How to add esa to southwest flight?

In this post, we’ll go over Southwest Airlines’ pet policy so you know exactly what you need to do to ensure your beloved pet has a great flight.

Southwest Airlines allows small vaccinated cats and dogs who are at least 8 weeks old to fly in the cabin under a seat on domestic itineraries. Of course, it’s not quite that simple as there are other regulations to follow and even a few exceptions to the rules.

Most Southwest flights will allow up to 6 pet carriers in the cabin, however, some circumstances may reduce or even increase this number. Each customer is allowed 1 pet carrier (with a maximum of 2 pets of the same species) per flight. Pet reservations are on a first come, first served basis.

If you’re traveling with a pet, you’ll need to check them in at the airport ticket counter before your flight.

Pets that are too big to fit under the seat won’t be able to fly on Southwest Airlines, as pets can’t travel as checked luggage.

Before flying, make sure your pet is comfortable in its carrier. Pets exhibiting disruptive behavior can be denied boarding. According to Southwest Airlines, this includes:

Additionally, pets are required to remain in their carriers for the entire flight and should be able to stand up and move around freely inside the carrier. If you’re traveling with a pet, you won’t be allowed to sit in an exit row or the bulkhead. Lastly, unaccompanied minors are not allowed to travel with a pet carrier.

Bottom Line: Southwest Airlines allows passengers to bring a cat or dog on domestic flights as a carry-on item. The pet must be vaccinated, at least 8 weeks old, and it must fit in a pet carrier that goes underneath the seat. Pets can’t travel as checked luggage.

You’ll need an approved pet carrier to bring your furry friends on a Southwest Airlines flight. Each carrier can contain up to 2 pets of the same species and each ticketed passenger is allowed to travel with 1 pet carrier.

Your pet carrier must conform to these specifications:

Your pet must be in a carrier in the gate area, during boarding and deplaning, and for the entire duration of the flight. It must also be able to stand up and move freely in the carrier.

The pet carrier counts toward your carry-on baggage allowance as either a personal item or carry-on bag. Refer to Southwest Airlines’ baggage requirements for specifics.

Hot Tip: Learn more about the best travel dog crates and carriers in our detailed guide, or check out Southwest’s branded pet carrier (shown above).

Passengers can’t bring pets to or from Hawaii on a Southwest Airlines flight. Passengers traveling between Hawaiian Islands are permitted to bring a cat or dog as long as all of Southwest’s pet policies are followed.

There are additional regulations regarding bringing animals into Puerto Rico. You may need to supply an official interstate health certificate from a USDA-approved veterinarian from your home state before entry is allowed. Pets traveling to Puerto Rico may also be subject to additional regulations.

Cremated pet remains are allowed as a carry-on item as long as they are in a container that can be screened by TSA. It’s recommended that they be carried in a plastic or cardboard container as opposed to an urn or opaque container. If the container can’t be screened by x-ray, it will not be permitted through the TSA security checkpoints. Any urns or containers that can’t be screened will not be opened for a physical inspection. An approved temporary container will usually be provided by the crematorium.

Cremated pet remains can’t be transported in your checked luggage.

Trained service animals aren’t considered pets and therefore aren’t bound by Southwest’s pet policy.

To travel with a trained service dog, you’ll need to provide a completed U.S. Department of Transportation Service Animal Air Transportation Form at the ticket counter or gate on the day of travel. Trained service animals must be leashed or harnessed at all times and must be well-behaved. Any trained service animals that exhibit disruptive behavior (growling, biting, excessive barking, etc.) may be denied boarding.

Therapy animals, including emotional support pets, or other animals that do not meet the requirements of a trained service animal can fly as a pet.

Onboard the aircraft, service animals can’t occupy exit rows and can’t sit in a seat or in the aisle.

A customer traveling with a service animal may bring an additional animal as a pet, but an additional seat must be purchased if the service animal is “larger than a child under the age of 2,” according to Southwest, and the pet needs to travel underneath the seat in front of the extra seat.

Bottom Line: Trained service animals aren’t considered pets and aren’t subject to the pet policies on Southwest Airlines.

There’s a fee of $95 one-way for each pet carrier on Southwest Airlines. The good news is that pet fares are refundable, so if your plans change or your flight is canceled you’ll get your money back.

You’ll need to pay the pet fee with a credit card as you can’t use a Southwest gift card, flight credit, or LUV Voucher as payment for a pet fee.

To make a reservation for your pet on Southwest Airlines, call 800-I-FLY-SWA (800-435-9792).

Bottom Line: Each pet carrier brought on to a Southwest Airlines flight can contain up to 2 dogs or 2 cats. There is a $95 fee each way per pet carrier.

Traveling with a pet can add extra stress to a travel day. If you’re traveling on Southwest Airlines with your cat or dog, you’ll want to ensure the animal fits comfortably in a pet carrier that can easily slide under a seat on the plane.

