A service dog strolls through the isle inside a United Airlines plane at Newark Liberty International Airport while taking part of a training exercise, Saturday, April 1, 2017, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
The government has decided that when it comes to air travel, only dogs can be service animals, and companions used for emotional support don't count.
The Transportation Department issued a final rule Wednesday that aims to settle years of tension between airlines and passengers who bring their pets on board for free by saying they need them for emotional support.
Under the final rule, which takes effect in 30 days, a service animal is a dog trained to help a person with a disability.
For years, the department required airlines to allow animals with passengers who had a doctor's note saying they needed the animal for emotional support. Airlines believed passengers abused the rule to bring a menagerie of animals on board including cats, turtles, pigs, and in one case, a peacock.
The new rule will likely force those passengers to check their animals into the cargo hold — for a fee — or leave them at home.
The rule requires airlines to treat dogs trained to help people with psychiatric issues the same as other service animals. Advocates for veterans and others had pushed for that.
Airlines will be able to require owners to vouch for the dog's health, behavior, and training. Airlines can require people with a service dog to turn in paperwork up to 48 hours before a flight, but they can't bar those travelers from checking in online like other passengers.
Airlines can require service dogs to be leashed at all times, and they can bar dogs that show aggressive behavior. There have been incidents of emotional-support animals biting passengers.
President Joe Biden highlighted progress in chipping away at so-called junk fees as a “win for consumers” Thursday, as he met at the White House with executives from Live Nation, Airbnb and other companies that have taken steps to embrace more transparent pricing.
Ed Siddell, CEO and chief investment officer with EGSI Financial, joined Cheddar News to discuss Thursday's positive trading session in what Siddell called "a year of momentum" as investors continue to digest a heavy amount of news that includes monetary policy, inflation concerns, banking fears and some positive economic data.
Rivian is expanding into New York City and launching its first showroom there. Cheddar News took a look at the showroom in NYC that the company is calling "spaces," which is intended to be experiential retail locations to woo new customers.
Rebecca Walser, certified financial planner and wealth strategist, offers tips on how to avoid money mistakes, develop healthy spending habits, and pay off debts.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday it hopes to weed out false or misleading animal-welfare claims on meat and poultry packaging with new guidance and testing.
