed ban, visit the U.S. Department of Transportation’s website.