Southwest Airlines Tightens Leash on Emotional Support Animals
Southwest Airlines is the latest domestic airline to tighten policies regarding trained service and emotional support animals, with new rules going into effect Monday, Sept. 17.

Here are the highlights of the changes:

Emotional support animals will be restricted to one per customer and limited to cats and dogs only. Passengers traveling with an ESA will need to present “a complete, current letter from a medical doctor or licensed mental health professional” on the day of departure and any animal traveling as an ESA will need to stay in its carrier or on a leash throughout a flight.

Following the Department of Transportation guidelines, only dogs, cats and miniature horses will be recognized as Trained Service Animals.

Find more details about Southwest Airlines’ updated service animal policies here.

American Airlines Nixes Ban on Basic Economy Carry-Ons
Travelers purchasing basic economy tickets on American Airlines are currently not permitted to use overhead bins. Small personal items that fit under the seat are allowed, but passengers must pay to check anything bigger.

That policy changes Sept. 5 when American Airlines passengers flying basic economy will be permitted to travel with one carry-on plus one personal item on all flights. “Removing the bag restriction will make Basic Economy more competitive,” the airline said in a statement.

More details on this change in American Airlines’ policy here.

JetBlue Tops JD Power Report on Satisfaction With Frequent-Flyer Programs
In the 2018 Airline Loyalty Program Satisfaction Study from J.D. Power, JetBlue’s TrueBlue frequent-flyer program received the highest rankings, followed by Southwest Airlines’ Rapid Rewards, Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan, Delta Air Lines’ SkyMiles, American Airlines’ AAdvantage and United Airlines’ MileagePlus programs, in that order.

The study found that while airlines generally improved overall satisfaction scores, when it comes to how well customers understand rewards programs, airlines have a “huge opportunity” to improve, Michael Taylor, J.D. Power’s Travel Practice, said in a statement.

According to the study, half of general loyalty program members don’t completely understand how the program works; among “status” members, 30 percent say they don’t completely understand their program.

See more findings from the report here.