Starting Jan. 11, Alaska Airlines will be the first major U.S. airline to ban emotionally supportive animals.
The move comes after on December 2 the Department of Transportation revised its Air Carrier Access Act, which no longer classifies support animals as service animals.
“This policy change is welcome news, as it will help us reduce the inconvenience on board while we continue to accommodate our guests traveling with qualified service animals,” said Ray Prentice, Alaska Airline’s director of customer advocacy at a press release.
Under the new policy, the airline said passengers should complete a DOT form showing that “the animal is a legitimate service dog, is trained and vaccinated and will behave appropriately during the journey.”
Alaska said it will continue to accept emotional support animals under its current policy for flights booked before Jan. 11 and flights before or before Feb. 28.
The airline said it would not accept emotional support animals on its flights after Feb. 28, the company said.