The issue of “emotional support animals” has been on a very rocky wave over the last five years. In 2019, several airlines tried loosening their rules to allow travelers to bring certain pets such as cats, rabbits and smaller dogs with them into the cabin.
While intended as a way to make travelers happy and allow them to not part with beloved pets that can stay well-behaved, the liberal policy led to a number of problems and in-air incidents that pushed both the U.S. Department of Transportation to crack down and push airlines to bring back stricter restrictions for all but official service animals.
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The general rule at the “big three” airlines such as United Airlines (UAL) , Delta Air (DAL) and American Airlines (AAL) is that any pet brought within the cabin needs to meet the size requirement of 18 x 11 x 11 inches and is subject to an additional fee.