I let my neighbor use my Sherpa pet carrier to take her small dog on vacation with her and her husband. When she was on the flight she was asked to put the carrier under her front seat for the entire flight. A few minutes later another attendant asked her if her dog was a "support dog"....my neighbor questioned what that meant. The attendant said that if the dog was giving she or her husband support or comfort on the plane (with a doctors note) that the dog could remain out of the carrier and on the seat with them. My neighbor said yes she is giving them support....the attendant smiled and said if anyone asks...I saw your note.... let the dog out !! On the return flight they did get a doctor's note ....they did not have to pay for the dog and it never went in the carrier !! This was on United Airlines.......flight from Tucson to Albany. I thought this was great....has anyone ever heard of this ?? I doubt they would allow Labradors....but hey you never know ??
Umm - that's rather abusing the whole idea of service dogs, isn't it? While I'm sure your neighbor was thrilled, that's not what the law is all about. If people abuse the right to have service dogs on a plane when it's not really a service dog, then people who really require a service dog may not have that option in the future!
That is great. You are able to have the dog in a carryon, if the dog is small enough and has a weight of less than 20 lbs I think it is? But as long as the dog can fit in a carryon and can sit under the front seat - You are allowed to take it on without any note. As for letting it out on the plane, this is up to the attendants discretion, and your neighbours.
As for support/service dogs, this means that if the person has trouble flying because of anxiety or whatever - you are able to let the dog out on your lap if you have a note from your doctor
I do want to add that my neighbors are in their 70s.....the husband has advanced cancer and uses a wheelchair to and from the plane. I think that the attendant was just trying to be nice. I never have heard of "support dogs" being allowed on flights.....thought I would pass the information on.....sorry if I offended anyone !!
Good thing there was no real turblence on the flight either or the dog would have been tossed and possibly injured. Some people have dog allergies and there are some who are fearful or are not comfortable around dogs. It is probably best that any dog remain in its carrier during the flight, out of respect for the other 200 some passengers on the flight.