Make sure your pet is well fed and has had access to a pet relief area as it will need to stay in the carrier for the entire flight.

Don’t forget to call Southwest to make a reservation for your pet as the number of pets allowed on each flight is limited. You’ll need to pay a $95 pet fee, which is thankfully refundable if your plans change.

If you have an emotional support animal or psychiatric service dog, you probably take your support animal with you as you travel. Due to the U.S. Department of Transportation's 2021 policy changes, airlines are not required to let ESAs fly. If you want to travel with your ESA or PSD, here's what you need to know about the Southwest Airlines ESA policy.

Starting in January 2021, the DOT does not classify ESAs as service animals. Southwest Airlines must approve service dogs for travel, including psychiatric service animals. The only exceptions are if a passenger tries to bring an aggressive service animal or more than two animals aboard.

If you have a psychiatric service dog, you're entitled to fly with it on Southwest Airlines. To prove that your dog is a psychiatric service dog and not an ESA, sign up for a consultation with a certified mental health expert at Pettable. If you're approved, you'll receive a letter confirming that your pet is a service dog and that you're entitled to keep it with you.

If your dog helps you address the symptoms of a diagnosed mental health condition, it qualifies as a psychiatric service dog under the Southwest Airlines pet policy. To fly with your service dog, first ensure that your dog is ready for travel. Make accommodations for your dog to relieve itself, or ensure that the flight is short enough that it will not have to urinate or defecate. Take your psychiatric service dog out in public so that it can get used to being around strangers

Next, fill out the U.S. Department of Transportation Service Animal Air Transportation form. This form asks for your name and information about your service dog, such as whether the animal was individually trained and whether or not it is up to date with required vaccinations. When you check in at the ticket counter, bring the completed form. You may also be required to show it when you arrive at your gate. Don't be surprised if public and airline employees ask questions about your service dog's purpose.

Unlike with pets, the Southwest Airlines service dog policy does not require you to put your dog in a crate or carrier for the flight. Instead, you must keep your service animal in a harness or on a leash at all times.

Once you board the aircraft, make sure that your dog is not in anyone else's way and that you're not in an emergency exit seat. Do not put your psychiatric service dog on your tray table or on the seat next to you, even if the seat is unoccupied. You can keep your dog on your lap, at your feet, or in a carrier under the row in front of you.

To prove that your dog is not an ESA, use Pettable's services to get a letter certifying that you're a qualified individual with a PSD. First, take a short survey to see whether your dog qualifies as an ESA or PSD. If your pet is the latter, Pettable sets up a virtual meeting between you and a licensed therapist. Your therapist asks you about your mental health condition, how your dog helps you manage your condition, and whether it is officially or individually trained. 24 hours following this consultation, if you and your dog meet the requirements, you will receive a letter from your therapist certifying that your dog is a PSD and is therefore entitled to positive and accessible travel.

The Air Carrier Access Act is a law that was initially passed in 1986. This law makes it illegal to prevent people from flying because of their disabilities. Because of this law, airlines such as Southwest Airlines cannot set caps on how many people with disabilities can join a particular flight, nor can they mandate that people with disabilities disclose their conditions before takeoff. They must also ensure that their planes are accessible to people with disabilities.

Under the ACAA, Southwest Airlines previously treated ESAs the same as service dogs, allowing them to stay with passengers during flights. Around the same time, airline personnel shared numerous concerns about people abusing the ESA policy. Passengers began using the policy to bring pets onboard even if these animals were not trained to provide mental or emotional support during the flight.

In response to these issues and the new DOT regulations, Southwest Airlines no longer accepts the ACAA as a valid reason to bring an ESA aboard. Beginning on March 1, 2021, only official service dogs such as PSDs can remain with passengers during Southwest flights. As per the DOT ruling, Southwest Airlines continues to recognize that mental disabilities are valid grounds for bringing service dogs aboard the aircraft.

Since the change in regulations, ESAs that do not qualify as PSDs must follow the regulations for standard pets. ESAs are welcome on all domestic flights, except those to Hawaii, as long as they stay in their carriers. Under this new Southwest Airlines ESA policy, only cats and dogs qualify for transport. Although some people consider horses, birds, and other animals their ESAs, these pets cannot travel as service animals.

An emotional support animal is a pet that comforts its owner by providing companionship. ESAs generally do not have specialized skills, but they provide calming or protective presences for their owners.

Psychiatric service dogs perform some of the same functions as ESAs. The difference is that PSDs know how to perform tasks that address their owners' mental health conditions. Some PSDs go through extensive training before being assigned to their owners, while some people with mental disabilities train their own PSDs.

Southwest Airlines continues to support PSDs after the DOT's new ESA ruling. There are some policies to know before traveling with your service dog, though.

