JetBlue has just joined other major U.S. airlines in altering its service animal policy by banning emotional support animals (ESAs) from flying in airplane cabins with their owners. Alaska Airlines, American and Delta have also announced that they will no longer accept bookings for emotional support animals for travel after January 11.
This comes as a consequence of the Department of Transportation’s revision to its Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA)—filed in December and taking effect on January 11—which now limits the definition of “service animal” to a dog that has been specially trained to perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, regardless of the dog’s breed.
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“JetBlue is and has always been committed to serving those customers who require assistance or accommodations, while at the same time maintaining a safe and comfortable experience for all customers and crewmembers,” a JetBlue spokesperson told Travel + Leisure.
Previously, passengers were able to fly with their emotional support animals in-cabin without an additional charge, prompting airline customers to bring all kind of creatures—cats, turtles, pot-bellied pigs and, in one instance, a peacock—on board for free, as long as they had a doctor’s note.
Now, the DOT allows airlines to require that customers complete forms and provide documentation attesting to their service dog’s health, behavior and training. JetBlue will require that service animal’s completed paperwork be submitted at least 48 hours in advance of the disabled passenger’s travel date.
Bookings made for emotional support animals prior to December 20, 2020, for flights through February 2021, will be honored, as long as all required documentation has already been submitted to the airline.
Those who had planned on flying with an emotional support animal after March 1 will need to find alternative methods, such as registering their animal as an “in-cabin pet” for a fee of $125 each way. Unfortunately, this only works if the combined weight of the animal and its carrier are 20 pounds or less, and counts as the passenger’s carry-on item. Other animals will have to fly as cargo.
For more information, visit jetblue.com.
