On December 2, 2020, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced new rules that requite airlines the choice to no longer recognize emotional back up animals. These rules went into effect on January xi, 2021. As a event, U.S. airlines are no longer accepting emotional support animals on flights.

If you currently have an emotional back up animal, the ESA must meet the airline'southward requirements for normal pets, and a pet fee volition be assessed each way. That means that only smaller pets that tin can fit into a carrier can board the cabin. Even so, all psychiatric service dogs (PSDs) are still welcome to lath the cabin free of charge, even if they are larger in size.

Psychiatric service dogs are similar emotional support animals trained to provide a task or service to an individual with a mental or emotional health inability. Here are a few examples of tasks that psychiatric service dogs provide to their handlers:

  • Licking or nose nudging handler for tactile stimulation
  • Providing deep force per unit area touch to calm handler
  • Nudging handler during freezing behavior to rouse handler from a dissociative country or fear paralysis
  • Interrupting and redirecting handler from self-destructive deportment
  • Grounding and reorienting handler during an anxiety attack
  • Waking up their handler for work or schoolhouse
  • Reminding handler to take medication

It is possible to train an emotional support animal to become a psychiatric service dog if yous need a disability-related chore performed past a dog. The training tin accept some effort, and non all dogs are suited to being PSDs, but for some people, the aid from a PSD tin exist well worth the commitment.

If you are interested in qualifying for a psychiatric service dog, a licensed therapist or some other healthcare provider can evaluate whether yous meet the criteria for owning a service canis familiaris under the ADA and Air Carrier Access Human activity. If you qualify, they can issue a signed PSD letter to establish you have a qualifying condition.

If yous demand a Psychiatric Service Dog Alphabetic character, we would be happy to connect with you with a licensed healthcare provider specializing in assistance animals.

PSD Letter
Get your Psychiatric Service Canis familiaris Letter

Please follow this guide for helpful information on how to wing with a psychiatric service dog.

For airline specific information on flying with a psychiatric service domestic dog or pet, click on the links beneath:

  • Delta
  • American Airlines
  • Southwest Airlines
  • JetBlue
  • United Airlines
  • Alaska Airlines
  • Spirit Airlines

IMPORTANT NOTICE: The information below pertains to emotional support animals and is no longer accurate. ESAs are no longer accepted on U.South. flights. This information is retained just for archival purposes. Delight consult with your airline for the latest on their help animal policies.

American Airlines

American Airlines acknowledges the needs of an individual who requires an emotional support fauna or psychiatric service animal. The company requires supporting documents to facilitate the asking, such every bit an ESA travel letter of the alphabet issued inside the yr of travel.

The documentation must come from a licensed mental wellness professional or a medical doctor, with the following details as per the American Airlines site.

  • That you have a mental or emotional inability recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
  • That you need the emotional support or psychiatric service beast as an accommodation for air travel and/or for action at your destination
  • That the individual providing the assessment is a licensed mental health professional or medical doctor
  • The engagement and type of the mental health professional or medical doctor's license and the state or other jurisdiction where information technology was issued

The documentation should be given to the airline at least 48 hours earlier the scheduled flying or else the emotional support animal would have to exist checked into a kennel in the compartment during the flight.

Flying with an ESA on American Airlines

  1. Only i ESA or psychiatric service brute per passenger.
  2. The emotional support animal must exist clean and well behaved.
  3. American Airlines only accepts the following emotional back up animals:
    • Emotional Support Dogs
    • Emotional Support Cats
    • Miniature Horses
  4. ESA must be fit at your feet, under the seat, or on your lap.
  5. If yous choose to put the creature in a kennel, it must fit under the seat in forepart of you.
  6. ESA'due south cannot sit in the leave rows, block aisles, swallow from tray tables, or occupy a seat.

American Airlines Emotional Back up Animal Forms

American Airlines - Emotional Support Animal Form - Download Here - ESADoctors.com

You must complete and submit 3 additional forms when traveling with your ESA on American Airlines. You can download the American Airlines ESA forms here.

  1. Medical / Mental Wellness Professional Form
  2. Veterinary Health Form, or vaccination record with electric current rabies vaccination information
  3. Confirmation of Animal Behavior Class

How to submit your ESA Forms

You must submit your American Airlines ESA forms along with your ESA alphabetic character at least 48 hours before your departure.

  1. You can submit your American Airlines ESA forms by email directed to sac@aa.com
  2. Y'all tin submit your forms via fax: 817-967-4715

Forms for flights over eight hours

If your flight is over viii hours, American Airlines requires an additional form called the Beast Sanitation Form for your ESA. Y'all can download the Animal Sanitation Form hither.

