[nfbmi-talk] U.S. Airways side of Guide Dog and Blind PassengerIncident

[joe harcz Comcast]

U.S. Airways just got fined $1.2 million by the Department of Transportation 
for hundreds of violations of the Air Carrier Access Act, and hundreds of 
complaints.

So their self-serving puffery here doesn't cut muster in my opinion.

Joe
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Terry D. Eagle" <terrydeagle at yahoo.com>
To: "'NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List'" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2013 11:40 AM
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] U.S. Airways side of Guide Dog and Blind 
PassengerIncident


> Letter from U. S. Airways.
>
>
>
>
>
> 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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