# CAN YOU TRAVEL WITH YOUR EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMAL?

- Link: https://www.alquimedez.com/can-you-travel-with-your-emotional-support-animal
- Published: 2021-09-13T03:34:04+00:00
- Author: alquimedezhemo

People who experience anxiety associated to travelling and those who have never 
travelled without an ESA fear travelling alone. People who are used to travelling
with their ESA feel a newfound sense of freedom. Even if it is your first time travelling
with a support animal, there is nothing to be shy or scared of. You are just using
your legal right. Travelling with a pet can be extremely beneficial for people with
aerophobia. Studies show that there are less chances of a person to feel anticipated
and nervous when they are with their pets or support animals.

To travel with your emotional support animal, you must have an ESA letter by a Licensed
Medical Health Professional. You show the ESA letter to the airline 48 hours in 
advance. The airlines cannot charge you any fees or deposit for travelling with 
your support animal. However, the ESA will only be allowed in the plane if he is
calm and well behaved in public. He should have basic training like understanding
hand and verbal signals. If your ESA does not comply with the rules and requirements
of the airline, then despite having an official ESA letter you can’t travel with
it. You and your ESA will sit in the cabin. But the animal will be kept in a pet
carrier to restrict its movements in the cabin.

Your service or support animal does not count towards a carry on allotment. Airports
have additional state and requirements for transporting these animals. The airline
would refuse to transport the support or service animals if it engages in disruptive
and aggressive behavior such as barking excessively, not in need of the passenger’s
distress or need, growling, biting, relieving in the gate area or cabin, jumping
on attendants and other passengers, eating off seat belts and tray tables.

There are no hard and fast rules to travel with your support animal. The rules and
policies for transportation of animals vary for each airline. But it is necessary
to have an ESA recommendation letter from your doctor that should state that due
to certain health conditions you can’t be travelling without your ESA. The letter
must have the licensed mental health professional’s qualification, license number,
state that issued the license and it must be written on the LMHP’s letterhead. Some
airlines require that the comfort animal prescription must be issued within the 
last twelve months, but a prescription is a misnomer for an ESA, it is rather a 
recommendation letter.

The body of the ESA letter must have the details about the diagnoses of the disability
by the doctor according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(
DSM V). It must determine that according to the doctor, the support animal’s presence
is necessary for the person to travel with ease. The patient is under the care of
LMHP. The license number of the LMHP, state of license and date of issuance shall
be up to date.

Some airlines may also ask you for an additional documents or call your therapist
to confirm that the recommendation letter is a legitimate one. This prevents abuse
by passengers who do not need mental support.