Southwest Airlines is joining other companies in their efforts to ban emotional support animals on flights.
The new rule will go into effect on March 1.
After that day, only trained service dogs will be accepted to accompany passengers.
The dogs must be trained to do work or perform specific tasks, company officials said in a news release.
The service animal designation is for dogs only. “No other species will be accepted as a trained service animal,” officials said.
The move came after the Department of Transportation changed regulations last year that removed the allowance of emotional support animals of any species to fly as a companion instead of a pet.
Southwest said that some animals like cats and dogs that qualify as a pet can fly if a passenger pays a fee and abide by in-cabin stowage rules, ABC News reported.
Service animal owners must provide two forms — U.S. Department of Transportation Service Animal Air Transportation Form and a U.S. Department of Transportation Service Animal Relief Attestation Form — for a dog to be able to fly in a service animal capacity.
Click here to read the regulations as set forth by the Department of Transportation.
Click on the links below to find out what other airlines regulations for service animals are:
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