Sorry But You're Not Getting Your Emotional Support Snakes on This Plane
American Airlines has announced that reptiles, rodents, and goats will not be allowed to fly on their flights, even if they’re emotional support animals. These animals and a sizable list of others have been banned from flying on the airline due to safety issues
According to CBS, the airline has seen an increase in support animals in recent years, jumping more than 40% from 2016 to 2017.
“We support the rights of customers, from veterans to people with disabilities, with legitimate needs for a trained service or support animal,” American Airlines said in a statement. “Unfortunately, untrained animals can lead to safety issues for our team, our customers and working dogs onboard our aircraft.”
Among the new restricted animals are sugar gliders and snakes; miniature horses who have been properly trained as service animals are still permitted.
Those who want to bring their emotional support animal friends aboard will need to be eligible under the new restrictions on animal types and will need to contact the special assistance desk 48 hours beforehand with document validation, including American Airlines contacting their mental health professional.