AIRLINE POLICY'S
Alaska Airlines Service Animal Policy
Traveling with a service animal
If your trip includes Hawaii or international travel, please also review the additional information below for additional documentation requirements and recommendations. Please inform the customer service agent upon arrival at the airport that you'll be traveling with a service animal so that we may account for all animals onboard the flight. There is no additional charge to travel with a working service animal. When accompanied by a service animal you may ship your animal's kennel as a checked bag free of charge. Your service animal may sit at your feet, unless the service animal is too large and obstructs an aisle or other area used for emergency evacuations. If you are traveling with a service animal, we will do everything we can to seat you in a row with the most legroom. When traveling with a service animal you are not permitted to sit in an emergency exit row. We recommend choosing a window seat, so the service animal is safe from foot traffic. A harness, tag or vest indicating status as a service animal will be helpful in distinguishing them to airport personnel. However, credible verbal assurance that the animal is providing a service to assist with a disability will suffice, should an inquiry be made. View a list of airport animal relief areas. Your service animal must occupy your own space and cannot be in a seat. Also, they cannot obstruct aisles or areas that must remain clear for emergency evacuation. If your service animal does not fit the area available, one of our customer service agents will: - Find an alternate flight with more room for you and your service animal - If your service animal is not needed during the flight, we will transport your service animal in a crate that you provide, in the climate-controlled cargo area of the aircraft. The animal will be immediately returned to the traveler upon deplaning. There is no additional charge for service animals that travel in the cargo area of the aircraft.
Traveling with an emotional support animal
You may travel with an emotional/psychiatric support animal in the cabin if you are a qualified individual with a disability and certain documentation requirements are met. Prior to boarding, you must present current documentation to one of our customer service agents. It must not be more than one year old, and it must be on letterhead from a mental health professional or medical doctor who is treating your mental health-related disability. The letter must state the following: That you have a mental or emotional disability recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fourth Edition (DSM IV) That you need the emotional support or psychiatric service animal as an accommodation for air travel and/or for activity at your destination The letter must come from a licensed mental health professional, you must be under his/her professional care. The letter MUST contain the date, the mental health professional's or medical doctor's license, and the state or other jurisdiction in which it was issued. All of the above specific criteria must be provided to accept your emotional/psychiatric support animal for travel in the passenger cabin. Advance notice is strongly recommended to ensure all paperwork is in order. When traveling with an emotional/psychiatric support animal you are not permitted to sit in an emergency exit row.