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Trained Assistance Animals
Southwest Airlines welcomes trained assistance animals accompanying a Customer with a disability on all of our flights. Except when too large to be safely accommodated, a trained assistance animal will be transported in the aircraft cabin. In accordance with federal safety regulations, the animal must be positioned so as not to obstruct Customers' expeditious evacuation in the unlikely event of an emergency.
Assistance and emotional support animals can be placed on the aircraft floor or (provided the animal is no larger than a child under the age of two) on the Customer’s lap. Animals cannot be placed on an aircraft seat.
Customers are not required to transport assistance or emotional support animals in pet carriers. However, if a Customer opts to carry his/her assistance or emotional support animal in a pet carrier, the carrier must be properly stowed for taxi, takeoff, and landing.
Trained assistance and emotional support animals will be allowed to travel on flights to/from all domestic and international destinations with the exception of Jamaica. No animals will be allowed to travel to/from Jamaica on Southwest Airlines under any circumstances due to country-specific regulations. Customers traveling with trained assistance and emotional support animals on an international itinerary are solely responsible for researching and complying with applicable laws, requirements, and/or procedures of each country on the Customer’s itinerary with respect to the acceptance of trained assistance and emotional support animals.
View Service Animal Relief Area locations by airport
Emotional Support Animals
Animals used for a Customer's emotional support are accepted in the cabin. Emotional support animals will be allowed to travel on flights to/from all domestic and international destinations with the exception of Jamaica. No animals will be allowed to travel to/from Jamaica on Southwest Airlines under any circumstances due to country-specific regulations. In order for a Customer to travel with an emotional support animal, the Customer must provide to a Southwest Airlines Employee current documentation (not more than one year old) on letterhead from a mental health professional or medical doctor who is treating the Customer's mental health-related disability stating:
The Passenger has a mental or emotional disability recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fourth Edition (DSM IV)
The Passenger needs the emotional support of psychiatric service animal as an accommodation for air travel and/or for activity at the passenger's destination
The individual providing the assessment is a licensed mental health professional or medical doctor, and the Passenger is under his or her professional care AND
The date and type of mental health professional's or medical doctor's license and the state or other jurisdiction in which it was issued
Printable instructions for Traveling with an Emotional Support Animal (PDF).
Assistance and emotional support animals must be trained to behave in a public setting. Customers traveling with an assistance animal or an emotional support animal cannot sit in an emergency exit seat.
Southwest Airlines does not accept therapy dogs for transportation. Also, we do not accept unusual or exotic animals including, but not limited to, rodents, reptiles, insects, hedgehogs, rabbits, sugar gliders, etc.
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I would like to know what shots my servic god needs before she can fly and can I bring dog treats on the plane for her ?
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Is my ESA considered my carry on item, personal item or neither?
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What is an ESA? (Personally, I like the idea of a European Snack Association (feed the plane!), but I doubt that is what you are asking about.)
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@CareforNOLA Emotional support animal, BUT I like your idea MUCH BETTER. I love Southwest's pretzels and honey roasted peanuts, but some imported snacks could be a fun change.
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I bring my emotional support micro pig on every flight. I had to give up my ESA Llama because he kept biting other passengers.
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I have traveled on Southwest with my service dog diamond a few times now and each time I get a different story last time the manager in Las Vegas McCarran airport told me that there was a form downloadable on the southwest site to get filled out by my doctor I am not finding that form.
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This is the most helpful information that I've found. Thank you!
To clarify, I want to verify the following:
• my 12lb dog who provides emotional support for me may sit on my lap as long as he is not larger than a 2 year old child
• his carrier needs to collapse to fit under the seat in front of me, but he is not required to reside in it under the seat
• his carrier can be higher than 8.5" to accommodate his height as long as the carrier can be stowed under the seat. it seems that width and length would be more of an issue than height if it is a soft-sided case.
• I only need a letter from my therapist about my conditions
• do I need to check in with him at the ticket counter or is that only for regular pet travel?
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Hi Betsy! Visit the Customers with Disabilities page and click the Emotional Support Animals link in the left margin for full details. We hope to see you both onboard a Southwest flight soon!
Community Manager
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if you have a real service dog, you should know that PA is granted to all places for you, including airlines.