U.S. airlines no longer accept emotional support animals. However, if y'all have a psychiatric service dog, y'all can still wing in the cabin without fees and exempt from pet restrictions. If you need a PSD letter from a licensed healthcare professional person, y'all can get started today at the link below.

Delta Airlines

Delta Airlines recommends an early notification almost traveling with animals when booking reservations and you tin can already request for a seat consignment while doing so.  The animal, however, volition exist required to stay on the floor abreast the private's seat. As stated in the visitor'due south site, "No animals are allowed to occupy seats that are designed for passengers." If you would like to speak with a Delta employee y'all can call 404-209-3434.

The airline expects the emotional support animate being to exist well-behaved and will need documentation from the individual before travel. Specifically, the letter of the alphabet must accept the post-obit, per thecompany site:

  • Championship, license number and jurisdiction (state/country information technology was issued), telephone number, and signature of mental wellness professional person.
  • The passenger has a mental wellness related disability recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Transmission – 4th Edition.
  • That the rider needs the emotional support or psychiatric service brute as an accommodation for air travel and/or for activeness at the rider's destination.
  • That the person listed in the letter is under the care of the assessing medico or mental wellness professional person.

Delta Airlines can consider a digital letter (ESADoctors.com provides this to clients) saved on a device, as long as this has the data to a higher place.

Flying with an ESA on Delta Airlines

  1. 1 emotional support animal per rider.
  2. ESA must fit in the "footprint" of the passenger'south seat.
  3. Animal must sit on the floor or on the passengers lap.
  4. Animal cannot sit in the leave rows, block aisles, eat off of tray tables, or sit in a seat.

Delta Emotional Support Animal Forms

Delta requires that yousubmit three additional ESA forms when traveling with your ESA on Delta Airlines. You tin can download the Delta ESA forms here.

  1. Veterinary Health Course
  2. Medical / Mental Health Professional person Form
  3. Confirmation of Fauna Training Form

How to submit your ESA Forms

You must submit your Delta Airlines ESA forms along with your ESA alphabetic character at least 48 hours before your departure. A digital re-create of your ESA letter is acceptable.

  1. Yous can submit your forms via the Delta My Trips portal hither.
  2. For assistance with the form, you lot tin can call the accessibility assist line at 404-209-3434.

U.S. airlines no longer accept emotional support animals. However, if you lot have a psychiatric service dog, y'all tin still fly in the cabin without fees and exempt from pet restrictions. If you need a PSD letter from a licensed healthcare professional, you tin become started today at the link below.

JetBlue Airlines

As with other airlines, JetBlue's requirements for ESA travel is a documentation that has the following, per the companywebsite:

  • The customer has a mental wellness-related disability.
  • The animal accompanying the customer is necessary to the customer'south mental health.
  • The number and blazon of animal(s)
  • The individual providing the assessment of the customer is a licensed mental health professional or physician and the customer is nether his or her professional care.
  • The mental health professional person'south or md's license number OR the type of license, the issue date and the land or other jurisdiction in which information technology was issued

The letter must likewise not be over i year old from date of travel and it must accompany the JetBlue ESA Forms  found hither.

You lot must submit your completed forms 48 hours prior to departure here.

Flying with an ESA on JetBlue

  1. Add your ESA to your reservation by calling ane-800-JETBLUE (538-2583) or when making booking your ticket online.
  2. You must notify JetBlue no afterwards than 48 hours prior to your deviation.
  3. JetBlue only accepts the following animals equally emotional back up animals:
    • Emotional Support Dogs
    • Emotional Back up Cats
    • Miniature Horses
  4. Emotional back up animals must remain on the flooring or if information technology fits; on the passengers lap.
  5. Your brute must be clean and well behaved.
  6. Animals are not allowed on the seats, ever.

JetBlue Emotional Support Animal Forms

JetBlue requires you to complete and submit three boosted forms when flying with your emotional support beast on JetBlue Airlines. Y'all can download the JetBlue ESA class here.

  1. Medical/Mental Wellness Professional Grade
  2. Veterinarian Health Course
  3. Customer Confirmation of Animal Behavior

If yous are traveling internationally with your ESA see here.

How to submit your ESA Forms

You lot must submit your JetBlue Airlines ESA forms along with your ESA letter at least 48 hours before your divergence.

  1. You can submit your JetBlue forms here .
  2. For assist with your forms or questions most a Special Service Asking, contact JetBlue at one-800-JETBLUE (538-2583).

U.S. airlines no longer accept emotional back up animals. However, if you lot accept a psychiatric service dog, you can nevertheless fly in the motel without fees and exempt from pet restrictions. If you need a PSD alphabetic character from a licensed healthcare professional, yous can get started today at the link below.

Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines allow for travel of emotional support animals within the cabin, except for destinations to Jamaica. The visitor too needs a travel letter from a licensed mental health doctor with the following details, as stated on the Southwest Airlines documentation guidelines:

  • The passenger has a mental or emotional disability recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – 4th Edition (DSM Four)
  • The rider needs the emotional back up or psychiatric service fauna equally an accommodation for air travel and/or for activity at the passenger's destination
  • The individual providing the assessment is a licensed mental health professional person, and the rider is under his or her professional person care
  • The date and type of the mental health professional's or medical doctor'south license and the land or other jurisdiction in which it was issued.

Flying with an ESA on Southwest

  1. The ESA must be an emotional support dog or cat.
  2. One emotional back up creature per passenger.
  3. Brute must either be in a kennel or on ternion at all times.
  4. Fauna must exist clean and well behaved.
  5. ESA cannot block the aisles or sit in the emergency exit rows.

Southwest Emotional Support Animal Forms

Equally of August 2019, Southwest does not crave additional forms for flying with an emotional support dog or cat. Simply an ESA letter dated within ane yr from a licensed mental health professional person is required at this fourth dimension.

U.Southward. airlines no longer have emotional support animals. However, if you have a psychiatric service dog, you can still fly in the cabin without fees and exempt from pet restrictions. If yous need a PSD letter from a licensed healthcare professional person, you can get started today at the link below.

United Airlines

Flying with an Emotional Support Fauna on United Airlines requires documentation similar to other companies. However, the airline has some rules every bit to where the animal should be within the aircraft's cabin. Specifically, "an beast should sit at the customer's feet without protruding into the aisles to comply with safety regulations. Customers may elect to apply an canonical in-motel kennel for smaller animals. Exit row seating is prohibited," as per the website.

United Airlines requires that the travel documents and other arrangement must be provided at to the lowest degree 48-hours before the flying.

Flying with an ESA on United Airlines

  1. Emotional support animal must be seated in the floor space below the seat.
  2. Animal must not extend into the aisles.
  3. Animal must be well behaved and follow their possessor's directions.

United Airlines Emotional Support Animate being Forms

United Airlines - Emotional Support Animal Form - Download Here - ESADoctors.com

United Airlines requires an ESA letter and3 additional forms when traveling with your ESA on American Airlines. Yous can download the United Airlines ESA forms hither.

  1. Medical / Mental Health Professional Form
  2. Passenger Confirmation of Liability and Emotional Back up/Psychiatric Service Animal Beliefs Form
  3. Veterinary Wellness Class

How to submit your ESA Forms to United Airlines

You lot must submit your three United Airlines ESA forms along with your ESA letter at least 48 hours earlier your divergence.

  1. You tin cansubmit your United forms here .
  2. If you lot have questions about your United ESA forms you may contact the United Accessibility Desk at i-800-228-2744.

U.S. airlines no longer accept emotional support animals. Notwithstanding, if yous have a psychiatric service dog, yous tin still fly in the motel without fees and exempt from pet restrictions. If you need a PSD letter from a licensed healthcare professional, you tin can get started today at the link below.

Alaska Air

Alaska Airline's ESA policy for travelers with emotional support animals is standard and as with the residuum, the ESA letter should be issued not more than a year before traveling. It must also be written past a licensed medical professional, as posted onAlaska Airline's site.

The documentation must ascertain that:

  • That the invitee has a mental health-related inability; and
  • That having the fauna accompany the guest is necessary for the guest'due south mental wellness, handling, or to help the invitee (with his or her disability); and
  • That the private providing the assessment of the guest is a licensed mental health professional; and
  • That the guest is under the professional care of the individual providing the documentation.

Alaska Airlines Emotional Support Animal Forms

Alaska Airlines requires an ESA letter and3 boosted forms when traveling with your ESA on American Airlines. You can download the Alaska Airlines ESA forms hither.

  1. Animal Health Advisory Form
  2. Guest Confirmation of Liability and ESA Beliefs Course
  3. Mental Health Professional Course

How to submit your ESA Forms to Alaska Airlines

  1. All completed and signed documents can be emailed to support.brute@alaskaair.com
  2. You may fax the completed Alaska forms to 206-392-2804.

U.S. airlines no longer accept emotional support animals. However, if you have a psychiatric service dog, you lot tin can notwithstanding fly in the cabin without fees and exempt from pet restrictions. If you need a PSD letter of the alphabet from a licensed healthcare professional, yous can become started today at the link below.

Disclaimer: Our content is intended to be used and must exist used for informational purposes only. Policies tin can change and companies can modify their rules and regulations. It is very important to exercise your ain analysis and research before booking any flights.