[nagdu] Fwd: [Juno-l] more about man and guide dog kicked off ofairline

cheryl echevarria cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com
Sun Nov 17 06:12:46 UTC 2013


No. The dog wasn't.

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> From: ntorcolini at wavecable.com
> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
> Date: Sat, 16 Nov 2013 21:29:17 -0800
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Fwd: [Juno-l] more about man and guide dog kicked off	ofairline
> 
> Okay, so was the dog actually in the isle ? Not trying to be judgmental, but
> one of the problems with situations like these is that each person is going
> to tell the story in a way that makes it look like he/she is in the right
> and the other side is in the wrong. I know that this probably would not fly
> (no pun intended) because of privacy stuff, but too bad that airplanes are
> not equip with some of audio and/or video recording device so that it would
> be possible to get the straight facts.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Buddy Brannan
> Sent: Saturday, November 16, 2013 11:36 AM
> To: the National Association of Guide Dog Users NAGDU Mailing List
> Subject: [nagdu] Fwd: [Juno-l] more about man and guide dog kicked off
> ofairline
> 
> 
> > This note says:
> > 
> > If a crew member ask you to do something, there is a lawful and 
> > reasonable reason to comply with the request. That is simple and easy 
> > to do.
> > 
> > That isn't always true though. A flight attendant has more than once asked
> me or people in my company to turn over their properly stowed canes, for
> instance. There have sometimes been issues with seating and guide dogs. I
> agree that, for the most part, this statement is true, but a blanket "it's
> always true" is not. 
> > 
> > If, as Mr. Rizzie contends, he was seated in the middle seat on the far
> back row of the plane, why? I've flown on just this sort of plane and can
> picture exactly the seat he's talking about, and it's a seat with nothing
> but aisle in front of it. Why did the flight attendant not ask someone on
> that row to swap with him, especially since the dog was, by at least most
> accounts, under that particular seat anyway? It seems to me that one of two
> things is true:
> > 
> > 1) The flight attendant seated him as he describes, asking that his dog be
> put under the seat next to him, again ass described. It seems to me that in
> such a case, the flight attendant could have asked for a seat change, so
> that Albert was sitting with his dog in front of him. That would certainly
> make it easier for him to control where his dog was, and also easier to get
> his dog stowed comfortably.
> > 
> > Or,
> > 
> > 2) Albert asked for that seat for some reason. In that case, the flight
> attendant could have refused, stating that he needed to have a seat where
> the dog could go under. She apparently didn't do that either. So in either
> case, the flight attendant made a mistake. How fundamental that mistake was,
> and how much it contributed to the incident, I really don't know, but that
> the whole plane stood with this guy tells me that it wasn't exactly as US
> Air portrays the situation. 
> > --
> > Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
> > Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY
> > 
> > 
> 
> Folks - I know there is a lot of heat around the issue of the passenger and
> his service animal that was removed from one of our express flights
> recently. One of the first things everyone should ask themselves is, "There
> certainly must be more to this story than meets the eye . an airline
> wouldn't just boot them off a flight for no good reason, right?" Absolutely.
> 
> US Airways transports more than 80 million customers each year and ensures
> that all customers, including those with disabilities, are treated with
> dignity and respect. We're particularly sensitive to those customers who
> travel with service animals and we partner with Assistance Dogs
> International (ADI), an organization that trains and places assistance dogs
> around the world. US Airways employees volunteer to travel with and work
> with assistance dogs in training to help them prepare for travel with
> disabled partners. Over the past 10 years, US Airways employees have
> participated in transports everywhere from California to Croatia. So we
> understand the special needs and laws surrounding transporting our disabled
> customers and their service animals. So we have been investigating what
> happened here, and that investigation continues.
> 
> Here are a few things folks should consider:
> 
> . The safety of every passenger on our aircraft is our first and foremost
> priority.
> . To ensure the safety of all passengers, the carriers and FAA have approved
> cabin policies the ensure that, should an incident occur, everyone can be
> safely evacuated without aisle-way obstruction.
> . In compliance with the Air Carriers Access Act, and the FAA, service
> animals must be either under the seat in front of a passenger, on their lap
> (if equal to or smaller than a lap child), or at their feet . but at no time
> can they be in the main aisle of the aircraft as that is a primary
> evacuation route. In this instance, the animal was not able to be secured
> out of the main aisle, and attempts to work with the customer failed to
> ensure compliance with this safety rule.
> . The customer is an advocate for disability rights, and appears to have
> forced a confrontation with his disruptive behavior, rather than simply
> complying with the instruction and securing the dog. Everyone was tired, it
> was near midnight, and I'm sure patience was in short supply as the aircraft
> had already been delayed on departure due to a mechanical issue and the
> animal was restless. We all would be.
> . Once that was communicated by the cabin crew to the flight deck crew, the
> decision was made to return to the gate to remove the customer and calm the
> situation.
> . Several other passengers, upon seeing the customer's removal from the
> flight, piled on to the emotional confrontation, making threats to contact
> media and make an issue of out 'kicking a blind man and his dog off a US
> Airways flight.' This reduced the FA to tears, and they were unable to
> continue as they believed their safety was in jeopardy. The captain made the
> decision to cancel the flight and alternate means of transport were secured
> to get the passengers to their destination. Again, everyone was tired, it
> was late, and I'm sure folks simply wanted to get home. As a result, our
> customers did not get to their destination until after 2 in the morning.
> 
> So, having said all that, we apologize to the customers of the flight for
> the inconvenience caused by this incident and will be reaching out to them. 
> I am sure everyone involved wish it had never happened and they had simply
> gotten to their destination on time.
> 
> We are also supportive of crews as they do a very difficult job, and in very
> sensitive emotional circumstances, to guard the safety of all our customers,
> on every flight, every day. If a crew member ask you to do something, there
> is a lawful and reasonable reason to comply with the request. That is simple
> and easy to do. Feel free to ask questions and get clarification, but
> forcing confrontations or making threats jeopardizes the safety of everyone
> on board. You can bet that will create a delay and potentially removal from
> the aircraft. No one wins there.
> 
> As I said, we continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the
> incident, and we welcome any additional information that will enable us to
> better accommodate our disabled passengers and their service animals. We
> want to improve our service, and avoiding these kinds of confrontations
> through education and sensitivity are always the better path.
> 
> Thanks for taking two minutes to read a bit more about what we believe
> occurred on this flight. After all, there certainly is more to the story . 
> right? Absolutely.
> 
> -- John McDonald - Spokesman, US Airways
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