Southwest Airlines no longer accepts emotional support animals. Since the U.S. Department of Transportation’s 2021 rule, Southwest treats an emotional support animal as a pet: small dogs and cats travel under Southwest’s paid pet policy in an approved carrier, and there is no free cabin access for support animals. Only trained service dogs — dogs individually trained to perform tasks for a person with a disability — fly free in the cabin, and Southwest requires its service animal form for them.
Does Southwest accept emotional support animals?
No. Southwest does not accept emotional support animals as service animals and gives them no free cabin access. Like every major airline, Southwest followed the 2021 DOT rule and stopped recognizing emotional support animals. On Southwest an emotional support animal is now handled as a pet, not as a service animal. If your animal is an ESA and not a trained service dog, plan around Southwest’s pet policy.
Why Southwest stopped accepting ESAs
The Department of Transportation revised the Air Carrier Access Act rules and, effective in 2021, defined a service animal as a dog trained to do tasks for a disability — and let airlines stop treating emotional support animals as service animals. Southwest updated its policy accordingly. So the change on this airline was federal, not a Southwest decision alone, and it matches what American, Delta, and United did at the same time.
What Southwest accepts: trained service dogs
Southwest’s cabin is open free of charge to trained service dogs. Under the DOT definition, a service dog is a dog individually trained to perform tasks for a disability — guide dogs, mobility dogs, medical-alert dogs, and psychiatric service dogs all qualify. Southwest accepts these trained service animals in the cabin at no charge when the dog is leashed and under control and the required form is submitted. Emotional support animals do not meet this trained-task standard.
Southwest's service animal form
To fly a service dog on Southwest, you must submit the DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form attesting the dog is a trained service animal in good health and behavior. Southwest asks travelers to complete this form before travel. It replaced the old ESA-letter process — an emotional support animal letter no longer gets an animal into Southwest’s cabin free of charge.
Flying an ESA as a pet on Southwest
If your animal is an emotional support animal, you can still fly it on Southwest as a pet. Small vaccinated dogs and cats that fit in an approved carrier under the seat travel in the cabin for Southwest’s pet fare, subject to limits on the number of pets per flight. This is the practical route for support animals on Southwest now: book under the pet policy, meet the carrier rules, and pay the pet fare.
| Emotional support animal | Trained service dog | |
|---|---|---|
| Cabin access on Southwest | As a paid pet only, in a carrier | Free, at the traveler’s feet |
| What it must be | An animal that provides comfort | A dog trained to perform tasks for a disability |
| Fee | Southwest pet fare | No charge |
| Paperwork | Pet policy requirements | DOT service animal form |
Southwest's rules for service dogs in the cabin
Southwest accepts a trained service dog when it is leashed or harnessed and under the handler’s control and fits within the traveler’s foot space without blocking the aisle. The airline can refuse an animal that is out of control or poses a direct threat. Complete the service animal form ahead of time, arrive early, and be ready to state that the dog is required for a disability and what task it is trained to perform.
Bottom line on Southwest's ESA policy
Southwest’s emotional support animal policy is straightforward: ESAs are pets and travel only under the paid pet policy, while trained service dogs fly free with the DOT form. The 2021 DOT rule drove the change, and it applies across Southwest and every major U.S. airline. Decide whether your animal is a trained service dog or an emotional support animal before you book, and follow the matching policy.
Southwest Airlines' rules for customers traveling with animals
Southwest Airlines applies clear rules to customers traveling with animals. Southwest Airlines continues to accept trained service dogs and trained service animals free in the cabin, while emotional support animals ride as pets in a pet carrier. Customers with a support animal that is not a trained service dog use the Southwest pet fare. On a Southwest flight, a service dog must sit at the customer’s feet and cannot occupy a seat, a tray table, an emergency exit seat, or the aisle. Southwest Airlines can determine that untrained animals showing disruptive behavior are not permitted, and gate agents may act on numerous concerns raised by the public and airline employees.
Psychiatric service dogs and the Southwest service animal form
A psychiatric service dog is a trained service dog, so Southwest Airlines accepts it in the cabin free of charge — the path many former emotional support animal travelers now take for a mental disability. The Southwest emotional support animal policy routes everyone else to the pet policy. The DOT form asks whether the dog is a qualified individual’s trained service animal performing trained tasks; a gate agent at the ticket counter or gate area can ask a customer to present the completed form. Customers traveling on domestic flights should complete it before travel to avoid being denied boarding at the gate.
What Southwest expects during the flight
During a Southwest flight, flight attendants expect a trained service dog to sit quietly and remain under control; disruptive behavior can lead to removal. A trained service dog that will not sit, blocks other passengers, or shows disruptive behavior may be denied boarding. Southwest’s transportation rules treat safety as the priority, so a dog that cannot behave is handled like any untrained animal. Customers with existing reservations who switch from an emotional support animal to a trained service dog should update the reservation and bring the form to transport the dog without a problem.
Summary — what to remember
- Does Southwest accept emotional support animals
- Why Southwest stopped accepting ESAs
- What Southwest accepts: trained service dogs
- Southwest's service animal form
- Flying an ESA as a pet on Southwest
- Southwest's rules for service dogs in the cabin
- Bottom line on Southwest's ESA policy
- Southwest Airlines' rules for customers traveling with animals
- Psychiatric service dogs and the Southwest service animal form
- What Southwest expects during the flight
Common questions about southwest emotional support animal policy
Does Southwest accept emotional support animals?
No. Since the 2021 DOT rule, Southwest treats emotional support animals as pets, not service animals. An ESA travels only under Southwest’s paid pet policy in an approved carrier.
What animals fly free on Southwest now?
Only trained service dogs — dogs trained to perform tasks for a disability, including guide, mobility, medical-alert, and psychiatric service dogs — with the DOT service animal form.
Can I fly my ESA on Southwest as a pet?
Yes. A small vaccinated dog or cat that fits an approved under-seat carrier can travel in the cabin for Southwest’s pet fare, subject to the per-flight pet limit.
What form does Southwest require for a service dog?
The DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form, attesting the dog is a trained service animal in good health and behavior. Complete it before you travel.
Does an ESA letter work on Southwest?
No. An ESA letter still applies to housing under the Fair Housing Act but does nothing for Southwest air travel. Only a trained service dog with the DOT form gets free cabin access.
Can a psychiatric service dog fly on Southwest?
Yes. A psychiatric service dog is a trained service dog, so Southwest accepts it in the cabin free of charge with the DOT service animal form, under the same rules as any other service dog for a mental disability.
Sources
- Traveling by Air with Service Animals — Final Rule — U.S. Department of Transportation
- Air Carrier Access Act — U.S. Department of Transportation
- ADA Requirements: Service Animals — U.S. Department of Justice