Posted on 01/30/2020 8:33:21 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
The airline industry pushed for new rules to restrict emotional support animals, but advocates say such a major change is "discriminatory," "burdensome" and "unconscionable."
Jan. 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. airline industry is praising a move by federal regulators that would allow carriers to disqualify untrained "emotional support animals" as service animals -- a change that could lead to airlines charging travelers who bring along their pets.
Airlines are among the chief supporters of the proposed rule changes this month by the Department of Transportation. Federal officials began mulling the change over concerns from carriers, flight attendants, airports and some of the flying public about a rising number of passengers with emotional support animals, or ESAs -- that are taken aboard flights by way of a law intended for trained service animals, like guide dogs.
Under the Air Carrier Access Act, airlines are required to allow emotionally impaired travelers to bring a support animal at no added cost. In most cases, the only requirement is that a passenger produce documentation from health and veterinary professionals citing a need for the animal. Passengers without such records must pay to travel with their pets.
Those favoring the rule change argue that more passengers are taking advantage of what could be viewed as a loophole in the system -- and more types of animals are being claimed as an ESA. In recent years, ESA-documented passengers have boarded flights with dogs, cats, rabbits, miniature horses, Capuchin monkeys, snakes and peacocks, among others.
(Excerpt) Read more at upi.com ...
“miniature horses”
WTF ?!?
How about my emotional support Bat?
Where’s you get the dog?
That’s not a dog, it’s a pig.
Shut up, I’m talking to the pig.
Miniature horses and peacocks. What the heck?
I may be a minority opinion, but, if you are too fragile to get on an airplane without your emotional support peacock, maybe you are too fragile to get on an airplane in the first place.
Having been a frequent flyer with over 220,000 miles for 2018/19, I am all in favor of the new rules.
I had a gig going around the country teaching Microsoft Azure courses. I can’t even begin to tell you all the different animals I saw on board. I would have been happy with just a pig... Better than many people.
But exotic wild animal predators? Lions, tigers and bears. Just nope.
This is one door I’ll bet the airlines wished they had bolted shut. I have an air-headed niece who has her dog registered as a support animal just so she doesn’t have to part with it when she travels. I’ll swear our society gets stupider and stupider every day.
What about my emotional support mule?
Used to be that animals had to be caged and they flew in the baggage compartment. No exceptions. Somehow we managed. And so did the animals.
but advocates say such a major change is “discriminatory,”
Pretty much everything humans do is discriminatory in one way or another. I discriminated when I chose my wife. professional sports teams discriminate when they choose players. Etc.
Peacocks are as LOUD as they are beautiful. The females aren’t usually quite as loud as the men, but can be.
You don’t want them furiously fluttering on a flight.
They’re actually a better alternative to dogs.
Much longer lives, far superior vision and easily trained.
Not sure how they handle potty duties but other than that...
What the hell do you mean? Use the plural!!! It's emotional support bats!
Miniature horses are used as blind guides.
Very successfully.
The answer is simple.
Charge full airfare for transport of the ESA.
If the passenger is declaring they can’t travel alone without the ESA, it’s the same as requiring a human “nurse” accompany the passenger.
FULL FARE — that will drastically reduce the use of ESAs for travel.
Not only that — TAG the passenger in the TSA database as emotionally unstable.
Luggage used to be free — that is long one, the free transport of ESA will be long gone, eventually.
I saw this coming when some idiot demanded his “emotional support turkey” be allowed in the cabin with him.
Misty was housebroken.
Idiocracy wasn’t comedy. It was prophesy.
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