Unless you have your own jet, flying these days is a hassle. Getting to the airport, waiting in lines, being frisked, finding your gate---it's enough to make you fantasize about weeks-long journeys across the Atlantic by boat. Those traveling with service dogs may expect even more burdens ahead of them, but the U.S. government has enacted laws to make air travel less torturous for passengers with an animal.
The Seeing Eye was the first U.S. school for guide dogs for the blind, set up in 1929. Starting in the 1960s, dogs were increasingly used to help people with other disabilities, such as deafness or limited mobility. The first federal law to address service dogs was the Air Carrier Access Act of 1986, which prohibited discrimination by airlines against individuals with disabilities, including those who needed service dogs in their daily life.
In 1990, the Americans With Disabilities Act was signed into law. It defines a service animal as any animal that is specially trained to help people with disabilities perform tasks that they would otherwise not be able to carry out. Service animal tasks include letting a deaf person know about important sounds and helping someone with limited mobility pick things up off the ground or maintain balance.
The government stresses that the key is training. A dog must be specially trained to assist its owner. In the same vein, service animals are working animals, not pets.
The Air Carrier Access Act stipulates that no formal documentation is required to prove that a dog is a service animal. However, an owner who relies on a service animal for emotional support must produce documentation from a mental health professional stating that the animal is, in fact, needed.
Although dogs cannot block aisles or other areas that need to be kept clear in case of emergency, they must be allowed at the seat with their owner. If this is not possible, the person must be allowed to move to another seat with the dog.
An airline employee may require you to put your dog in the cargo hold if that worker thinks the dog is dangerous---as when the dog is growling or lunging at other travelers---or would cause "a significant disruption" to service in the airplane cabin. The law advises airline workers who question the need for the dog to call their company's complaint resolution official, who may consult with the pilot.
The Transportation Security Administration, which conducts the security screenings at airports, has its own guidelines for dealing with service dogs. Documentation is advised, though not required, and you won't be separated from your dog. The security agents are not to try to interact with your dog and must ask your permission to touch it. You can tell them how you should walk through the metal detector (you first, your dog first, or both of you at the same time). The officers can search the dog if it sets off an alarm, but they must ask your consent first.
