[nagdu] Disabled veteran kicked off US Airways plane, refused to put service dog on floor

Sat Sep 7 01:09:30 UTC 2013

I think on this one the airline was in the right.

Wouldn't this be covered by the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA)?

Just for grins, can any frequent flyers or legal eagles comment on 
whether there is anything specific in the ACAA about having the service 
dog in the seat?

Unsecured, the dog would pose a direct threat to the health and safety 
of others in the event of turbulence or worse. Bouncing around the cabin 
wouldn't do the dog any good, either. /shudder/ If the dog were secured 
in the seat, is there a rule against that under the ACAA?

Just curious! No plans to put my dog in the seat, although she has 
mentioned on at least one flight that she thought it was the best place 
for her. I let her go on thinking that from the floor under the seat. /lol/

Tami

On 09/06/2013 05:58 PM, Margo Downey and Arrow wrote:
> Oh, I think U S air did the right thing.
>
> Margoa nd Arrow
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Cindy Ray
> Sent: Friday, September 06, 2013 8:40 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Disabled veteran kicked off US Airways plane, refused
> to put service dog on floor
>
> Oh, I think he landed in the media because of his interpretation. How many
> people would actually try to have the dog ride in the seat? Maybe more than
> I think, but either those folk don't know the rules, he wasn't all together,
> or he was banking on the ignorance of the employees. That would not be too
> hard to bank on either. He just lost out on that one. I'd say he came out
> pretty well though with a free night in the hotel  as a result of his
> activities.
>
> xo
>
> On Sep 6, 2013, at 7:19 PM, Aleeha Dudley <blindcowgirl1993 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> I'm going to state my honest opinion here and say the airline was in
>> the right here. I agree that the dog should have been on the floor of
>> the aircraft. It doesn't seem right that this passenger is using his
>> disability and service to this country as an excuse for having the dog
>> on a seat rather than the floor. In fact, he isn't being denied entry
>> to the plane, but the airline is merely asking him to obey the
>> guidelines issued by the same act this gentleman claims, and quite
>> accurately so, gives him the right to have the dog. Just the fact that
>> he speaks untruths so loudly landed him a spot in the media, which is
>> quite disturbing.
>> Aleeha and Dallas
>>
>> On 9/6/13, Ginger Kutsch <GingerKutsch at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>> Disabled veteran kicked off US Airways plane, refused to put service
>>> dog on floor
>>>
>>> Sep 05, 2013 8:46 PM EDT
>>>
>>> By FOX 10 News - Staff Report
>>>
>>> http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/story/23348254/2013/09/05/disabled-war-ve
>>> teran-k
>>> icked-off-us-airways-plane
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> A newly released video has put valley-based US Airways in a tough
> position.
>>> A Vietnam vet with a service dog got into a heated discussion with a
>>> flight attendant and then was escorted off the plane for security
> reasons.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Video: "No! I'd appreciate if you'd get the hell off this ground and
>>> get where we're going!"
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Emotions ran high onboard a US Airways flight from Phoenix to El
>>> Paso. This video has gone viral.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "I'm sorry folks but I've earned the right to have this service
>>> animal because of my service to this country in Vietnam. I am 100
>>> percent disabled, I have a service dog because of it and everyone has
>>> to obey the ADA laws except this airline! So I'm sorry but I'm not
>>> budging!"
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> This passenger wants his service dog, a golden retriever, to remain
>>> seated on the empty seat next to him.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> A US Airways spokesman said the rules are pretty clear. Service
>>> animals are to remain on the ground and under the seat in front of you.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "If the aircraft were to experience something in the air and it needs
>>> to evacuate you don't want that animal to be in the way of people
>>> getting off the aircraft," says US Airways spokesman John McDonald.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> McDonald says there was also the safety of other passengers at risk here.
>>> The man told airport personnel he suffered from PTSD. They worried he
>>> would get even more upset in the air.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "We had had conversations to the customer trying to explain what was
>>> going on. And the captain was involved when the flight attendant
>>> wasn't able to resolve it and in fact, many of our captains are
>>> former military people, this is an issue we are very familiar with
>>> and unfortunately this gentleman's reaction was what resulted in the
> incident."
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> The Saturday flight was delayed. US Airways says it handled the
>>> situation as best it could.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Airport police cited the man with trespassing and booked him on
>>> another flight.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> There wasn't another flight out on Saturday, so the man was rebooked
>>> on Sunday flight. US Airways covered the cost for a hotel room for the
> night.
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
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