Ask the Captain: Will airlines ever adopt common-sense rules on emotional support animals?

Question: Calling a family pet an emotional support animal is rife for abuse. If you need a support animal or blanket to feel secure while flying, it might be time to consider the train. How can we get the airlines and Congress to come up with common-sense rules?

– Captain Bud Werisser (Retired), Knoxville, Tennessee

Answer: Airlines are slowly making progress in requiring more documentation for all animals traveling on board. Too many passengers have abused the emotional support animal rule, and it can have a safety implication during an evacuation.

Critics have complained passengers are able to get instant certification for an emotional support animal, also called a comfort animal, online, and that many aren’t properly trained.

In just the last week, an American Airlines flight attendant required five stitches after being bitten by an emotional support animal while flying from Dallas to Greensboro, North Carolina.

“What happened on yesterday’s American Airlines flight is completely unacceptable and inexcusable,” said the union, which says it supports the use of trained service animals while urging the industry to come up with more defined standards.