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I think it is because of several things.
1- poor training at airlines and all business
2- too many people with "comfort dogs" trying to take advantage of the system.
I hope she wins her lawsuit. no excuse for this kind of behavior.
I think it is because of several things.
1- poor training at airlines and all business
2- too many people with "comfort dogs" trying to take advantage of the system.
I hope she wins her lawsuit. no excuse for this kind of behavior.
There is no excuse for this behavior from AA. What planet are they living on that they-supposedly well-trained airline employees 1) aren't familiar with regulations for service dogs; or 2) feel it is acceptable to treat anyone this way, and in this particular case it was a veteran. Repeatedly going out of their way to harass and humiliate her (and violate her privacy) to such an extent that her service dog became worried. Inexcusable.
I suspect, like most of these type of stories designed to drum up outrage, there is more to the story than reported in the article. The following are American Airlines rules for service animals and ESAs, they are easy to find and haven't changed in the last couple of years:
Quote:
Service animals
Traveling with a service animal
Service animals are welcome on all flights. There are no additional charges for service animals traveling in the cabin.
Contact American Reservations
Cabin rules
-Animal must fit on your lap, at your feet or under your seat
-Animals must be clean, well behaved and under your control at all times
-If the animal is too large, it will need to be checked and travel in a kennel
Seating options
-For security reasons, service animals can’t block any aisle
-You can’t sit in an exit row when traveling with service animals
-If you’d like seating, contact us before your flight
Requirements
To show that an animal is a service animal, you must provide (at least one of the following):
-Animal ID card
-Harness or tags
-Credible verbal assurance
Emotional support or psychiatric service animals
To travel with an emotional support or psychiatric service animal in the cabin you must provide supporting documentation dated within 1 year of your scheduled flight. It must be from a licensed mental health professional or a medical doctor and state:
-That you have a mental or emotional disability recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition (DSM IV)
-That you need the emotional support or psychiatric service animal as an accommodation for air travel and/or for activity at your destination
-That the individual providing the assessment is a licensed mental health professional or medical doctor, and you are under his or her professional care
-The date and type of the mental health professional or medical doctor's license and the state or other jurisdiction where it was issued
You’ll also need to contact American Reservations at least 48 hours before your flight and submit the required documentation.
If we’re unable to validate your documentation or if you didn’t notify us at least 48 hours before your flight, the animal may need to be checked and travel in a kennel.
Contact American Reservations
Download required documentation
The dog clearly will not fit on her lap, at her feet, or under her seat. If I had to take a stab at what started the problems, based on what I read, is that she was told the dog could not join her in the cabin and needed to be checked in to fly in a kennel. I suspect things went rapidly downhill from there.
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