In the 1990’s the Transportation Department made it possible for people to travel with emotional support animals when they needed to, and now somewhere around 100,000 animals are riding inside of the cabins each year. However, the airlines aren’t very fond of this especially since it’s not just dogs and cats getting the special treatment but sometimes monkeys, pigs, and even turkeys.
Part of the problem is that the airlines think that some people are taking advantage of the option and are alleging that their pets are emotional supports when they aren’t. General pets have to be paid for and ride below the seats in their cages while emotional support animals get to sit right in their laps, so a lot of passengers try to get around this.
People have been sharing their experiences of this turning out a bit strange. A marketing executive named Richard Bogash explained one scenario he experienced.
“It’s getting out of hand. I recently saw a cat freak out in business class on Delta from Europe and fur went flying all over the meal of the customer next to the owner.”
The airlines would rather limit the animals out of cages in the cabin to trained service dogs and miniature horses that are recognized by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
