Southwest Airlines enacts changes to carriage with regards to animals

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

American low-cost airline Southwest Airlines announced changes to its policies for trained service and emotional support animals on 14 August 2018. The changes are designed to provide clearer guidance to customers traveling with service animals and will go into effect on 17 September 2018.

To create these policy changes, Southwest reviewed the recent enforcement guidance issued by the Department of Transportation (DOT), evaluated feedback from customers and employees, and spoke with numerous advocacy groups that represent customers with disabilities who travel with service animals. Based upon the guidance received, the following changes on 17 September 2018 affect Emotional Support Animals (ESAs), Trained Service Animals and Formally Recognizing Psychiatric Support Animals (PSAs).

ESAs will be limited to one dog, one cat per passenger. These pets must remain in a carrier or be on leash at all times.

Passengers  traveling with ESAs will still need to present a complete, current letter from a medical doctor or licensed mental health professional on the day of departure.

In alignment with recent DOT guidance, Southwest accepts only the most common Trained Service Animals - dogs, cats and miniature horses. For the health and safety of its passengers and employees, unusual or exotic animals will not be accepted.

A passenger with a disability must be able to provide credible verbal assurance that the animal is a trained service animal.

Southwest Airlines will also introduce an enhancement that recognizes fully-trained PSAs as trained service animals. While it informally accepted PSAs as trained service animals in the past, the airline is pleased to formalize the acceptance of this type of service animal based upon Customer feedback. PSAs are individually trained to perform a task or work for a person with a mental health-related disability. A credible verbal assurance will be sufficient to travel with a PSA.

For the safety of both Southwest Airlines' passengers and employees, all emotional support and service animals must be trained to behave in a public setting and must be under the control of the handler at all times. An animal that engages in disruptive behavior may be denied boarding.

Southwest Airlines will continue working with advocacy groups, employees, passengers and the DOT to ensure it offers supportive service animal guidelines.