Airline Pilot Central Forums - Good Riddance (ESAs to be Banned)

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Quote:

Originally Posted by C130driver (Post 2962497)

This is how weak society has become, people need “emotional support” animals because they are too immature or uneducated to handle the stresses of life. This is what happens when you give everyone participation trophies and tell them they are all equal in outcome. I love my dog more than the next person but if you need an emotional support animal on a flight, you need some serious mental help.

Do you really believe that all these people are bringing their animals into the cabin because they need emotional support? I've been present several times when crew were try to bring animals through KCM and they had the nerve to get upset when they were denied. Ninety percent of the idiots trying to bring their animals on-board think that that their animals are special and shouldn't be relegated to the cargo hold with the animals of people who weren't wealthy and/or cynical enough to flout the rules.

Either way, good riddance to them.

Wonder how many of them bring them into a job interview?

The young women with the big unruly “support” dogs that defecate all over because they are freaked out and stressed have brought this on, it needs to end.

Quote:

Originally Posted by morerightrudder (Post 2962505)

Most people who bring ESAs don't really need them. It's just a convenient excuse to bring your pet for free. Glad the FAA and airlines are trying to crack down.

Haha, uh yeah, that’s the entire point of why pilots are glad it’s coming to an end.

Wonder if the increase in ESA dogs/cats would've happened if we hadn't killed so many animals in our cargo holds?

There were some horrific instances of passenger's dear pets getting snuffed in airliners due to various levels of ramper/planner/pilot incompetence.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SparrowBird (Post 2962664)

How long before a lawsuit?

Harder to sue the government and win. Not impossible but hard.

If you don't like a reg, have to prove it's illegal.

Don't like a law, have to prove it's unconstitutional.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamesNoBrakes (Post 2962428)

I went pretty far into this before, ESAs ARE considered service animals, although they have a few different requirements and the airlines have a little more power with them, they are included in the law as a subset of service animals. It's always referred to as ESA/PSA in the law. That's one of the big hangups currently, and yes, they are also supposed to be trained. The airlines can request records of their training to be sure they won't pose a threat to other people in the cabin, but the airlines tend to not train their people and enforce these rules much, passing it off to the cabin crew.

Go into the previous Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Final Rule comments on the current transportation service animal law, this is where the above information comes from.

ESAs are only grouped in with "service animals" on airplanes. They are not service animals under the ADA or any other federal law, they were just allowed during the ACA, so no they are not "service animals." Although, this is why people started to think they could bring their ESAs into supermarkets and other areas where pets are banned but service animals have to be permitted.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baradium (Post 2962874)

It appears so.
DOT docket OST-2004-19482 states that emotional support/psychiatric support service animals are considered to be a category of service animals in the Guidance Concerning Service Animals section after the Appendices, page 46 within the document, under the heading “Service Animals”:

Also, an animal used for emotional support need not have specific training for that function. Similar to an animal that has been individually trained, the definition of a service animal includes: An animal that has been shown to have the innate ability to assist a person with a disability; or an emotional support animal.

The DOT document was evidently based on 1996 guidance from the ADA. If you want the full story, look up OST-2004-19482 and go from there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baradium (Post 2962874)

ESAs are also required to be accommodated in some housing where pets aren't allowed.