Your Therapy Porpoise May Have To Stay Home In Your Bathtub
Hugo Martin writes at the LA Times that airline representatives and disabled rights advocates have been meeting to come up with new rules on what sorts of animals will be allowed on planes and what documents passengers will have to present to prove that they aren't just skirting the rules and fees.
Airlines recognize two types of animals that can accompany passengers free of charge: service animals, such as seeing-eye dogs, and emotional support animals, which help comfort travelers with psychological or emotional conditions.The debate among members of the Accessible Air Transportation advisory committee focuses on what type of animals can be recognized as emotional support animals.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, among others, suggests limiting emotional support animals to dogs, cats and rabbits, while other organizations, including the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, would like to add birds to that list (but not chickens, ducks or turkeys).
A commenter at the LA Times writes:
sponjhed
Recent airline charged my daughter $125 for small cat in carrier, which fit under seat. Vet certificate is needed, too, $42 for document, $65 for vet examination. This total is greater than the cost of the my daughter's passenger ticket.After psychologist wrote emotional support animal letter, airline could no longer charge for cat travel.
If the airlines stopped gouging for pet travel, ESA abuse would greatly reduce.
My six-pound Chinese Crested, Aida, is better-behaved than many people's children.
Another commenter:
TheodoreNolan
@monyline Also put babies and small children in the cargo hold. They're worse.
And yet another commenter:
hoffmanellis
Unfortunately, too many people are taking advantage of those truly in need of service animals -- blind, diabetic, PTSD and other brain disorders -- in order to be able to take their pets anywhere they like. My friends' daughter recently purchased a phony certificate and collar from a web site that identified her pet dog as a "service" animal, so she could move into an apartment complex that doesn't allow pets.With the increase in such unethical practices, I think that more and more advocates for disability rights are supporting a licensing system that will weed out the self-entitled from those who really have a legitimate need.
And then there's this:
wide-awake
"Some advocacy groups say passengers shouldn't be required to carry a letter from a mental health professional confirming the need for an animal because it would be stigmatizing."Let me get this straight, carrying a letter or card in one's pocket/purse is stigmatizing but having a horse/duck/chicken etc. is in itself not?
via @overlawyered
With the increase in such unethical practices, I think that more and more advocates for disability rights are supporting a licensing system that will weed out the self-entitled from those who really have a legitimate need.
Yeah. Because more government regulation always solves everything. That'll work. Certainly keeps those hairdressers and manicurists in line! I'm willing to bet licensing will somehow manage to cost even more, and not accomplish the weeding out.
"Some advocacy groups say passengers shouldn't be required to carry a letter from a mental health professional confirming the need for an animal because it would be stigmatizing."
And that will never be abused, ever.
Ltw at December 13, 2016 5:41 AM
To be fair Ltw, if it costs more than the air line regularly charges to register your pet as a service animal then the abuse will stop because it is just cheaper to fly without. Though people with legitimate cause will also not bother with registering since it offers no value.
Ben at December 13, 2016 5:54 AM
Whenever you have a system that grants special privileges to certain people, it's going to get gamed. And the more it's gamed, the more public support for it weakens. I've noticed lately that the "expectant mothers" special parking spaces at grocery stores and malls and such have disappeared. I suspect that's because there was absolutely no way of enforcing it, and so it was being abused. People notice when special privileges are wrongly claimed, and they don't like it, even when such does not impact them directly.
That said, airlines do a lot of stupid stuff marketing-wise. Why are the overhead bins such a source of contention these days? Because some genius decided it would be a great idea to squeeze a few more nickels out of the customers by charging for bag checking. So what now? Some airlines are seriously considering charging for use of the overhead bins. Yeah, I can see that going over real well... some poor FA has to hold up boarding for five minutes because they have to run a credit card for some poor schmuck to put his carry-on in the overhead. People will be tempted to put stuff under other peoples' seats, or leave it parked in the aisle.
Cousin Dave at December 13, 2016 6:31 AM
Hmmm. But, Ben, registration would be to qualify for no charge. The airlines' current charge for pet travel is for *pets*, not service animals. They are already required to accommodate service animals without charging. Which is why a change in the rules is so important. I wouldn't be surprised to see airlines seize on registration of service animals as an excuse to ban all animals unless they had a government permit.Which sort of blows your no value argument out of the water.
