[nagdu] Airline Travel

Craig Heaps craig.heaps at comcast.net
Sat Nov 16 04:31:16 UTC 2013 

Chase is a 65 pound black Labrador retriever.  Do you think he would fit 
under the seat in front of me?  He fits under a BART seat, but they're 
mounted with a fair amount of clearance under them.  I'm also not sure how 
he would do that confined for three or four hours.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Nicole Torcolini" <ntorcolini at wavecable.com>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, November 15, 2013 5:58 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Airline Travel


>I do a number of different things when I fly. I try to take Lexia out for
> the last time as close close to the flight as I can, and then I usually
> don't give her too much water. You might also consider reducing the amount
> of food you give your dog before flying. Regardless of if you do this, you
> might consider giving your dog Pepcid. I always make sure that I have at
> least one extra meal for Lexia as well as treats.
> I let the airline know that I have a guide dog, but not the airport. In 
> any
> case, I've been to the same terminal so many times that the people who 
> help
> me have usually seen me before. I ask for assistance to the gate. The only
> time that this kind of went wrong is when they brought me a wheelchair, 
> but
> they took it away once I firmly told them that that is not what I had 
> asked
> for.
> There is no right way to go through security. They take me through the 
> line
> for people with disabilities. I do not like setting of the scanner, so I 
> put
> a cloth leash on Lexia and take off her harness, leash, chain collar, and
> cloth collar as they all contain mettal. The cloth leash looks kind of 
> like
> a soft rope with a loop at either end. I slide the loop back over the rope
> to make it into a loop that will pull tight. It does not pull, though,
> because the leash is thick. Lexia is very good about going through 
> security.
> For take off, I put Lexia under the seat in front of me. Once we have 
> taken
> off, I often let her turn sideways behing my legs. Usually, the person
> beside me does not mind her; I often almost have the opposite problem... I
> always ask if the flight is full. For the times when it is only a small
> difference, especially when you pay for the luggage, I sometimes upgrade 
> to
> first class because there is more room.
>
> Nicole and Lexia
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of cheryl 
> echevarria
> Sent: Friday, November 15, 2013 4:51 PM
> To: NAGDU Talk List
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Airline Travel
>
> Hey Brandy:
> If you use the TSA Care program, like I posted they will already know you
> are coming at all the airports now, they should have a line just for 
> people
> with disabilities. Always ask for that, these are one of the perks we 
> should
> take advantage of, because a lot of the time, the line goes faster, and
> these TSA Agents just work with people with disabilities, so hopefully 
> less
> stress when going this way.
>
> Disabled Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 of NY StateLeading the Way in
> Independent Travel!
> Cheryl Echevarria,
> Ownerwww.echevarriatravel.com631-456-5394reservations at echevarriatravel.com
> Your old car keys can be the keys to literacy for a blind child.  Donate
> your unwanted vehicle to us by clicking www.nfb.org/vehicledonations or 
> call
> 855-659-9314. Echevarria Travel has partnered with Braille Smith.
> www.braillesmith.com for all her braille needs.  Gail Smith is the 
> Secretary
> of the NFB of Alabama
>
>> From: brandydp at verizon.net
>> Date: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 19:40:23 -0500
>> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Airline Travel
>>
>> Hi Craig,
>> This is what I usually do. You can call ahead as cheryl said. I haven't
> tried that before. Is your wife sighted? When I fly alone I ask for a sky
> cap to assist me through security. Even when I had my boyfriend with me 
> this
> last flight jfk asked if I would still like assistance. I said yes and 
> they
> took us to a shorter line through security. Here you take off shoes and 
> blah
> blah. Legally they can't ask you to take off the harness. I usually do 
> just
> because they are going to pat my dog down and this way it won't be in
> harness and it saves them searching the harness pouch with miss wriggles
> bouncing around as she does. There are three ways to do this. This is the
> one I do. Have someone take you up close enough to the detector, think 
> it's
> called a magdomitor, have your dog sit or down make a long leash then you
> walk through making sure to keep the metal in your hand. When they tell 
> you
> call chase through. Then he only goes off and they only search him. Or you
> can send the dog first, heard this somewhere don't know if I would try it.
> Or you both can walk through and they would have to pat down both of you.
> They will probably swab your hands because people have apparently hidden
> explosives in animals... Very sad. They ask you to not touch your dog 
> after
> going through. I accidently do this and haven't been yelled at yet. As for
> sitting it's up to you. I prefer to not sit in bulkhead but my dogs have
> been small. I always try to get the window seat so the dog lays parallel 
> to
> the wall under the seat in front of you. You may prefer bulkhead. They 
> have
> to lay perpendicular to you there but your wife will be next to you so
> stealing her foot room won't be an issue. Lol. You can always go to the 
> desk
> at the gate to discuss seating and they will contact passengers to see if
> they are ok switching. Hope this helps.
>>
>> brandy pinder
>> Alumni Council -  second vice Chairman Guide Dog Foundation for the
>> Blind, IncR and America's VetDogsR, The Veteran's K-9 Corps IncR
>> Providing "Second uSight"R since 1946
>>
>> 371 E. Jericho Turnpike smith town ny 11766
>> Cso: 866-282-8047
>> Email: brandydp at verizon.net
>> Cell: 304-685-4499
>>
>> On Nov 15, 2013, at 7:14 PM, cheryl echevarria 
>> <cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>>
>> > Here is the link to the website for TSA Care Program.
>> > Maybe had NAGDU's webmaster put it on the website site.
>> > http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/travelers-disabilities-and-m
>> > edical-conditions
>> >
>> > Disabled Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 of NY StateLeading the Way in
> Independent Travel!
>> > Cheryl Echevarria,
>> > Ownerwww.echevarriatravel.com631-456-5394reservations at echevarriatrav
>> > el.com Your old car keys can be the keys to literacy for a blind
>> > child.  Donate your unwanted vehicle to us by clicking
>> > www.nfb.org/vehicledonations or call 855-659-9314. Echevarria Travel
>> > has partnered with Braille Smith. www.braillesmith.com for all her
>> > braille needs.  Gail Smith is the Secretary of the NFB of Alabama
>> >
>> >> Date: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 16:42:16 -0500
>> >> From: Cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com
>> >> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> >> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Airline Travel
>> >>
>> >> Go to the tsa cares website and call them 72 hours prior to flying 
>> >> they
> can help you through it. I am not on the computer right now so if anyone 
> can
> post the website or the phone number.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Sent from my Samsung Galaxy SR4
>> >>
>> >> -------- Original message --------
>> >> From: craig.heaps at comcast.net
>> >> Date:11/15/2013  4:34 PM  (GMT-05:00)
>> >> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> >> Subject: [nagdu] Airline Travel
>> >>
>> >> My guide, Chase, and I will be flying Thanksgiving week with my wife 
>> >> to
> Milwaukee to see our son and daughter-in-law.  It will be the first flight
> Chase and I have taken together.  He's very mellow.  He rides the BART 
> train
> every day and has taken a few local bus trips as well.
>> >> Please give me any advice you have on airline travel, including how to
> navigate the TSA checkpoints..  The more detailed, the better.
>> >>
>> >> We will fly from San Francisco to Milwaukee on Southwest Airlines.  I
> have preboarded many times before on Southwest while cane traveling.
>> >>
>> >> Thanks for your help.
>> >>
>> >> Craig Heaps and Chase
>> >> _______________________________________________
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>> >
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