US airlines tighten leash on ’emotional support animals’
Washington, (MILLAT ONLINE):Major US airlines are clipping the wings of “emotional support animals” hoping to take flight with their owners over safety concerns, as a would-be peacock passenger created a social media tizzy.
United Airlines — which this week turned Dexter the Peacock away at New Jersey’s Newark Airport over health and safety concerns — announced Thursday it was reining in regulations on emotional support animals, citing a 75 percent jump in customers taking creatures on board and a spike in related incidents.
Federal guidelines support the right of passengers with disabilities to board with a variety of emotional support or service animals, but airlines can deny boarding to some exotic or “unusual” pets.
“The Department of Transportation’s rules regarding emotional support animals are not working as they were intended, and we need to change our approach in order to ensure a safe and pleasant travel experience for all of our customers,” the airline said in a statement.
Queried by AFP, United spokesman Charlie Hobart said the peacock kerfuffle had “no relevance whatsoever” to the policy change, which will go into effect March 1, and the timing “was a complete coincidence.”
“We’ve been working on this policy for some time, well before this weekend’s incident with Dexter.”
He noted that the majestic bird with iridescent blue and green plumage was not allowed onboard under current policy, which prohibits from cabin travel for a menagerie including hedgehogs, rodents, non-household birds and “animals not properly cleaned or carrying a foul odor.”
United’s move follows Delta’s decision to implement new documentation requirements for owners hoping to fly with their animals, a new policy it said “comes as a lack of regulation that has led to serious safety risks involving untrained animals in flight.”