American Airlines is putting its fins, feathers and phalanges down with its passengers' emotional support pets.
Fliers can no longer claim they need their ferrets, goats, hedgehogs and spiders to ride shotgun with them, according to a statement released by the airline on Monday. That's thanks to the mounting number of incidents and creatures — like a peacock — that people say they can't be without; a total that increased by 40% from 2016 to 2017, the carrier said.
Starting on all flights after July 1 of this year, an emotional support animal "must meet a set of enhanced requirements," in order to fly.
"Emotional support and service animals must be trained to behave properly in public; they must be tethered by leash and/or harness and under your control at all times," the statement reads. "Animals won't be permitted in the cabin if they display any form of disruptive behavior that can't be successfully corrected or controlled, including but not limited to: growling, biting or attempting to bite, jumping on or lunging at people."
If an animal does any of the above at any point during the flight, it will then be considered just a "pet" and will be treated like one — fees included.
But even if a passenger somehow manages to get her tree frog to sit on command, AA compiled a list of animals that serve safety or health risks and "can't be permitted as service or emotional support animals."
The full list includes amphibians, ferrets, goats, hedgehogs, insects, reptiles, rodents, snakes, spiders, sugar gliders, farm poultry, waterfowl, game birds and birds of prey (sorry, vultures), anything with tusks, horns or hooves — except, of course, properly trained mini horses(!), — and anything "unclean" or that "has an odor."