Southwest Airlines Community

@honduh8 wrote:   Well the rules have changed since 2020. ESA's a no longer allowed.   You certainly have the right to fly with your service dog, and by your description of your situation you do need a service dog.   I hope you find a way to control your seizures, but if not you do have your 130 pound friend there to help out. A very good friend indeed.   All the best to you...   ... View more

This is always a touchy subject, as there are many people out there that love their pets as if they were children, and there are other people who have real mental health issues who truly  need an emotional support animal to get by. The difficulty is trying to understand the difference between the two groups of people. Those who "love" their pets and insist they can control them and that they are loving and wouldn't hurt a fly (etc.) are the problem - they try to bring their animals on board an aircraft and the animals can't be controlled. They aren't real service animals and they should not be allowed to board in my view. We need better policies around what qualifies as an emotional support animal and when/how one can bring an animal on board, because apparently people are getting around current policy and bringing non-emotional support animals on board.    --Jessica ... View more

I lost a significant amount of my hearing from an autoimmune disorder. I can't hear soft noises or any higher pitched sounds such as a SMOKE DETECTOR, CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR, POLICE AND AMBULANCE SIRENS, TORNADO SIRENS, RATTLESNAKES, doorbells, kitchen timers, rattlesnakes, and etc... I am blessed with a hearing alert service dog that alerts me upon hearing such important sounds. I have never experienced a fire or CO2 poisoning in my home, but my service dog alerted me to a timber rattlesnake that was within 2 yards of my feet and a tornado siren (when visiting my elderly mother in Oklahoma).   This is the USA.  There are rights for people with disabilities in the USA.  My hearing alert service dog weighs 4.6 pounds and you may believe it is just a pet, but I depend upon my service dog to save my life.  I hope I never have to meet you or sit anywhere near you on a SW flight with my service dog. @LizF wrote: I lost a significant amount of my hearing from an autoimmune disorder. I can't hear soft noises or any higher pitched sounds such as a SMOKE DETECTOR, CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR, POLICE AND AMBULANCE SIRENS, TORNADO SIRENS, RATTLESNAKES, doorbells, kitchen timers, rattlesnakes, and etc... I am blessed with a hearing alert service dog that alerts me upon hearing such important sounds. I have never experienced a fire or CO2 poisoning in my home, but my service dog alerted me to a timber rattlesnake that was within 2 yards of my feet and a tornado siren (when visiting my elderly mother in Oklahoma).   This is the USA.  There are rights for people with disabilities in the USA.  My hearing alert service dog weighs 4.6 pounds and you may believe it is just a pet, but I depend upon my service dog to save my life.  I hope I never have to meet you or sit anywhere near you on a SW flight with my service dog.   Right, but that's not an emotional support animal. That's a real, legitimate service dog who provides true service that is vital to your health, life, and independence. Also, service animals are highly trained. An awful lot of ESAs are not.  ... View more