# Flying with a PSD



## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

In the US, The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) is a federal disability rights law which is under the regulatory agency, the Dept. of Transportation. Their definition of a SD is different than that used by the Dept. of Justice (DOJ). 

While the DOJ treats a Psychiatric Service Dog (PSD) the same as any other SD the DOT does not. The DOJ after facing problems with *fakers* flying their pets as a SD placed PSDs under more restrictions to fly.

A PSD can be flown with the additional restrictions:
1) The airline must be notified at least 48 hours in advance of the dog flying and 2) A recent letter (not more than one year old and on letterhead) from the handler's licensed mental health care provider must be available.


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

Excerpts from 
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 
OFFICE OF AVIATION ENFORCEMENT AND PROCEEDINGS 
WASHINGTON, DC

May 13, 2009

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions Concerning Air Travel of People with Disabilities 
Under the Amended Air Carrier Access Act Regulation


#36. Must carriers accept emotional support and 
psychiatric support animals in the aircraft cabin?

Answer: U.S. carriers must accept any emotional support or psychiatric service animal 
in the aircraft cabin consistent with applicable safety and animal health requirements and 
ensure that its foreign code share partners do the same on covered flights with respect to 
passengers traveling under the U.S. carrier’s code. Foreign carriers must accept any emotional 
support or psychiatric service dog in the aircraft cabin consistent with applicable safety 
and animal health requirements on covered flights.

and

41. For purposes of providing documentation stating a passenger’s disability-related 
need for an emotional support or psychiatric service animal, what kind of 
practitioners qualify as “licensed mental health professionals”?

Answer: Any licensed mental health professional (e.g., psychiatrist, psychologist, 
licensed clinical social worker) including a medical doctor who is specifically treating a 
passenger’s mental or emotional disability is a practitioner qualified to provide 
documentation stating the passenger’s need for an emotional support or psychiatric service 
animal. A qualified practitioner would include a general practitioner who is treating the 
passenger’s mental or emotional disability. 


42. May a carrier require that the documentation a passenger provides in order to travel 
with an animal that is used as an emotional support or psychiatric service animal 
state the passenger’s specific mental or emotional condition? 
Answer: No. A carrier may only require that a passenger’s documentation confirm that a 
passenger has a mental or emotional disability recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical 
Manual of Mental Disorders- Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), in addition to three other items 
(i.e., the passenger needs the animal for air travel and/or activity at the passenger’s 
destination, the individual providing the assessment is a licensed mental health 
professional and that passenger is under his/her care, the date and type of mental health 
professional’s license and the state or other jurisdiction in which it was issued). 


43. May a carrier accept documentation from a licensed mental health professional 
concerning a passenger’s need for a psychiatric or emotional support animal if the 
documentation is more than one year old? 
Answer: Carriers may, at their discretion, accept from the passenger with a disability 
documentation from his or her licensed mental health professional that is more than one 
year old. We encourage carriers to consider accepting “outdated” documentation in 
situations where such passenger provides a letter or notice of cancellation or other written 
communication indicating the cessation of health insurance coverage, and his/her inability 
to afford treatment for his or her mental or emotional disability. 

To read in full 
http://airconsumer.dot.gov/rules/FAQ_5_13_09.pdf


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