Should I Carry My Emotional Support Animal Letter for Travel?

Traveling with your Emotional Support Animal without any extra costs or fees is permitted by airline carriers if there’s an ESA travel letter provided. But, you must comply with a few requirements.

Avail all the benefits of an ESA letter. Click the button below to schedule your appointment with an ESA expert.

All airlines are going to require that your Emotional Support Animal be calm on the plane and well behaved in public.

It’s possible to obtain an at-home dog training guide then train your dog on your own. This won’t just save money, additionally, it will ensure you have an enjoyable experience flying with the dog.

Go over the following list for every airline in order for you to be prepared and avoid all hitches as you check into the flight.

American Airlines ESA

This airline acknowledges the necessities of some requiring a psychiatric service animal or emotional support animal.

The airline requires supporting paperwork that facilitates the request, like an ESA travel letter that is issued during the year of travel.

The paperwork has to come from a medical doctor or licensed mental health professional, with this information as per the website of American Airlines:

• That you have an emotional or mental disability recognized within the DSM IV
• That you require the psychiatric service or emotional support animal as an accommodation for traveling by air and/or for activity at your next destination
• That the person offering the evaluation is a licensed medical doctor or licensed mental health professional, and you’re under her or his care
• The type and date of the medical doctor’s or mental health professional’s license and state or additional jurisdiction where the license was issued

The paperwork ought to be offered to American Airlines at a minimum of two days prior to the arranged flight or else the ESA would need to be checked into a kennel within the compartment while the flight is motion.

Delta Airlines ESA

This airline suggests an early alert about traveling with animals while arranging reservations and you already can ask for a seat assignment when doing so.

However, the animal will have to remain on the floor beside the owner’s seat. As claimed on the airline’s website, no animals are permitted to occupy seats that are designed for passengers.

The company expects the ESA to be well-behaved and is going to require paperwork from the owner before traveling.

Specifically, that letter has to have the following, according to the airline’s website:

• License number, address, title and jurisdiction (country/state it was issued), a signature of a mental health professional, and phone number.
• The passenger has a mental health-associated disability that is recognized in the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual – Fourth Edition.
• The passenger requires the psychiatric service or emotional support animal as an accommodation for traveling by air and/or for activity at the owner’s destination.
• The person listed inside the letter is underneath the care of evaluating mental health experts or physicians.

The airline may consider a digital letter saved on a device, so long as it contains the details above.

Can you get an ESA letter if struggling with a mental health condition? Click the button below to schedule your appointment with an ESA expert.

Jet Blue Airlines ESA

Like additional airlines, Jet Blue’s ESA travel requirements is the paperwork which has the following, according to the airline’s site:

• The customer has a mental health-associated disability.
• Pet accompanying the owner is needed to the owner’s treatment or mental health
• The type and number of pet(s)
• The individual offering the evaluation of the owner is a physician or licensed mental health expert and the owner is under her or his care.
• A physician or mental health expert’s license number or the kind of license, date of issue, as well as state or additional jurisdiction where the license was issued

Also, the letter mustn’t be over a year old from the travel date and it has to have the traveler’s confirmation number for reference.

Southwest Airlines ESA

This airline allows for travel of ESAs inside the cabin, except for Jamaican destinations.

Also, the airline requires an ESA travel letter from a licensed mental health provider with this information, as stated in the documentation guidelines established by Southwest Airlines:

• The passenger has an emotional or mental disability that is recognized in the DSM IV – 4th Edition
• Passenger requires the psychiatric service or emotional support animal as an accommodation for traveling by air and/or for activity at the customer’s destination
• The individual offering the assessment is a licensed mental health physician, and the passenger is under her or his care
• The type of date of the medical doctor or mental health professional’s license and state or additional jurisdiction where it was issued.

United Airlines ESA

Also, United Airlines requires paperwork that is similar to other airlines. But, the company has some regulations as to where the dog or another animal ought to be inside the cabin of the aircraft.

Specifically, the animal ought to sit at the owner’s feet without protruding inside the aisles in order to comply with safety rules.

For smaller animals, owners might elect to utilize an approved in-cabin kennel. Exit row seating usually is prohibited, according to the site.

The airline requests that the travel paperwork and additional arrangements have to be advised at a minimum of 48-hours prior to the flight.

Virgin America ESA

This airline’s documentation policy for travelers with Emotional Support Animals is standard and like the rest, this ought to be issued no more than one year before traveling. It also must be written by a medical professional who is licensed, as posted on the website of Virgin America.

The paperwork has to ascertain that:

• The customer has a mental health-associated disability
• Having the pet accompany the customer is needed for the customer’s treatment, mental health, or to aid the customer (with her or his disability)
• The person giving the evaluation of the customer is a licensed mental health expert
• The customer is under the care of the person offering the paperwork.

Also, the airline requires a health certificate prior to the individual traveling with his animal to Hawaii. It ought to be valid for a minimum of one month from the travel date.

Get an ESA travel letter by clicking the button below.

If you are flying soon and suffer from a mental or emotional disability, come to San Francisco for an ESA letter to avoid fees and bring your pet on board with you. We are open 7 days a week, from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. You can get your Emotional Support Animal letter online, give us a call to schedule your ESA appointment!