Can a pet or service animal get on the Do Not Fly list?
CD, I have a friend who is legitimately ferrying his elderly father around a lot. Has the disabled tag for parking, which is fair enough. But he is quite happy to use it to park near the pub too. Yep, any rule will be gamed.
Ltw at December 13, 2016 7:01 AM
> And that will never be
> abused, ever.
LTW is so concerned about licensing schemes in the United States that he/or/she is compelled to make sarcastic comments about it on our blogs, wherever he/or/she lives.
The United States is a land of enchantment, even for those without the wherewithal to make there own lives here, or to bring American dynamism to their homelands: Visiting our blogs, and pretending to participate in the discourse of our topics, is a fulfilling kind of masturbation for them.
We're mostly cool with it... The messy cleanup is on their side of the router.
Crid at December 13, 2016 8:51 AM
I'm very disappointed in this blog post. Emotional therapy animals are very important to a lot of people in serious distress and you deliberately picked the most ridiculous animal as an example in the title. I know you did that on porpoise.
Shtetl G at December 13, 2016 9:45 AM
Registration isn't free Ltw. Right now it costs ~$65. But that can be changed. So if the expense of an annual registration is more than a person would save on airline fees there would be no reason to register in the first place. People don't care who they pay. Just how much.
CD, I see those mom spaces come and go and then come and go again. I suspect you are right as to why. This is why I like social security. As a welfare system it has simple and fairly difficult to game rules. Are you x years old? How much did you pay in taxes? Then these are your benefits. But SS disability is a mess. Can you work? By what definition of work? Got a doctor as a friend to fake the paperwork? So in order to control costs all of the random rules and arbitrary decisions get mixed in and all kinds of perverse incentives form.
Ben at December 13, 2016 9:55 AM
Related: I know Disney had similar problems when its theme parks kindly tried to accommodate people with disabilities so they wouldn't have to stand in long lines for the attractions. The corporation eventually stopped it due to parents abusing the system.
Kevin at December 13, 2016 10:02 AM
That government licensing thing certainly worked for medical marijuana, where for nothing more than a $40 payment you could get a California doctor to certify you need weed for "chronic pain." Hello, green card.
And how about the proliferation of handicap placards? Government regulation has certainly gotten that under control.
Conan the Grammarian at December 13, 2016 11:04 AM
As long as it's cheaper than a kennel or dog sitter, the scam will continue.
Conan the Grammarian at December 13, 2016 11:11 AM
"I know you did that on porpoise."
It sounded like a fishy story to me.
Cousin Dave at December 13, 2016 12:37 PM
That was my point Conan. Raise the fees to $2k/year and most of this will probably stop. (How much do kennel or airplane pet fees cost?)
It is not possible for the government to separate the truly needy and those just taking advantage of the system.
Ben at December 13, 2016 1:31 PM
Yes, but if you raise the fees too much, Ben, the advocates for the poor will complain that you're discriminating. "Why does Paris Hilton get to fly with her purse dog and Trailer Park Annie can't? Whaaaa!"
Next thing you now, the government will mandate no fees for comfort/stress animals.
Conan the Grammarian at December 13, 2016 1:52 PM
The plus side is if your hands are cold you can just jam one in each end of Mr. Niblets The Comfort Cat. Like a muff.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at December 13, 2016 2:34 PM
Shtetl G: "I know you did that on porpoise."
Cousin Dave: "It sounded like a fishy story to me."
Guys, you're floundering badly.
Patrick at December 13, 2016 2:44 PM
Then the system will remain corrupt Conan. It can't be policed effectively. Just isn't possible. So effectively the government has made fees for transporting pets illegal as long as you register them first.
Ben at December 13, 2016 5:51 PM
Awww, poor Criddie widdie is upset by foreigners intruding on his safe space. Until that geo-block you crave is set up, I'll read and comment wherever I want, arsehole (note spelling).
Ltw at December 14, 2016 1:00 AM
Patrick, that's because we're just doing it for the sheer halibut.
Cousin Dave at December 14, 2016 7:48 AM
> I'll read and comment
> wherever I want
And we'll note the gutless vacuity of your enthusiasm.
Crid at December 14, 2016 2:20 PM
No one here has the command of English Crid shows. If you want to lower your own signal/noise or content/syllable number arguing with him, I shall watch with glee!
Radwaste at December 15, 2016 2:44 PM
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