Airlines might start asking you to leave therapy pigs, turkeys and kangaroos at home
A woman once brought a 50-70 pound pig on a U.S. Airways flight in 2014. She gave the pig its own seat and tethered it to the armrest, but people on the flight complained so much flight attendants asked her to deplane.
Last year, a woman was kicked out of a McDonald’s in Wisconsin when someone called police about her bringing a baby kangaroo into the fast-food restaurant.
Earlier this year, a woman brought a turkey on her Delta flight she was taking to spread her husband’s ashes. Unlike the others, she was accommodated and not asked to leave.
In each of those cases, the owners of the animals claimed they were emotional support animals, or ESAs, and were a necessary presence for the owner’s mental health. There aren’t a lot of limitations on what constitutes an ESA — most species besides snakes, other reptiles and rodents are allowed — and in order to bring the animals on a flight all you need is a doctor’s note.
That’s become a problem on flights, where complaints about ESAs have exploded over the past decade, according to Chicago 5. In addition to allergy issues, the various animals can cause space issues on already cramped flights. Airline representatives, advocates for the disabled and service animal groups are meeting on Friday to discuss what changes need to made, including further limits on species.
“It really is getting to the point where it’s become uncomfortable for other passengers,” Laura Glading, National President of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, told Chicago 5. “And flight attendants are getting put in the middle.”
ESAs are not service animals, which are trained extensively and provide assistance to those with documented physical and mental disabilities. There were 411 complaints about ESAs in 2011, compared to just 55 related to service animals, according to Chicago 5. In 2006, there were 97 complaints regarding ESAs and 30 regarding service animals.
A memo about the meeting said the organizations would discuss what species should be allowed, what documentation should be required, if ESAs and service animals should be treated differently, and how to distinguish between regular pets and ESAs.
Groups recently agreed that dogs, capuchin monkeys, and, in certain cases, miniature horses could be allowed, according to Quartz.
This story was originally published September 23, 2016 at 2:05 PM with the headline "Airlines might start asking you to leave therapy pigs, turkeys and kangaroos at home."