Delta is adding even more teeth to its updated support animal policy, limiting the number of emotional support animals per customer to one and banning "pit bull type dogs" as service or support animals.
Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL), which first altered its service and support animal policy in March, said in a news release Wednesday that these new updates "are the direct result of growing safety concerns following recent incidents in which several employees were bitten."
"The safety and security of Delta people and our customers is always our top priority," said Gil West, Chief Operating Officer. "We will always review and enhance our policies and procedures to ensure that Delta remains a leader in safety."
Delta said the changes follow an 84 percent increase in reported incidents involving service and support animals since 2016, including urination/defecation, biting and even a widely reported attack by a 70-pound dog. Delta said it carries approximately 700 service or support animals daily, which equates to nearly 250,000 annually.
Customers have attempted to fly with comfort turkeys, gliding possums, snakes and spiders, Delta said.
"Ignoring the true intent of existing rules governing the transport of service and support animals can be a disservice to customers who have real and documented needs," Delta said in the release.
Dog breed bans are not uncommon, with more than 900 U.S. cities enacting breed-specific legislation, and pit bulls are the most frequent target. Pit bull is a generic term generally reffering to three dog breeds of American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier or Staffordshire bull terrier. Advocate s of BSL argue that the strength of a pit bull's bite and propensity to continue an attack is dangerous. Others argue that stereotypes regarding the breed are wrong.
Kitty Block, acting CEO and president of the Humane Society of the United States, to Delta's "discriminatory policy" by calling for concerned individuals to submit comments on standards for service and emotional support animals on airplanes to the Department of Transportation by July 9.
“People across the country and the world rely on their pets for their physical and emotional well-being, and this discriminatory policy hurts them without providing any associated safety benefits," Block said in an official statement. "Federal laws in place to protect emotional support and service animals do not discriminate based on breed, but instead base exclusions solely on the behavior of the individual animal in question. We strongly encourage Delta Airlines, and any airline considering such an unnecessary and harmful policy, to reconsider. We welcome the opportunity to work with Delta and other air carriers in a proactive manner to create safe pet policies that recognize that pets truly are family."
Support animals and breed-specific concerns are not sole issue dogging airlines of late.
Shortly after altering its service animal policy, Delta drew the ire of two Boise, Idaho families when their puppies were allegedly inadvertently flown thousands of miles around the country. Delta has also been investigating how a Pomeranian named Alejandro died in the cargo hold during a stopover in Detroit earlier this month.
Chicago-based United Airlines also faced scrutiny for its publicized mishandling of animals, including the death of a French bulldog puppy that died after being placed in an overhead bin. The airline, which is a unit of United Continental Holdings Inc. (NYSE: UAL), later changed its policy to no longer accept animals other than cats and dogs, banning dozens of dog breeds from its cargo hold.
Delta Air Lines hosted their uniform launch celebration in Atlanta, Minneapolis, and Los Angeles on May 29.
