Yes, we welcome service animals , emotional support , or psychiatric service animals on our flights, but require the following guidelines be met

Service Animals Only

We accept service animals, or those trained to lead the hearing or visually impaired or trained in special assistance for the disabled, as long as any of the following are provided as evidence that the animal is a service animal:

  • Identification cards;
  • Written documentation regarding the medical need for the presence of the animal in the cabin;
  • The reasonable credible verbal assurance from the individual with the disability using or accompanying the animal;

For international flights, we, or your travel agent, may be able to help you find out what the requirements are for your destination. But remember, it’s up to you to follow any applicable regulations.

Please view additional guidelines that are required when bringing a service animal with you.

Emotional Support and Psychiatric Service Animals

We accept emotional support and psychiatric service animals as long as you have current documentation (no older than one year preceding the date of your scheduled initial flight) which must meet the following criteria:

On letterhead of a licensed mental health professional including a medical doctor specifically treating the passenger’s mental or emotional disability (e.g. psychiatrist, psychologist, or licensed clinical social worker) stating the following:

  • You have a mental health related disability recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition (DSM IV);
  • You need the emotional support or psychiatric service animal as an accommodation for air travel and/or for activity at your destination;
  • The individual providing the assessment is a licensed mental health professional and the passenger is under his or her professional care; and
  • The date and type of the mental health professional’s license and the state or other jurisdiction in which it was issued.

For international flights, we, or your travel agent, may be able to help you find out what the requirements are for your destination. But remember, it’s up to you to follow any applicable regulations.

Please view additional guidelines that are required when bringing an emotional support or psychiatric service animal with you.

 

Additional Guidelines

  • Please plan to check in 90 minutes before the check-in time for the general public for document verification.
  • Please contact us via phone for how can I contact spirit airlinesat least 48 hours prior to your scheduled departure if you’re traveling with an emotional support or psychiatric service animals.
  • As part of the DOT’s regulations under 14 CFR, Part 382, we do not require a health certificate as a condition of transporting service animals, but please read the additional health documentations please read the additional health documentations here.Opens a New Window.
  • The animal must remain with you at all times.
  • The animal is seated on the floor at your feet and cannot block an aisle or other area that must remain clear for emergency evacuation.
  • You may choose to sit anywhere you wish with the exception of emergency exit rows.
  • Animals with pet carriers may not sit in the first row.
  • If your emotional support and/or service animal must sit in your lap, you may not occupy any seat equipped with an inflatable seat belt. While these are perfectly safe for you, it could put your animal’s well-being at risk if the seatbelts were to inflate. Please see the chart below of the seats with inflatable seat belts.
  • Service and emotional support animals can be placed on the aircraft floor or (provided the animal is no larger than a lap child & there’s no inflatable seat belt) on the customer’s lap. No animals or any part of the animals can be placed on an aircraft seat at any time.
  • If traveling with more than one emotional support animal, your required letter must list each emotional support/psychiatric service animal.
  • Spirit does not accept snakes, other reptiles, rodents, ferrets, and spiders.
  • As part of the DOT’s regulations under 14 CFR, Part 382, for other unusual animals, several factors determine whether an animal can travel in the cabin as a service animal. These factors include: the animal’s size, whether the animal poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others, whether it would cause a significant disruption of cabin service, and whether if the animal is prohibited from entering a foreign country. If you have any questions, please contact us at www.spirit.com/help.