As far as allergies and asthma go they actually are a recognized type of disability under the ADA... I am not at all comparing them to any other disabilities but they can be very serious. http://www.aafa.org/page/asthma-allergies-and-the-american-with-disabilities-act.aspx Allergies and Asthma can certainly be life and death! There was a comment about possibly assigning designated rows to horses, cats etc- just to let you know, this unfortunately would not work. Once the animal dander and hair is in the ventilation systems, the seat cushions, carpets, etc there is no going back. Those teenie tiny danders and hairs are what trigger allergies and asthma. The airplanes would have to be completely pet free aircrafts (hypoallergenic) if Southwest truly cared and wanted to keep all passengers out of danger and risk. They would not be able to switch an aircraft back and forth- it would have to remain a designated pet free aircraft to ensure health and safety of passengers. As far as taking medicine or having an allergy shot before a flight? We have tried several different over the counter and prescription meds/nasal sprays. Some simply just don't work and some have terrible side effects per person. If you know anything about allergy shots/immunotherapy it is not simply just a one time shot- it is a very long 2-3 year commitment getting an allergy shot about 2-3 times each week to try to build up an immunity to certain allergans. In about 30% of the cases (even after the 2-3 years) this procedure actually does not work. I am in the process of trying it and thus far have not experienced any relief. I agree with the post about airplanes keeping planes peanut free for allergies, but not willing to keep them allergy free for those who have life/death reactions to animals that are not hypoallergenic. That does concern me that Southwest is not taking this seriously and did not do their research before making their decision. Is Southwest planning on having a medical staff on each flight to prepare for medical emergencies they know this will cause? There was a comment about just taking an allergy pill- well in reverse I wouldn't say to someone with anxiety "well don't bring a live animal, just take your SSRIs medication pill before you fly and you'll be fine" which I would definitely not say. I have to say that I do get anxiety and anxious over flying, so I do completely understand the stresses people go through. I stand behind everyone and their own personal conditions. We do our very best to avoid situations where we know that we will come in contact with certain allergies/animals and if there is a situation we are in where we feel our throats getting tight, our eyes watering, coughing, sneezing, wheezing, etc, we immediately get out of that situation, room or house as soon as possible. Being 30,000 feet in the sky would obviously not be as easy of a situation to get out of and it would be quite scary!
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