[nfbwatlk] NFB Cane-Related Airlines Incident

Tue Mar 24 16:42:25 UTC 2015

Arielle:

The cynic in me suspects that Sushil's problems were partly due to his not
being sufficiently grateful (in other words, he didn't grovel enough so the
airline personnel considered him "uppity") and that he and his boys weren't
WASP.

Sometimes I despair of educating airline personnel because there's too large
a turnover to ensure that indocgtrination sticks! I am obviously not an
attorney, especially not one specializing in transportation matters. But I'm
beginning to wonder if airlines wouldn't listen a little better if their
CEOs weren't hit with a bunch of civil suits alleging pain and suffering to
the tune of hundreds of thousands of bucks every time something like this
happened!

We're all with you!

Picket, anyone?

Mike Freeman

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbwatlk [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Arielle
Silverman via nfbwatlk
Sent: Monday, March 23, 2015 10:29 PM
To: Jessiaca Evans; NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] NFB Cane-Related Airlines Incident

Hi Sushil and all,
Something about this story sounds odd to me. I know that flight
attendants often misunderstand the regulations regarding straight
canes and mistakenly make us turn them over. What I don't understand
is why, if you complied and gave up the cane, they would then remove
you from the flight. Just asking their names is not reason enough to
remove you. After all, my husband tells me that all flight crew
members wear name tags. Rebooking you is costly for the airline and
hurts them by making a customer more unhappy. I can only imagine that
they did it because there was something else about your interaction
with Byron that made them feel threatened or like you were a security
risk to other passengers. The fact that Byron walked with you to the
gate and said he wanted to resolve things further makes me suspect
there might be something else going on. I'm not saying the airline was
actually in the right here; I'm just saying I don't think we have
enough information about this case to claim for sure that it was a
case of blindness-related discrimination. I'd like to hear what Alaska
Airlines has to say in their defense. While I think you probably do
have a legitimate complaint, their behavior just doesn't seem logical
or consistent with typical airline behavior, so I feel like I could
judge the case appropriately only if I hear both sides.
Respectfully,
Arielle

On 3/23/15, Jessiaca Evans via nfbwatlk <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> What an awful incident. You would think airlines would be more educated in
> this day and age. I am sorry for your experience, and I hope that
something
> good comes from this.
> Regards
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Mar 23, 2015, at 11:11 PM, Mary ellen via nfbwatlk
>> <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> Sushil,
>>
>> What a horrid incident!  I had a similar problem with Alaska Airlines
>> from
>> Seattle to Dallas in November.  When I phoned to complain, I was told
>> that
>> the flight crew would be educated about the correct regulation.  Clearly
>> my
>> request that all flight personnel be notified about 14 CFR Part
>> 121.589(g)
>> went unheeded.
>>
>> I hope you file a discrimination complaint with the Department of
>> Transportation, not just with Alaska Airlines.  By the way, since when
>> has
>> it been considered sinister to ask for the name of service personnel?
>> George Orwell is alive and well and works for Alaska Airlines!
>>
>> Mary Ellen
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfbwatlk [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Oswal
>> via
>> nfbwatlk
>> Sent: Monday, March 23, 2015 8:32 PM
>> To: 'Marci Carpenter via nfbwatlk'
>> Subject: [nfbwatlk] NFB Cane-Related Airlines Incident
>>
>> Hi Marci,  just wanted you to know that I was asked to leave  the Alaska
>> Airlines flight 667 from Dallas to  Seattle this evening because of the
>> NFB
>> cane
>>
>> I had stored  away the  cane  by the window  seat but before the plane
>> would
>> take off, one of the crew member, Byron, asked  me to hand over the cane
>> for
>> safety reasons.
>>
>> I gave him  the cane but asked for his name. He gave me his name but it
>> bothered him and he brought a second staff member to speak to me. I told
>> him
>> that I have already given the cane.  He told me that I  had asked for
>> their
>> names; therefore,  they are going to take me off the plane. I assume that
>> they were  looking for an apology from me for having asked  their names.
>>
>> After I got off the plane with my  two younger boys,  Byron followed me
>> to
>> the gate and  told me that he would like to resolve  the issue. I told
>> him
>> that  I want to get home this evening but now I can't because  he has
>> taken
>> me off the last flight of the day to Seattle.
>>
>> He told me that he could book me on the American Airlines flight  next
>> morning. I told him that I can take care of  it myself.
>>
>> I  did later get  seats on the morning American Airlines flight for
>> tomorrow, and we are  staying at Wyndham overnight.
>>
>> Talk to you more when I get in  tomorrow,
>>
>> Sushil
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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