The Department of Transportation has proposed relaxing a federal rule that forces airlines to accommodate, free of charge, people traveling with pets classified as emotional-support animals.
According to the Department of Transportation website, airline companies would now have the authority to “treat emotional support animals, which are not trained to do work or perform a task for the benefit of a qualified individual with a disability, as pets.” The rule change, which is currently undergoing a 60-day public comment period, would not apply to service dogs.
The proposal has been designed to curb an influx of passengers who have taken to traveling with a range of untrained pets that they say emotionally support them in various ways. The department cites a number of exotic animals that have caused trouble for airlines and flight crew, including peacocks, ducks, turkeys, and pigs.
In 2016, the Daily Mail wrote a profile on a pig named “Hamlet” who accompanies his owner, Megan Peabody, on flights around the world. “I love flying, but I suffer with anxiety, so being able to pick Hamlet up, to hold, pet and comfort him makes me feel more comfortable and provides a lovely distraction,” Peabody told the news agency.
In 2018, a woman made headlines after she was barred from taking her emotional support peacock on a flight, according to NBC News. While the 70-pound bird was denied boarding because it “did not meet guidelines for a number of reasons, including its weight and size,” the new proposed rule would allow airlines to reject future peacocks outright.
Disability rights activists have taken different stances on the proposed rule change.
“We acknowledge that some people have misrepresented themselves and their pets as people with disabilities with service or emotional support animals. But it is rare,” Curt Decker, the president of the National Disability Rights Network, said in a statement obtained by USA Today. “These proposals are a vast overreaction to an uncommon problem.”
Albert Rizzi, founder of My Blind Spot, a nonprofit organization that promotes accessibility for blind people, has called the move a “wonderful step in the right direction for people like myself who are dependent on and reliant on legitimate service animals,” according to the Associated Press.
However, the perspective from airlines and flight crew has been closer to unanimous. They are largely unified in support of the proposed rule.
Sara Nelson, the president of the Association of Flight attendants, has commended the bill, exalting that “the days of Noah’s Ark in the air are hopefully coming to an end,” reports the news agency.
Nicholas Calio, president of Airlines for America, has drawn attention to the public health focus of the proposal, saying that “the proposed rule will go a long way in ensuring a safer and healthier experience for everyone,” reports the news agency.
In the proposal, the Department has also drawn attention to the ways that the new rules will improve economic efficiency since “passengers currently have an incentive to claim pets as emotional support animals” for the cost savings.