Southwest Emotional Support Dog Rules

A customer seeking to travel with an emotional support animal must provide to a southwest airlines employee current documentation not more than one year old on the date of travel on letterhead from a licensed mental health professional or medical doctor who is treating the customer s mental health related disability.
Southwest emotional support dog rules. The airline s new rules narrow emotional support animals to. Emotional support animals comfort animals and therapy dogs are not service animals under title ii and title iii of the ada. Southwest airlines on tuesday issued a new policy to go into effect sept. 17 regarding service and emotional support animals on flights.
Please note trained service and emotional support animals may be subject to additional governmental laws and regulations at the destination including but not limited to health certificates permits and vaccinations required by the country state or territory from and or to which the animal is being transported. Trained service and emotional support animals are permitted on southwest airlines flights subject to compliance with certain safety and documentation requirements. A pet may not share a carrier with a trained service animal or an emotional support animal. Other species of animals whether wild or domestic trained or untrained are not considered service animals either.
They will be limited to only dogs and cats they will be limited to one per customer. Additionally all pets will need to pay an extra pet fare that will start at 95 per flight and the airline has stated that will not be possible to transport animals in the cargo bin and will only accept any emotional support animals inside the cabin. Southwest s pet policy states that we will accept up to six 6 pet carriers per scheduled flight. Southwest airlines is changing their policy for emotional support animals as of monday september 17 2018.
Emotional support animals and southwest airlines. Southwest airlines only accept cats and dogs in cabin. The customer must provide to a southwest airlines employee documentation not more. Yes southwest airlines does have very specific esa pet policies in place but as long as you follow these policies and meet their esa requirements you can sit back and enjoy the flight with your emotional support animal in tow.
However from time to time circumstances may allow for more or fewer than six 6 pet carriers per scheduled flight. The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the individual s disability. The emotional support animal must be in a carrier that can be stowed under the seat in front of the customer or on a leash at all times while in the airport and onboard the aircraft. How many pets are allowed per aircraft.
The customer has only one emotional support animal. Qualify for an emotional support animal online.