Traveling with your emotional support animal on a flight can be a great way to keep yourself calm while flying – your trusty animal companion is there to provide you with comfort and relief during travel and once you arrive at your destination. However, not every airline recognizes emotional support animals. We give you important information about JetBlue and this airline’s emotional support animal policy so you know what to prepare yourself for during travel with your animal companion.
What Is an Emotional Support Animal?
An emotional support animal (ESA) is any animal that gives their owner comforting benefits or relief from certain mental health symptoms. Your ESA must be prescribed by a mental healthcare provider, or sometimes a doctor licensed in your state, and you must have an ESA letter to take advantage of certain protected ESA rights, such as the right to live alongside your companion animal in any suitable area of housing.
It’s important to note that ESAs are different from service animals, and service animals have much more wide-reaching public and private access rights. This is because service animals are trained to perform tasks for their owners that their owners need to get through their daily lives, while ESAs provide comfort and support to their owners to help them throughout their day. Emotional support animals are not trained.
Can I Take My Emotional Support Animal on Flights?
It might be possible to take your ESA on flights if your emotional support animal is well-behaved and fits into the airline’s requirements for onboard animals. Some airlines recognize ESAs and have looser restrictions for bringing these animals on board, while other airlines only allow certain pets on board in addition to service animals. You will need to check directly with an airline to learn about their specific pet and ESA policies.
JetBlue Emotional Support Animal: Policies to Know
JetBlue no longer recognizes emotional support animals as a legally protected animal, something that is in accordance with the updates to the federal Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA). Under this law, only service animals must be permitted onto planes without any pet fees or restrictions, and service animals can stay in the cabin of an airplane without being in a carrier. Individuals wishing to travel with their service animal must notify the airline in advance.
Emotional support animals, on the other hand, will be treated like pets by JetBlue. ESAs must be a small dog or cat, they must fit into an airline-approved carrier, and a pet fee must be paid. You should also check potential animal travel restrictions for the country you are traveling to with your pet.
Will I Need to Pay a Pet Fee for My Emotional Support Animal?
JetBlue treats emotional support animals like regular pets, so you will need to follow all pet policies, including paying a pet fee to bring your animal on board. This airline will not make any exceptions to this rule unless your companion animal is a legally recognized service animal; remember that service animals and ESAs are different, and there are different qualifications for each type of animal.
Consult JetBlue directly if you have questions about bringing your pet on board.
Can My Emotional Support Animal Be Banned From a Flight?
It is possible for your emotional support animal to be banned from a flight if they are out of control, destructive, or dangerous. Your ESA must be a cat or dog that fits into an airline-approved carrier, and they are not permitted to be free-roaming or without supervision at any time. Allowing your ESA to roam free or not ensuring your companion animal can handle air travel may result in serious issues, flight delays, and travel bans for you and your pet.
JetBlue Emotional Support Animal: Flying With Your Animal Companion
While JetBlue no longer accepts emotional support animals, and ESAs are not covered by the Air Carrier Access Act, you can still travel with your animal companion by registering them as a pet with the airline. You will need to follow all airline restrictions regarding your pet, and you may not be able to bring larger animals or non-traditional pets on board your JetBlue flight. Consult JetBlue customer service and the airline’s website for all of the procedures to know about when taking a flight with your animal companion.
