[nagdu] Airline Travel

Sat Nov 16 05:06:56 UTC 2013

Yes, he should. Lexia weighs a little under 60 pounds and fits fine. I don't
know if the female  versus male factor makes a difference. Sometimes, they
like to act as though it is too tight, but it is usually fine. Lexia is one
of those dogs who can be small when she needs to be but takes every
opportunity she gets to sprawl. If you have a chair at home that he will fit
under, you could practice at home by setting one chair in front of the other
and having him get under the one in front. In any case, he is going to need
to get in before you do, or else he is probably going to have a little bit
of a hard time getting past your feet. Oh...and the other thing that I
forgot. I would recommend taking the harness off, or, if you don't want to
do that, at least detaching the handle.

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Craig Heaps
Sent: Friday, November 15, 2013 8:31 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Airline Travel

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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