Pigs, roosters, geese and miniature horses are flying on planes. More people are claiming their untrained pets are emotional support animals, just so they can fly with them for free.
The president of the Association of Flight Attendants said it is a problem that has gotten worse in the last four or five years. Sara Nelson said untrained animals pose a serious safety risk to other passengers.
"They could impede exit of passengers who need to get off the airplane very quickly," Nelson said.
Getting a service animal vest and a letter from a therapist was not hard. Channel 11 bought a vest online for $99. A producer from our sister station filled out an online survey, paid $149 and got a letter from a licensed therapist named Carla Black. The letter allowed him to travel with an emotional support animal. It stated the producer was her patient, and she was treating him for mental and emotional disability. But Black never talked to the producer in person, on the phone or by Skype.
Black lives in California. Channel 11's sister station contacted the California Board of Behavioral Therapists and sent them a copy of the letter. The agency has now opened an investigation into Black.
The Flight Attendants Union also has concerns about these types of letters.
"We have concerns about passengers who have the ability to claim that these are emotional support animals or service animals," said Nelson. "Anyone who isn't playing by the rules should be held accountable."
The union would like clear rules that allow passengers who need the animals to have them, while keeping untrained animals off flights.
A U.S. Department of Transportation committee voted to end talks on service animals just a few weeks ago, but a DOT official said the agency is working to write new rules.