Service Animals:
Service Animals (In-Cabin & Support)
Porter Airlines welcomes certified, professionally-trained service and emotional support dogs in the aircraft cabin, provided the animal assists a passenger with a disability.
- Notify Porter at least 48 hours prior to departure to accommodate you and your dog.
- Online check-in is available, but boarding passes must be collected at the airport check-in counter at least 90 minutes before departure.
- Required documentation and animal behavior will be assessed at the airport for safety approval.
- Provide a service dog certificate from the training institution at least 48 hours before your flight.
Acceptance Guidelines
- Dogs must be certified in writing by an Assistance Dogs International (ADI)-accredited institution or International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF).
- Service dogs not trained by ADI or IGDF-accredited programs or trained online are generally not accepted and assessed case-by-case.
- Dogs must be properly harnessed according to professional service animal standards.
- Documentation must be validated by the Disability Assistance Desk before travel.
- Porter will make reasonable efforts to accommodate requests made within 48 hours of departure.
- Dogs must behave properly in public and remain under handler control at all times.
- Service dogs are not permitted to occupy a seat or sit in an exit row and must fit in the handler’s foot space.
- Service dogs in training, rescue dogs, or therapy dogs are not accepted.
Traveling to or from the United States
- Passengers must provide a signed and dated U.S. DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form at least 48 hours before departure.
- Flights booked within 48 hours may present the form at the airport.
- Agents may ask questions about training and assess dog behavior at the airport.
Travel Restrictions
- Animals posing safety or public health hazards are not accepted (e.g., snakes, reptiles, ferrets, rodents, farm poultry, animals with hooves).
- Animals may be denied if they:
- Pose health or safety threats
- Exceed safe size or weight limits
- Exhibit aggressive or disruptive behavior
- Cause significant disruption to cabin service
Seating Options
- Porter will assign appropriate seating; exit row seats are not available for service dog handlers.
- Service dogs must remain in the floor space of the handler’s seat and not block aisles or emergency areas.
- Additional floor space may be arranged free on domestic flights for larger dogs; on transborder flights, a second seat may be required.
- Dogs may not occupy seats.
Service Dogs on Lap
- Supporting documentation from a licensed medical or mental health professional must be submitted at least 48 hours prior.
- Dogs held on laps must be no larger than an infant and fit comfortably.
Animal Relief Areas
Use designated animal relief areas for your service dog. Ask airport staff for assistance. Leaving the secure boarding area requires re-screening through security.
Connecting and Interline Travel
- Allow extra time for customs, security, and dog relief when connecting flights.
- Contact other airlines directly for their service animal policies when connecting on interline flights.
International Travel
- Check with consulates or embassies for country-specific regulations on service animals.
- Carry all certifications, including health certificates, vaccination proof, and training certificates.
- The CDC requires all dogs entering the U.S. to be immunized against rabies with proof before travel.
Emotional Support Animals:
Emotional Support Animals
Emotional support dogs provide comfort, affection, and companionship to aid in emotional or psychiatric therapy for individuals diagnosed with a mental or emotional disorder. These dogs are not trained service dogs and do not perform specific tasks to assist with a psychological disability.
Acceptance Guidelines
- Porter Airlines accepts only dogs as emotional support animals.
- When traveling within Canada:
- Emotional support dogs must remain in an approved carrier for the entire duration of travel.
- They cannot be lap held during the flight.
- For flights to the U.S.:
- Emotional support dogs are no longer considered service animals and must travel as pets, subject to space availability.
- They must remain in an approved carrier for the duration of travel.
- Pet in cabin fees will apply.
- Supporting documentation is required to travel with an emotional support dog:
- Must be dated within 1 year of the scheduled flight.
- Must be on letterhead from a licensed medical or mental health professional.
- Documentation must include:
- Title, address, license number, jurisdiction, phone number, and signature of the professional.
- Statement that the passenger has a mental health-related disability recognized in the DSM-5.
- Statement that the passenger needs the emotional support dog as an accommodation for air travel and/or at the destination.
- Confirmation that the passenger is under the care of the assessing professional.
- Documentation must be received and validated by Porter's Disability Assistance Desk prior to travel.
- Requests made within 48 hours of departure will be accommodated when possible.
- Verification may include contacting the mental health professional.
- If documentation cannot be validated or advance notice is not given, the dog must travel as a pet with applicable fees.
- Emotional support dogs must remain in their carriers at all times and cannot be lap held, per Canadian Transportation Agency requirements.
