Transportation of assistance dogs

Passengers may take an assistance dog, including a psychotherapeutic assistance dog, with them on direct flights to/from the US. The dog must be individually trained to perform tasks for a disabled person with a visual, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual or other mental disability in the same manner and to the extent specified by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations. Assistance dogs are transported free of charge on Discover Airlines flights. A maximum of two (2) assistance dogs per passenger can be transported.

Definition of assistance animal and person with disability (to fulfill 14 C.F.R. 382):
Assistance animal

• A dog, regardless of its breed or species.
• It has been individually trained to provide support to a person with disabilities.
• These can include visual, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual and other mental disabilities.
• Animal species other than dogs, emotional support animals, comfort animals, companion animals and assistance animals in training are not considered to be assistance animals.

Please note: Under 14 C.F.R. Part 382, emotional support animals are no longer classified as assistance animals under U.S. Department of Transportation regulations, and this category is no longer recognized or eligible for consideration by Discover Airlines.

Person with a disability

• A person with physical or mental impairment that may be temporary or permanent and significantly limits major life activities.
• They have proof of the disability,
• or they are recognized as a person with a disability within the meaning of 14 C.F.R. § 382.3,

(a) who, as a passenger, in order to purchase (1) a ticket for air transportation on an air carrier, offers to purchase, or endeavors in good faith, to procure, purchase, or otherwise validly obtain such a ticket, or (2) air transportation or other services or means as required by 14 C.F.R. Part 382 (i) purchases or otherwise validly obtains, or makes a good faith effort to acquire, a ticket for transportation on an air carrier and personally visits the airport to take the flight to which the ticket relates; and (ii) complies with reasonable, nondiscriminatory requirements for the contract of transportation that apply to all passengers; or
(b) who, in order to accompany or meet a person traveling, uses ground transportation or terminal facilities, or obtains information about flight timetables, fare offers, reservations, or regulations, takes any action required to use the facilities or services offered by an airline to the general public by reasonable means provided by the airline when required.

The entry of dogs into the US is heavily regulated by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Some countries have been classified by the CDC as high-risk countries for canine rabies. Please refer to the following website for details on the restrictions (entry forbidden) and for the list of high-risk countries:

A condition of transportation for travel with an assistance animal is to complete the following forms and submit them to Discover Airlines. This must be done on or after the date of the ticket purchase.

Please note:

• If you are traveling with an assistance dog and have made a reservation over 48 hours prior to the first scheduled departure time of your itinerary, you must submit these forms electronically or in paper form to Discover Airlines at least 48 hours prior to your travel date.
• If you are traveling with an assistance dog and have made a reservation less than 48 hours prior to the first scheduled departure time of your itinerary, you must submit these forms to Discover Airlines at the departure gate on your day of travel.

Please complete the following forms and email them to the Medical Operation Center (specialservices.discover-airlines@lufthansa-group.com):

If you have an onward/feeder flight outside the US, we also require a training certificate in order to book the assistance dog. Please send us the certificate together with the above-mentioned forms by email.

It is a felony to knowingly and willfully make false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements on the Service Animal Air Transportation Form or Service Animal Relief Attestation Form in order to claim any disability benefits provided under U.S. regulations.

Travel authorization: In accordance with the provisions of the US Department of Transportation, Discover Airlines can check whether an animal is recognized as an assistance dog. In order to establish whether an animal is an assistance dog, Discover Airlines may (1) monitor the animal to determine if it exhibits any dysfunctional or aggressive behavior that suggests it has not been successfully trained to behave appropriately in a public environment, or (2) check for certain physical signs.

Size of assistance dogs: All assistance dogs must be able to fit into the footwell of the passenger’s seat, unless the transportation would contravene the safety requirements of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or German/European law or restrict another passenger’s space.

Leashing: It is mandatory for all assistance dogs on board Discover Airlines aircraft and in any airport areas owned, leased or managed by Discover Airlines to be kept on a leash by the assistance dog’s owner or handler (as applicable) at all times.

Refusal to transport an assistance dog: Discover Airlines may refuse to transport an assistance dog in accordance with the provisions of the U.S. Department of Transportation under the following circumstances:

• The assistance dog poses a direct risk to the health or safety of other persons.
• The assistance dog causes significant disruption in the cabin or in the airport gate area, or its behavior in the aircraft or at the airport gate area indicates that it has not been adequately trained to behave appropriately in public areas.
• The transportation of the assistance dog would breach any applicable security or health requirements of a US federal agency, US territory or foreign government.
• The passenger with a disability who wishes to travel with an assistance dog in the cabin does not submit the completed, up-to-date forms as required by Discover Airlines.

Damage: In accordance with U.S. Department of Transportation regulations, Discover Airlines reserves the right to hold the passenger traveling with an assistance dog responsible for any damage caused by the assistance dog.

For connecting flights and all other flights outside the US, the following documents must be presented or sent in:

• Training/education certificate issued by the relevant training facility and/or dog trainer (= a person who specializes in training service dogs) stating the name and address of the dog school/trainer, details of the type of training and the task that the dog has successfully completed, as well as the length of training. It should be noted that independent training and online training portals are not currently recognized. Alternatively, we accept a training certificate from a dog training school that is certified by one of the recognized organizations, i.e., ADI/ADEu/IGDF. Confirmation will be issued after verification by the Medical Operation Center (specialservices.discover-airlines@lufthansa-group.com).
• We also require your written confirmation that the dog meets the requirements for the trip as a recognized assistance dog. To that end, please present two printouts of the form for taking animals in the aircraft cabin at check-in, duly completed and signed.

Please note that the documents are not archived and that you will need to submit a new form for each booking, dated on or after the date of the ticket. The same applies to the training certificate required for flights outside of the US.