[NAGDU] going on US domestic flights with a guide dog

Tue Aug 7 01:17:37 UTC 2018

Hi,

You can't. It is all about how well you know your dog and how you prepare
before flying. I can say with certainty that if my dog needs to relieve
while on a flight, or between flights, there is something wrong. I have
learned my dog's capabilities and I have taught Alamo to relieve usually at
specific times.

This is what we all learn in class before leaving a guide dog program with
our dogs. If your dog needs to relieve more often or if there is some kind
of medical issue then you need to account for that. Frequent blind air
travelers using guide dogs will tell you that you are the one who needs to
know your dog and to manage accordingly. 

Best Regards,

Michael Hingson

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Andy Borka via NAGDU
Sent: Monday, August 06, 2018 3:33 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Andy Borka <sonfire11 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] going on US domestic flights with a guide dog

How do you give evidence that a dog doesn't have to empty during an 8+ hour
flight?

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Melissa Allman via NAGDU
Sent: Monday, August 6, 2018 9:06 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Melissa Allman <MAllman at seeingeye.org>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] going on US domestic flights with a guide dog

Hi Dan and Parker. There is indeed a lot of confusion surrounding this
issue. At this point, you do not need to provide documentation to the
airlines proving that your dog is a guide dog or that you need to travel
with a guide dog. You can show up as you did before if you would like. You
should be able to check in on line or at curb side or at the counter. People
traveling with emotional support animals can be required to complete
documentation in advance of traveling which is unfortunately where the
confusion stems from.

If you decide you want or need accommodations, you can let the airline know.
For example,, when I have flown American Airlines recently a couple of times
and put in my reservation that I am traveling with a guide dog and need
accommodations, it automatically brings up this form requesting information
about the accommodations needed. Then they call you and ask for information
about the weight and breed of your dog. You can either take the call or not.
I tend to take the call because I have no objection to providing the
information since I know they are not using it to prevent me from flying
with my dog. I also know they cannot legally refuse to allow me to sit in
the seat I've purchased so if I'm available I take the call and provide the
information. Not all airlines do this, I'm just sharing my recent
experiences with American.

Personally, I prefer to let the airlines know ahead of time about the
accommodations I'm requesting i.e. assistance getting to the gate and
preboarding because I'm a planner. This is a personal choice.

Delta is requiring that all service animal handlers (using the ACAA
definition of service animals) carry a rabies certificate but I have been
told that unless there's an issue delta will not generally ask people
working with guide dogs to produce them and that they are doing it because
of the problems associated with emotional support animals. Whether Delta
should be requiring everybody traveling with a service animal to carry proof
of rabies vaccination is another discussion that is not the focus of my
email.

International flights are another story and I won't' go into that, but I do
want to remind everybody that on flights that last 8 hours or more airlines
can ask for verification that the animal will not need to relieve during the
flight or that if it does, the situation can be managed in a sanitary way.

I hope that helps some.

Melissa R. Allman, Esq.
Senior Specialist, Advocacy and Government Relations The Seeing Eye, Inc.
P.O. Box 375, Morristown, NJ 07963-0375 (mail)
10 Washington Valley Road, Morristown, NJ 07960-3412 (deliveries)
973-539-4425 ext. 1724,     Fax:  973-525-1081 mallman at SeeingEye.org  

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Dan Weiner via
NAGDU
Sent: Sunday, August 05, 2018 6:55 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: Dan Weiner
Subject: [NAGDU] going on US domestic flights with a guide dog

Hello, beautiful people:

Dan W. from Florida with the Parker dog here.

I want to clear up  something. I hear a lot lately about various airlines,
Delta and United for example, requiring documentation, whether vet records
or forms filled out for those of us who fly with in quotes service dogs. I
put in quotes because I'm a guide dog user and that is what concerns me at
this point.. Is any of this stuff applicable to us. 
I had always thought that in domestic flights in the US that the FAA
regulations or air carrier access act allowed access without any additional
rigamarole, essential in my traveling days, I would show up, on occasion I
told when making the reservation that I had a dog, most times I didn't, and
I literally had no problems.  So what is the scoop nowadays. It concerns me
that when I look at several of the guide dog school web sites here in the
States that it seems like they are just going along with  it telling
students that "remember to check with the airlines about t required forms"
or something strange like this.

I haven't been flying in several years and am looking to get back in to
traveling by air which of course includes my pup.

Who can give me the definitive answer...am I as a guide dog user required to
fill out these bizarre service dog forms  or do anything else in advance or
required to bring random documentation on domestic US air flights...I don't
mean in quotes "oh the airlines are saying they want it so why not bring
it..."smile, I mean the actual requirements, I've even herd from some fellow
guide dog  users saying "Oh I filled out the  forrs and I had no problems
the airline such and such was very
nice"-- So I don't want that either, anyway you probably get it.

Who wants to give me the skinny, the bottom line, the scoop...

Yours,

Dan and the Parker Hound

smile

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