[nagdu] why do we have to let airlines know that you have a dog

cheryl echevarria cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com
Wed Apr 14 16:15:23 UTC 2010


looking into it, but people have been asked to move, and it is going through 
the courts and the ADA, especially with the and I want to be correct and not 
insult anyone if you fall into this category, the Obese. I know this has 
nothing to do with guide dogs, but it is an example.  a person who cannot 
fit into the seat that they paid for and is overlapping onto the person 
sitting next to them considers them to be obese, and the airlines will make 
you pay for an additional seat or they have been known to ask them to move 
if someone is uncomfortable sitting with you.

If you purchase an assigned seat that is your seat, if it is opened seating 
then you can sit anywhere since you purchased that ticket.


Cheryl Echevarria
Independent Travel Consultant
C10-10646

http://Echevarriatravel.com
1-866-580-5574

http://blog.echevarriatravel.com
Reservations at echevarriatravel.com
Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Montrose Travel CST-1018299-10


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Stigile" <rstigile at sbcglobal.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 11:53 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] why do we have to let airlines know that you have a dog


> Hello,
> I usually do not tell them either.
> I get enough hassel when I get to the airport, I do not want to
> give them a chance in advance to change my seat.
> I have heard in the past, that it is a violation of the air
> carrier, to change someone's seat without their permission, does
> anyone know if this is true, and if so, if anyone has a link,
> where I can find an
> official letter on this matter.
> Thank you,
>
> Robert Stigile
> E-mail: rstigile at sbcglobal.net
> Skype: robertstigile1
>
>
>  ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Tracy Carcione" <carcione at access.net
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
> Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 09:42:46 -0400
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] why do we have to let airlines know that you
> have a dog
>
> Steve, this bit of law pertains to emotional support and psych
> service
> animals, not guide dogs.  I'm a bit confused why you think it's
> relevant
> to whether or not we have to tell the airlines we're travelling
> with a
> guide dog.  Perhaps you're pointing out the differences between
> kinds of
> service animals?
> I'm with Marion; I don't tell them.
> Tracy
>
>  Cheryl, taken from the updated Air Carrier Act of 2009:
>
>  .Requires 48-hour notification that a customer is bringing an
> emotional
>  support animal or psychiatric service animal on board the
> aircraft.
>
>  Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals
>  The definition of service animals includes guide dogs, signal
> dogs,
>  psychiatric service animals, and emotional support animals.  Air
> carriers
>  are required to allow service animals traveling with persons
> with
>  disabilities to sit with them in the cabin of the aircraft.65
> Passengers
>  traveling with pets, as opposed to service animals or emotional
> support
>  animals, do not have any rights under the ACAA.  To determine
> whether a
>  passenger with a disability is entitled to travel with a service
> animal,
>  air
>  carriers may ask questions and request documentation in certain
>  circumstances.  The questions that may be asked and the level of
>  documentation that may be required will vary depending on the
> individual's
>  disability and the type of service animal.  The purpose for the
> variation
>  in
>  requirements is because 1) many people traveling with a service,
> comfort
>  or
>  psychiatric support animal may have a have a hidden disability
> so the need
>  for a service animal is not apparent and 2) the reason an
> individual with
>  an
>  obvious disability requires a service animal is not always
> evident.
>
>  As evidence that an animal qualifies as a service animal, an air
> carrier
>  must accept identification cards, other written documentation,
> presence of
>  harnesses, tags, or the credible verbal assurances of the
> passenger with
>  the
>  disability using the animal.66 If an air carrier is not certain
> of the
>  animal's status, even after being told that an animal is a
> service animal,
>  additional questions may be asked, including: "What tasks or
> functions
>  does
>  your animal perform for you?," "What has the animal been trained
> to do for
>  you?," and "Would you describe how the animal performs this task
> or
>  function
