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

Sun Nov 17 14:19:27 UTC 2013

There is, of course, no way we can know. However, two passenger accounts I’ve read suggest that the dog was not in the aisle, the dog was not being disruptive,and Albert was not being abusive. Two passenger accounts, one o them from the woman whose seat Doxology was under. That and the other 34 passengers on the plane standing with him tell me that, while there may be plenty of blame to go around, and maybe Albert should have asked for a seat change (assuming he did not and the flight attendant just didn’t bother), the flight crew was out of line this time.
--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY

On Nov 17, 2013, at 12:29 AM, Nicole Torcolini <ntorcolini at wavecable.com> wrote:

> 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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