Delta airlines has banned all pit bulls on planes — even if they’re service or support animals.
Earlier in 2018, Delta introduced a stricter selection process surrounding emotional support animals on planes, banning certain animals such as sugar gliders. Now, the airline has taken this policy even further, banning all “pit bull type dogs” as service or support animals.
Delta claims the ban is the result of recent bite incidents. According to spokesperson Ashton Kang, two Delta employees were bitten by a customer’s emotional support pit bull during the boarding process on a flight from Atlanta to Tokyo. Delta also reports that incidents involving service and support animals – including urination/defecation and biting – has increased 84% since 2016.
Though BSL is nothing new, this is the first banning of a specific dog breed by an airline. In response to the ban, Sara Enos, CEO of the American Pit Bull Foundation, started a petition asking the airline to reconsider the breed ban which would disqualify owners with medically-necessary “pit bull” service dogs from flying. In just one week, it garnered the attention of 80,000 supporters.
