Poor animals... It is not a decent animal life to be dragged all around.

As a disabled person please knock this off! Our teams are in danger. Our dogs have been attacked by untrained 'support,' animals. I have almost been thrown from my chair. You are making it so hard for us to move in the world

Are there no rules in the US about service animals? Here you can't just print out your own label and call whatever animal you want a service animal. It's ridiculous! Also, most of these animals are completely stressed out and not suitable for this 'work' at all.

There is a huge difference between service animals, emotional support animals and therapy animals. The only animal that should be allowed to travel in-cabin (aside from the small dog/cat that fits under the seat) are service animals. Service animals provide a much needed function for their owners. The rest are basically pets. Period. I realize that a person will justify and throw a tantrum because their "emotional support" snake can't fly with them but the snake (aside from a warped imaginary "emotional" connection) cannot provide emotional support. Period.

Please don't add to the confusion - #2 is NOT an emotional support animal as claimed in your headline. A "service animal" is entirely different from an ESA, and miniature horses and dogs are the only two species recognized in the US as service animals. People with service animals struggle constantly to make the distinction clear, because there's no such thing as a registered service animal, and flying with service animals is specifically protected by law, unlike ESAs.

I used to volunteer with the blind and some people choose to use miniature horses as guide animals because they can work for 25-30 years. Dogs can only be guided for 7-9 years before they must retire. It can become very difficult to say so many goodbyes. I suspect some of the horses/ponies were actually trained guide animals.

Just forbid any kind of animal in the traveler area. This is beyond ridiculous. You can not fly without your pig, ya should not fly at all!

OK, it seems that I live on another planet (or just maybe on the other side of this planet), because I've never heard of "emotional support animal", let alone the one that belongs on board.

Some of these people are going overboard. Wild animals should be left in their natural habitat and not forced into tight cramped airplanes

In my country, there are no emotional support animals, only service dogs. I wonder how people manage to travel.

This all is completely insane and absurd. For firsts, it's animal abuse. Secondly, it's disrespect of other pax whom they egotistically don't give a s**t about. Looking at the level of hell those 'in need of support' raise when denied their kink at the gate, their biggest problem is how to maintain the prince/princess status and seek more attention at all costs. Their plane of existence is completely different from that of individuals with real support needs.

I know from friends in the US that they had their dog registered as a support animal just to be able to take him on flights. When they got a second dog, they said they'll be doing the same thing. I don't get this, how it can be so easy to get a pet registered. (And is it just an American thing? never heard of this anywhere else)

Let me bring my two cats on a plane, i will call them emotional support cats, until they freak out and rip the s**t outta everyone on that plane trying to find a way out of there.

What every person who needs an "emotional support animal" really needs is an emotional support person. Some day, one of these animals is going to cause a disaster (or near disaster) and and they will be banned... if legislators and airline regulators are doing their jobs. Only trained, real service animals (of the sort used by the blind) should be allowed in public arenas. Maybe it's time to legally authorize them through Congress so those sort of animals (and only those sort) can be licensed.

I would much rather sit next to a turkey than a screaming kid. 11hr flight with a baby continually whine-screaming, only pausing to take breaths. Eleven. Solid. Hours. Passengers were coming undone. When does it stop screaming? The very second we land. And what do parents say? 'Aww, you should have supported the mom and dad of the baby'. Well, we did - for the first 4 hours. People tried. Then none of us could take it any more. Know who remained unaffected? The parents. There should be separate flights for babies. Yes, I know I'm so evil for saying that. I'll take turkeys, ponies, peacocks, squirrels or hamsters any freaking day or someone's snotty nosed, scream-whining offspring.

(1) I think this is cruel to the animals. It's unnatural and has to be frightening for most of them. So to soothe a human's anxiety we must make an animal anxious? (2) Why should I have to pay for a ticket to ride with a horse or pig that will in all likelihood take a dump or be disruptive? (3) I'm not sold on the fact that there are this many people who need animal binkies. Maybe they want animal binkies, but I'm not sold on the fact that they actually need them. Airlines should limit the type of animal that is considered a service animal and they should alert other passengers to their presence so we can choose another flight or if enough passengers protest riding with a horse, the anxiety-ridden human can choose another flight. This whole attitude of caving into a single person at the expense of many others has gotten so far out of control that it's ridiculous.

Also - how on earth can turkeys or peacocks be support pets - they are both bloody vicious birds?