It sounds like a lot of opinions being expressed with a few facts thrown in for good measure. One thing I've noticed not mentioned is that the FAA has it's own rules. These rules, I'm told supercede any other rules relating to air travel. So I applaud SWA for their efforts in working with multiple agencies & the oh so demanding public. As a user of a support animal, I dislike the "emotional" tag is it labels me to people I don't know & who don't know me. I'm someone who endures SAD & anxiety. Nothing more and nothing less. Sure it's emotional but what right do you have to know that. AND support animals can be for reasons other than emotional. My opinion...I would like to see SWA switch back to 2 animals (not pets...service & support animals are not pets). I won't address the type of animal here because I have no experience with many of thrm. My anxiety is not serviced by my animal being caged on the floor under the seat in front of me. I applaud the women who found a way to make this work for her. It just would not for me. So no cage for my Gg, a 13 lb Bichon Frise, Shih Tzu mix. Gg is as hypoallergenic as it is possible for an animal to be. I feel for those of you with allergies to pet dander. But don't put me in the corner (sorry for the inflammatory words) I won't wear an "A"! If you didn't understand that reference you might want to improve your classics reading...even if it's the cliff notes version. Perhaps people with allergies could plan ahead a little and dose themselves with OTC allergy meds or if more is needed a visit the their doctor for an allergy shot. I have no problem with someone letting me know they have an allergy & if my hypoallergenic animal doesn't help the situation finding another seat. Personally I choose to board early with the Early Bird boarding option so others can make the decision to sit away from me. With SWA unassigned seat policy no one who plans ahead & remains vigilant during boarding should have to sit next to an animal. A word to the flight attendant as the allergy sufferer boards might help in the attendant running interference during boarding. As for behavior issues, SWA clearly outlines this in their new & existing policy. No behavior issues, no aggressive or lunging behavior allowed. I don't care for the being under voice command as someone here pointed out...some people are nonverbal. My Gg can sit, lay down, roll over, shake, wait & beg. That's all I need. As for peeing and defecating this should be enforced. However there are exceptions. What? You say. When a flight is delayed 5 hours & we're stuck in the gate area without any idea how long of a wait. Not really a situation where you can head outside of security, search out the pet waste area, get back through security & back to your gate...when you have no idea how long the delay will be. Of course this has improved recently with many, but not all airports installing pet waste areas. I do my research to determine if my airports have this option so I know. In the end what I'd like to say is let's all work together to make everyone as comfortable as possible in a usually uncomfortable situation.
... View more
