[NAGDU] I ALSO FLEW SOUTHWEST

Wed Sep 20 22:56:35 UTC 2023

I flew southwest in March and again flying in October.  They ask me to bring a printed copy with me. Fortunately I have a friend with a printer so she just printed two copies for me.  Wish these guys could get together and decide one way to present this form.
God bless!
Paula and the pups

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of robert stigile via NAGDU
Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2023 3:57 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: robert stigile <rstigile at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] I ALSO FLEW SOUTHWEST

As of my july travel southwest did not allow you to upload the forms so i am interested to know if it changed!
Robert Stigile, Second Vice-President
National Federation of the Blind of California President San Fernando Valley Chapter
818-381-9568
Kn6uvd

> On Sep 20, 2023, at 12:31 PM, Melissa Allman via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Jenine, I have a question. It looks like you're saying you actually uploaded your completed DOT form to Southwest somehow and then also brought it to the gate. Do I have that correct? I ask because my understanding up until this minute has been that SW does not have a way to tie the form to the reservation electronically so they still just make you bring it to the gate. I do understand that you can indicate in your reservation that you're traveling with a service animal but just not submit the form electronically, If things have changed I'd love to know that I'm clear about that. Thanks.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Jenine Stanley via 
> NAGDU
> Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2023 3:13 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users 
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Jenine Stanley <jeninems at icloud.com>
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] I ALSO FLEW SOUTHWEST
> 
> Sorry, this got trapped in my drafts folder. 
> 
> My husband and I recently flew Southwest as part of a day trip tour. I added our service animals to the reservation once we got our flight numbers, uploaded the forms for both dogs and had a copy of the DOT form with me for both of them. The Southwest staff was great and only glanced at the forms. 
> 
> I do agree though that all of this can be avoided by airline staff using the power they already have to prohibit animals that are not behaving or being controlled. This was a major point of contention during the rule making process. Airline reps did not want the responsibility of making decisions about poorly controlled animals. It makes no sense to me as they kept saying they didn’t want to have passengers angry with them. I’m pretty angry if there’s a poorly controlled animal on my flight. 
> 
> My sister noted that on her way home from Hawai recently, there were 
> five dogs, including hers, on the flight. Sadly the other four dogs 
> were cadaver dogs that had been working on Maui. All dogs were well 
> behaved, quiet and calm. So yes, it can be done but even if one of 
> those dogs was not well controlled, it would probably still fly 
> because staff doesn’t want to tell someone they can’t fly with their 
> animal. We were told during the rule making process that the trick 
> many people use to avoid pet fees was to come up right before final 
> boarding with their animal and claim service animal status. Too late 
> for all the checks and such. This meant that the poorly 
> behaved/controlled animal was then on the flight. Once the door is 
> closed, it takes an act of God to open it. OK, it only takes the pilot 
> deciding to do so but …
> 
> Soooo, there we are. Once again, a form, an ID card, a magic wand, will not fix this issue. 
> 
> On Sep 13, 2023, at 8:19 PM, Susan Jones via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> I went onto the DOT website and completed the form.  I think I had trouble uploading it to connect to my reservation, but I printed a copy and took it with me, and they just took a look and gave it right back to me, and I was good to go.
> 
> Susan & Topher
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Elizabeth Campbell 
> via NAGDU
> Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2023 3:08 PM
> To: Melissa Allman <MAllman at seeingeye.org>
> Cc: Elizabeth Campbell <batescampbell at gmail.com>; NAGDU Mailing List, 
> the National Association of Guide Dog Users <nagdu at nfbnet.org>; TXAGDU 
> List <txagdu at nfbtx.org>; jpare at nfb.org
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] My concerns regarding the DOT service animal 
> forms
> 
> Hi Melissa, thanks for your note I am flying on Southwest airlines.
> Also, Mike Evers I wanted to let you know that Nfb legal folks and our national Association of nine dog users are working very closely on this issue. I know that since the department of transportation first propose these forms that we have been fighting hard against them.
> However it is my understanding that the DOT has refused to budge on this issue.
> 
> 
> On Wed, Sep 13, 2023 at 11:50 AM Melissa Allman 
> <MAllman at seeingeye.org>
> wrote:
> 
> Hi Elizabeth. Yes, this remains frustrating to put it mildly. Would you be willing to share which airline you are dealing with, as they all handle this differently unfortunately?
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Elizabeth Campbell 
> via NAGDU
> Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2023 12:44 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users < 
> nagdu at nfbnet.org>; TXAGDU List <txagdu at nfbtx.org>; jpare at nfb.org
> Cc: Elizabeth Campbell <batescampbell at gmail.com>
> Subject: [NAGDU] My concerns regarding the DOT service animal forms
> 
> Good morning all,
> I am writing to let you know about a frustrating experience I'm having with a task that should be simple, which is to complete the required U.S.
> Department of Transportation form for traveling with our service animals.
> I am taking a couple of flights on a different airline as I usually fly American which allows us to complete a form once a year and simply enter a service animal ID number when booking our travel.
> However, as has been said previously in town hall discussions and other meetings, we don't have that option when flying other airlines.
> Today, I tried completing the form, but I kept getting a popup window, even with the latest version of Adobe and the latest version of JAWS for Windows which prevented me from finishing the task.
> I even called Aira  and talked to an agent who tried to help me via the Microsoft Quick Assist app, but she ran into the same roadblocks.
> 
> I believe we have accessibility issues on two fronts including completing the DOT form using software that is preventing us from completing tasks because of a popup that won't go away unless one reboots the computer.
> Then, we seem to have an issue with Adobe itself.
> It's my understanding that we should be able to complete the accessible PDF without jumping through hoops.
> Now, I will need to email the form to one of my work colleagues who has Adobe in hopes that he can help me finish the form.
> 
> Thanks all for reading. I know that I am preaching to the choir so to speak, but this convoluted and unjust requirement for us who have already paid for our airline travel must stop. We should not be penalized just because we choose to utilize our service animals to further our independence.
> --
> Elizabeth Campbell
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