>  for you?''
>
>  For emotional support or psychiatric service animals, air
> carriers may
>  request very specific diagnostic documentation 48 hours in
> advance of a
>  flight.  The documentation must be 1) current (not be more than
> one year
>  old); 2) be on letterhead from a licensed mental health
> professional; 3)
>  must state that the person has a mental or emotional disability
> recognized
>  in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
> (DSM IV); and
>  4) state that the animal is needed as an accommodation for air
> travel or
>  for
>  activity at the individual's destination.  The documentation
> should also
>  state that the health professional is treating the individual
> and include
>  the date and type of the mental health professional's license
> and the
>  state
>  or other jurisdiction in which it was issued.  It does not need
> to state
>  the
>  individual's diagnosis.67
>
>  Unusual animals such as miniature horses, pigs, and monkeys may
> be allowed
>  to travel as service animals.68 To determine whether the animal
> will be
>  allowed in the cabin, the air carrier may take into account the
> animal's
>  size, weight, and whether the animal would pose a direct threat
> to the
>  health or safety of others, or cause a significant disruption in
> cabin
>  service.  If the animal would pose or cause any of these things,
> the animal
>  may have to travel in the cargo hold.  In addition, if there are
>  restrictions
>  on any of these animals at the final destination point of
> travel, the
>  animal
>  may not be allowed to fly at all.  Other unusual animals such as
> snakes,
>  other reptiles, ferrets, rodents, and spiders may be denied
> boarding as
>  they
>  may pose other safety and public health concerns.  Foreign
> carriers are
>  required to transport only dogs as service animals.69
>
>  Service animals cannot be denied passage because other
> passengers are
>  offended or annoyed by animals.70 Any service animal may be
> denied
>  boarding
>  privileges if the animal barks, growls, jumps on people or
> misbehaves in
>  ways that indicate the animal has not been trained to behave
> properly in
>  public settings, poses a direct threat to the health and safety
> of others,
>  or poses a significant risk of disruption of cabin service.71
>
>  People with disabilities can sit in any seat with their service
> animal
>  unless they block an aisle or an area designated for emergency
> evacuation.
>  If they cannot be accommodated in a requested seat, then they
> must be
>  given
>  the opportunity to move to another seat within the same class of
> service.
>  A
>  person with a disability may request a bulkhead seat or another
> seat that
>  better suits their needs.  72 A person traveling with a service
> animal may
>  ask to pre-board.
>
>  Air carriers are not required to make modifications that would
> constitute
>  an
>  undue burden or would fundamentally alter their programs.  In
> order to
>  accommodate a service animal, a carrier does not have to ask
> another
>  passenger to give up all or most of the space in front of their
> seat (This
>  is rarely necessary, since most service animals fit comfortably
> at the
>  feet
>  of the handler, beneath the seat in front of the handler.)
> Carriers may
>  try
>  to find someone willing to share their foot space.  Carriers can
>  voluntarily
>  reseat a person traveling with a service animal to a business or
>  first-class
>  seat to accommodate a service animal, but are not required to do
> so.73
>
>  In-flight services and facilities do not have to be provided to
> service
>  animals.  Individuals traveling with the animals must provide
> for the
>  animal's food, care, and supervision.
>
>  In the terminal, air carriers must provide animal relief areas.
> They also
>  must provide escort service to individuals traveling with
> service animals
>  to
>  these areas, upon request.74
>
>  -----Original Message-----
>  From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On Behalf
>  Of cheryl echevarria
>  Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 6:26 PM
>  To: nagdu
>  Subject: [nagdu] why do we have to let airlines know that you
> have a dog
>
>  On GDF conference call they are saying that we need to let
> airlines know
>  we
>  have guide dogs with us.
>
>  Why, that is not so.
>
>  Cheryl Echevarria
>  Independent Travel Consultant
>  C10-10646
>
>  http://Echevarriatravel.com
>  1-866-580-5574
>
>  http://blog.echevarriatravel.com
>  Reservations at echevarriatravel.com
>  Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Montrose Travel
>  CST-1018299-10
>
>
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