Southwest Airlines mandates that service dog owners complete the DOT form for Service Animal Air Transportation before checking into their flights. The form requires users to attest that their dogs have been vaccinated against rabies, but it does not request proof of vaccination. The airline also recommends that service dog owners also read through the Pet Policy to clarify that their dogs qualify as trained service animals.

Southwest does not require you to give advance notice about your service dog's presence. If you'd like to expedite your check-in process, when you purchase your ticket, include information about your service dog under the "Special Assistance" tab. You can also call 1-800-435-9792 (the main customer service line) to add details about your service dog.

The new ESA policy treats ESAs that aren't official PSDs as pets. As a result, having a letter verifying that your pet is an emotional support animal will not change its ability to stay with you on the plane. Unlike with service dogs, you must let Southwest Airlines know that you are bringing your ESA. If more than six animals requiring pet carriers hold existing reservations, airline employees have the right to refuse your reservation.

Read through these pet regulations before contacting airline employees regarding your animal's accommodations.

It costs $95 to transport a cat or dog in its pet carrier on a Southwest flight. All service dogs that are listed on the animal air transportation form can travel for free, and only dogs can take advantage of this free flight.

The DOT service animal air policy changes do not allow airlines to deny service dogs transportation on the basis of their breeds. Southwest can refuse flight space to trained service dogs if those animals exhibit disruptive behavior. Like other US airlines, the company cannot have blanket bans against pit bull terriers, rottweilers, or any other breeds.

All pets on Southwest Airlines flights must be in carriers that are no more than 18.5" long, 9.5" high, and 10" wide. If you don't have a pet carrier that meets these requirements, Southwest offers its own pet carrier that you can purchase for pet or service animal air transportation.

Southwest Airlines' rules for animals in the cabins vary based on where you're traveling.

Pets and service dogs are allowed on domestic flights departing from airport locations in the continental United States and Alaska. Because Hawaii does not have any cases of rabies, Southwest Airlines remains committed to transporting only service dogs to this state.

For international flights, Southwest Airlines does not allow the transport of untrained animals in the cabins. Service animals must travel with the DOT service animal air form. You can bring trained service dogs abroad with you provided that you're traveling to a safe country. For example, the United States Department of Agriculture can ban the movement of dogs from countries that have high instances of rabies.

When flying on Southwest flights into the US, only a trained service animal may accompany you. Additionally, you are limited to only one pet carrier per person, even if you have multiple trained service animals.

When you're flying with emotional support animals or trained service dogs, getting ready to leave takes more effort than when you're traveling solo. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.

It's easier for you, your service animal, and the other customers traveling if you plan this trip well in advance. Contact Southwest to verify that you're bringing an ESA or PSD with you and that your assigned seat is not near an emergency exit. Make sure that you have plenty of food and water for your companion and that it has a bone or toy.

You can bring either a personal item or a service animal into your aisle. If you're storing a pet carrier at your feet, you're still only allowed to bring one carry-on item. Figure out how to condense your luggage, or pay for an extra checked bag.

A few weeks before your existing reservations, practice flying with your pet. Put it into the carrier, grab everything you need, and drive to the airport. Figure out if you'll need help transporting everything from your car to the terminal, and see how early you need to arrive.

Get answers to some of the frequently asked questions about preparing ESAs and PSDs for air travel.

Yes. Southwest does not charge customers for the animal when flying with service dogs, including PSDs.

Southwest allows ESA dogs, but only service dogs can fly without fees or carriers. To address numerous concerns raised about the abuse of ESA classifications, ESAs that are not PSDs must fly as pets.

Yes. Because ESAs are not qualified to work or perform tasks that support their owners' mental health, Southwest can deny ESAs room on a flight because of space concerns or aggressive behavior. They can also prevent ESAs from flying if passengers do not comply with in-cabin stowage requirements or payments.

If you want to guarantee that your ESA dog can fly with you, WestJet, Volaris, Latam Airlines, Asiana Air, Air France, China Airlines, KLM, Singapore Air, and Lufthansa still allow ESAs. Each airline has its own weight restrictions and other applicable requirements.

With this revision, we will only allow service dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a qualified individual with a disability to travel with the Customer. The types of disability include a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability, and only dogs will be accepted (including those for psychiatric service)—no other species will be accepted as a trained service animal.

We applaud the Department of Transportation’s recent ruling that allows us to make these important changes to address numerous concerns raised by the public and airline employees regarding the transport of untrained animals in the cabins of aircraft. Southwest Airlines continues to support the ability of qualified individuals with a disability to bring trained service dogs for travel and remains committed to providing a positive and accessible travel experience for all of our Customers with disabilities.

As part of this change, Customers traveling with trained service dogs now must present a complete, and accurate, DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form at the gate or ticket counter on their day of travel to affirm a service animal’s health, behavior, and training. Customers should complete the form, which will be available both on the airline’s website and at airport locations, after booking their travel.