by Kate » Tue Jul 04, 2017 11:51 pm
I can actually see an argument for a support animal of any variety to fly in the cabin of a plane: the cargo hold is dangerous. Animals die in cargo holds all the time. If I need my emotional support cat to function and my mother is dying in California and I live in Maryland, even if I can get through the plane ride without the help (flying is, after all, highly stressful for a lot of people) I will need my cat in California. Preferably alive. The same goes with a monkey; yes, flight attendants may be excellent at doing everything my monkey normally does for me, but I will need my service animal to be alive and not traumatized by the end of the flight.
I probably won't ever fly with my cat because though I probably could get her certified as an emotional support animal, people can be highly allergic and my need to travel by plane is not more important than anyone else's. But I can see why someone who is fully dependant on a support animal could face a situation where it is either fly with animal on lap or don’t go at all.