As progressive as the airline industry has been about nut allergies, it is surprising that it is so behind the times when it comes to respecting passengers with pet allergies. It is a given that service dogs have long been allowed on planes (and trains and hotels), but the incidence of clearly sighted people with small—often ill-behaved—dogs on planes is clearly on the rise. RELATED: Should Airlines Offer Kid-Free Flights?
Golden retrievers walk in the aisles, Pomeranians defecate in the galley and some pet owners even take their dogs to use the regular bathrooms. That can’t be good, yet most are classified as emotional support animals. Most airlines have weight restrictions of 20 to 25 pounds for dogs to fly in the cabin … which are not respected. Honestly, your 70-pound lab probably doesn’t want to be stuffed under your seat for that 11-hour trip to Paris, no matter how much he will miss you if you leave him with a sitter.
Airline personnel hate the growing number of emotional support animals they are seeing on flights—which have included pigs and peacocks—as well. Off the record, they have told me that these dogs bark, poop and generally run riot making a big mess that airline staff then need to clean up. Their owners rarely discipline them despite other passengers’ allergies and fear of dogs.
Passengers have even been bitten in flight and others have passed out in the aisles for unknown reasons on pet-packed flights I have been one, traveling approximately 150,000 miles a year for my job as a journalist covering food and wine. Passengers have been quick to make epi pens available to airline staff to revive ill passengers but are rarely taken up on the offer. A five-year-old developed hives from a nearby dog when on a plane with his family in 2016 as the dog owner would not move. The passengers applauded when the boy and his family deplaned.
As someone for whom dog hair can cause anaphylactic shock—meaning my throat closes—I have had to constantly navigate a minefield of anxiety animals on planes for the past decades. The airlines are of little help—which is odd as they hate the extra effort of dealing with dogs—as they often can’t see in advance when dogs are booked on the plane, have to accommodate emotional support animals until the last minute and they offer you few solutions to rebook your flight or change your seat.
As a result, I call the airlines multiple times to ask about pets; check in early and often change flights—and arrive hours and days late–to avoid emotional support animals. These are all things I don’t think should fall on the shoulders of the allergic passenger, be that allergy to nuts or dogs.
Is it not time that the airlines try to limit the amount of emotional support dogs on planes and work with those who are allergic to them? Severe allergies pose as much of a physical danger to the human body—if not more—as emotional stress. Isn’t it time for airlines to create a handful of pet-free flights on well-traveled routes and start respecting the concerns of passengers with pet allergies?
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I agree with you 100%, and I can’t imagine that airlines are still allowing this practice. I, too, in my frequent travels, have been compromised by having to share my seat with all sorts of dogs, including a mastiff, which also defecated on my shoes! I’ve also been kept awake all night by a yapping chihuahua.
What is so wrong with having your dog travel in a safe cargo area? In the “old”days, that is how I transported my pets when I was living between Europe and the US, and they survived just fine.
To be clear, I am an animal lover, having had numerous dogs and cats over my lifetime. This passenger abuse has to stop.
I totally agree with the previous comment. Bringing pets aboard should not be allowed. Comfort pets designation is a joke. Some passengers believe they are privileged and have a right to bring their animals aboard. If you need one to comfort you on a flight stay home and figure out another way of traveling. It is bad enough to be crammed into a fully loaded airliner and try to be comfortable without having to endure an animal in the cabin. And, shame on the airlines for allowing this situation. Put the pets in the cargo hold as suggested. I believe the airline stands to earn a few more bucks. Eh?
Unsanitary is unsanitary whether it is human or animal. Animals are more difficult to control so their behavior makes life more difficult for those who wish for travel without pets in seats or on laps. Comfort pets only for those who travel with the pet. For all others it is discomfort.
Please restrict animals and bring sanity back to air travel
As a psychotherapist, people ask me all the time to designate their animal as emotional support. It is NEVER for a good reason so I always decline. Now you can simply buy them on the internet
Good for you
I agree no pets on a flight. I have severe animal allergies that this time around put me in the hospital and i have family in the Midwest who wants me to come visit but im afraid. My last flight they had a german shepherd on there and I didn’t know until i started having an allergic reaction. I’m so glad I had Benadryl with me i had to take it constantly and i was so embarrassed because the fire dept came on board to escort me off to make sure my throat had not closed up and to see if i need to go to the hospital. I hope they will have flights that are animal free for people like us who just want to fly without worrying about an animal encounter.
The obvious answer is to ship the pets in their crates in the cargo hold, which is what people did for years until there was a spate of instances a few years ago where pets died due to poor care by the airlines. One shouldn’t have to risk the life of their pet to get from Chicago to L.A.
But I REALLY don’t want to fly sitting next to a dog (or cat or chicken) either. We should (1) abolish the “emotional support” baloney, (2) makes folks buy a seat for their pet at regular human fares, (3) require the pet to remain in their carrier for the full flight, and (4) designate the last two or three rows in coach as the designated seating spaces for those flying with pets.