What We Do

Why

Under the new Department of Transportation law regarding service animals, airlines are allowed to require that you submit the Service Animal Air Transportation Form 48 hours before travel.

Benefits

At no cost to you, you have the independence and control to maintain a valid form on file which will be used for every trip on participating airlines.

How it Works

Step One (mandatory)

• Fill out the web-based Department of Transportation (DOT) Service Animal Air Transportation Form.
• Receive a unique identifier called the Service Animal ID Number, or SVAN ID.
• Once the form is “Accepted”, you’ll receive an email stating the form has been accepted with instructions on how to let the airline know you’re traveling with them.
  • If your form is not immediately “Accepted”, you’ll receive an email stating your form is “In-Review”. If we require more information on your form, we will email you from “SVAN@opendoorsnfp.org” asking for more information.
    • Note: Your form may be put into “Waiting” status because we have contacted your trainer or training organization to verify training. If you have not heard from us in 1-2 days, please contact us directly.

Step Two (mandatory for all participating airlines)

• Once your form is in “Accepted” status, you must let the airline know that you are traveling with them. When you book a trip on a participating airline, submit a Request for Travel to inform the airline of the reservation(s) that need to have a service animal added to them.
• To submit a Request for Travel, you will need your:
  • Service Animal ID Number (SVAN ID)
  • Airline Reservation/Confirmation Number
  • Flight Number (for the first flight on your reservation)
  • Origin and Destination Airport Code)
• Once the airline has processed your request, you will receive email confirmation of your service animal being added to that reservation or an email stating a problem with your request.
• NOTE: Travelers should contact their airline directly with any questions related to travel requests or airline-specific information. ODO does not have access to reservation systems so we are unable to assist with any travel-related inquiries.