[Travelandtourism] US Airways passengers stand up for blind man removed from flight

[Jana Jackson]

Well, it's good to know there are still people willing to stand up for
what's right... God bless those passengers!

Jana


-----Original Message-----
From: Travelandtourism [mailto:travelandtourism-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of cheryl echevarria
Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2013 1:18 PM
To: travelandtourism; NAGDU Talk List; nyagdu
Subject: [Travelandtourism] US Airways passengers stand up for blind man
removed from flight

This is funny they say legally blind, um, Albert you are totally blind, so
you cannot see anything. 
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/nov/14/us-airways-passengers-revolt
-after-staff-kicks-bli/

Passengers aboard a US Airways flight in Philadelphia on Wednesday banded
together in support for a legally blind man who was kicked off the plane for
his unruly guide dog.Flight attendants said Albert Rizzi's guide dog was out
of control, but other passengers wholeheartedly disagreed, refusing to fly
with the airline if the blind man wasn't allowed on the plane, ABC 7
reported.
The flight was canceled and the passengers were bused to Long Island by the
airline.Passengers told the station that the flight attendant wouldn't clear
the flight for takeoff without the dog going under the plane's seat. The dog
waited under the seat at first, but after the plane sat on the tarmac for
about an hour and a half, the dog became restless."The lady comes back and
gets very insistent, and I said, 'Look, I don't understand what you want me
to do.' I said, 'He's as best as he can, he's where he needs to be,'" Mr.
Rizzi said.One passenger said others came to the man's defense.
"She came back and said to him, 'You've got about a minute to get this
straightened out,'" the passenger told ABC 7. "And he tried to do whatever
he could, and she went back to the front of the plane. We were taxiing like
we were going to take off. And at that point in time, we're about to take
off, and all the sudden the captain gets on the PA and says we have to head
back to the terminal. . We were all kind of raised our voices and said this
is a real problem. So the captain winds up coming out of the cockpit, and he
basically asked us all to leave the aircraft."Officials at US Airways said
Mr. Rizzi was belligerent and the crew's safety was in jeopardy, but other
passengers said that isn't true.
Mr. Rizzi took to Facebook to express his disappointment.
"I cannot believe this. I was removed from the plane that I was supposed to
be on to go home from Philadelphia because my dog couldn't sit in a spot for
an hour and a half on the tarmac such a joke," he said, adding that the
other passengers were very supportive.
"There were 35 people on the flight tonight. Every one of them stood up in
solidarity for the discriminatory treatment I received and the way my dog
was unwelcome on the flight," he said.Miriam Woods Baxter commented: "My
brother-in-law was on the plane with you. He is disgusted with the way you
were treated. I'm sorry you were treated this way."

Read more:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/nov/14/us-airways-passengers-revolt
-after-staff-kicks-bli/#ixzz2keIvgEeS Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

Disabled Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 of NY StateLeading the Way in
Independent Travel!
Cheryl Echevarria,
Ownerwww.echevarriatravel.com631-456-5394reservations at echevarriatravel.com
 Your old car keys can be the keys to literacy for a blind child.  Donate
your unwanted vehicle to us by clicking www.nfb.org/vehicledonations or call
855-659-9314. Echevarria Travel has partnered with Braille Smith.
www.braillesmith.com for all her braille needs.  Gail Smith is the Secretary
of the NFB of Alabama 		 	   		  
_______________________________________________
Travelandtourism mailing list
Travelandtourism at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/travelandtourism_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Travelandtourism:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/travelandtourism_nfbnet.org/jana%40janajac
kson.com