I had an ESA certificate for a while and may get one again soon. I never lied to get one, either. That said, the online certification basically amounts to a long-form version of needing to answer yes to two questions: 1 - does flying stress you out? 2 - does your dog make you feel better?

I never once used it for anything but flying, because things like bringing your dog to the groceries or the movies or a restaurant is just unnecessary. If you find yourself splitting your time between two cities that are >1 day drive apart, you have only a few choices: 1 - Don't have a dog over 18lbs 2 - Leave dog half the time 3 - Risk dog's life and guarantee a Very Bad Time under the plane 4 - Get ESA certificate

I think airlines are leaving money on the table and should just have a relatively expensive travel-certification obedience course and charge a boatload for it. I'd happily pay $500 per year to have my dog authorized to fly in the cabin without an ESA (which incidentally cost less than half that).

To pre-address the typical objections (and to steal from my own HN comment almost 3 years ago):

"People are allergic!" For $100 a tiny shedding dog can ride in a very-not-dander-proof container. My dog is non-shedding.

"They can be noisy!" So can your toddler. So can above tiny dog. Mine isn't.

"It's like parking in a handicap spot!" No silly, my dog takes up my foot space, no one else's

"The airline is losing money!" My dog & I weigh less combined than plenty of people who pay the same fare. I've also offered to buy a seat for my dog and leave her in a large crate on the seat. Not an option.

"The guy next to you doesn't want a dog around!" See answer 1. Also, 90% of people are happy to be distracted from the horror of flying. Anyone who isn't can easily trade seats, since most people are happy to sit by the pup.