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What are flying tips for passengers with dog or cat allergies? We got the following email from a TravelSort reader: “I have severe dog allergies and avoid flying due to the number of dogs taken on flights these days, but I have required work travel coming up. Are there airlines that limit the number of service dogs on board or that are more friendly to passengers with severe animal allergies?”
With around 10-20 percent of the population allergic to dogs or cats, and more dogs being taken on U.S. airlines than a couple decades ago, this is a timely topic. While we can't recommend a particular U.S. airline that will necessarily have fewer dogs, since all airlines are subject to the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), which requires airlines to accept service dogs (subject to size and behavior restrictions), here are our tips:
1. Avoid Bulkhead Seats; Choose an Exit Row Seat
Bulkhead seats are typically used for passengers with special needs, such as a wheelchair user, a passenger with an infant (if a bassinet can be attached to the wall), a passenger with a service animal, etc. Avoid selecting a seat here, since it could put you in closer proximity to a service animal.
Instead, consider paying to select an exit row seat, since typically passengers with service animals are prohibited from sitting in an exit row where one might need to open the aircraft door in the event of an emergency.
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2. Wear a Face Mask and Have Medication Ready
For passengers with severe animal allergies, a face mask is crucial to prevent breathing in animal dander; goggle or protective eyewear may be necessary as well. Be sure to have antihistamine tablets, asthma inhaler, and any other needed medication on hand, and also consider bringing a seat cover since passengers wearing clothing with animal dander could have sat in the seat before you.
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3. Advise the Airline of Your Allergy at Time of Booking
Be sure to advise the airline of your dog or cat allergy at time of booking, so that it can seek to put other passengers with a service animal or pet further away from you.
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4. If Seated Too Close to an Animal On Board, Ask to Be Reseated
If despite alerting the airline you find yourself seated too close to a service animal or pet on board, ask the flight crew to be reseated.
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5. For Domestic Travel, Choose Hawaii. For International Travel, Choose Japan
While this poster didn't specify the travel destination, which may be domestic U.S., for highly those with severe dog allergies who want to avoid a number of dogs in the cabin, a good bet for a destination is Japan. Japan is a rabies-free country, so unless a passenger with a service animal is coming from another rabies-free country such as Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, and a few others, s/he must go through an arduous process involving vaccinating the animal for rabies twice, getting a rabies antibody test, and waiting at least 180 days after the rabies antibody test to be able to bring the service animal with them. That means it's much less likely to have service dogs on board, reducing one's chance of exposure.
Additionally, while service dogs can be brought on domestic flights in Japan, Japan has a stricter service dog definition, limiting service dogs to those that assist with a physical disability such as guide dogs for blind or deaf people. JAL and ANA do not accept pets for transport in the passenger cabin, only in cargo, so that also cuts down on the number of animals in the cabin. Plus, shinkansen bullet trains and other trains are ideal for quite a bit of domestic travel in Japan, reducing the need to travel by air.
Similarly, for domestic travel, Hawaii can be a better bet because it's rabies-free and has stricter requirements than other U.S. states for service dogs to enter, including having passed the OIE-FAVN test with a level of 0.5 I.U. rabies antibody or greater.
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