Air Carrier Access Act Technical Assistance Manual (2005)

QUESTION: I travel with a service animal and ask for a bulkhead seat if one is available, as I find such a seat to be more comfortable for my service dog. How come some passengers with service animals avoid the bulkhead row?

ANSWER: It is DOT’s understanding that some service animals are trained to curl up underneath a non-bulkhead row airline seat, whereas other service animals are more comfortable in the area between a bulkhead seat and the bulkhead wall itself. For this reason, when DOT amended part 382 to require seating accommodations for passengers traveling with service animals, it required carriers to provide either a seat in a bulkhead row or a seat other than a bulkhead seat, depending on the individual passenger’s preference.