Airlines for America Advocate for Change In Animal Legislation

Trade advocacy group Airlines for America (A4A) sent a letter to the United States Department of Transportation asking for stricter policies for emotional support animals.

The organization representing top airlines in the U.S. such as American and Southwest asked the Department of Transportation to limit the type of emotional support animals allowed on flights to just dogs.

Airlines are becoming increasingly concerned about incidents involving emotional support animals, especially as carriers such as American are reporting a 40 percent increase in animals boarding flights between 2016 and 2017.

With the rise in animals boarding flights, more incidents of urinating, defecating and biting have also increased, according to A4A. Carriers argue the concerns regarding improperly trained service animals pose a risk to the health and safety of crew members and passengers.

To combat the rise in problems, A4A officials are asking government officials to limit emotional support animals to trained dogs which comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The discussion regarding emotional support animals comes after the majority of top airlines in the U.S. have altered their policies due to travelers abusing the right to travel with an untrained animal by obtaining documents online.

Earlier this month, Delta Air Lines announced it was updating its service and support animal policy to limit the number of animals and outright ban pit bulls, beginning on July 10.