[Wasagdu] Delta Airlines

Sat Jan 20 00:26:08 UTC 2018

Mike, could you contact Marion Gwizdala in the next couple of days and ask him about this?

Thabjsm

Marci
> On Jan 19, 2018, at 3:47 PM, Michael Forzano via WASAGDU <wasagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> This is very concerning, please keep us updated.
> 
> Mike
> 
> On 1/19/18, Becky Frankeberger via WASAGDU <wasagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> We are in communication with the Department of Transportation and in the
>> coming days will follow up with the membership as we learn more. ACB
>> strongly opposes any policy that creates an undue burden for passengers
>> with
>> service animals.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Delta introduces enhanced requirements for customers traveling with service
>> or support animals effective March 1
>> 
>> Link to press release:
>> https://news.delta.com/delta-introduces-enhanced-requirements-customers-trav
>> eling-service-or-support-animals-effective
>> <https://mandrillapp.com/track/click/30489975/news.delta.com?p=eyJzIjoid09Ud
>> 2FDdVNpOUVDdFZsU2VIU2gxenF4RXk4IiwidiI6MSwicCI6IntcInVcIjozMDQ4OTk3NSxcInZcI
>> joxLFwidXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL25ld3MuZGVsdGEuY29tXFxcL2RlbHRhLWludHJvZ
>> HVjZXMtZW5oYW5jZWQtcmVxdWlyZW1lbnRzLWN1c3RvbWVycy10cmF2ZWxpbmctc2VydmljZS1vc
>> i1zdXBwb3J0LWFuaW1hbHMtZWZmZWN0aXZlXCIsXCJpZFwiOlwiNDMzMWI3ZTMzMWU0NDI3M2JiY
>> mRiMzllOTNlOTI5YjJcIixcInVybF9pZHNcIjpbXCI3ODBjYTFlZWRjN2Y1YWU4NTJhNGQyMjBhZ
>> mJlYTMzNDlkNzNmZjc5XCJdfSJ9>
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> ATLANTA, Jan. 18, 2018 – Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) is taking steps to
>> further protect its customers, employees and service and support animals by
>> implementing advance documentation requirements for those animals. This
>> comes as a result of a lack of regulation that has led to serious safety
>> risks involving untrained animals in flight. The new requirements support
>> Delta’s top priority of ensuring safety for its customers, employees and
>> trained service and support animals, while supporting the rights of
>> customers with legitimate needs, such as disabled veterans, to travel with
>> trained animals.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Delta carries approximately 700 service or support animals daily - nearly
>> 250,000 annually. Putting this into perspective, Delta carries more than
>> 180
>> million passengers annually. Customers have attempted to fly with comfort
>> turkeys, gliding possums known as sugar gliders, snakes, spiders and more.
>> Ignoring the true intent of existing rules governing the transport of
>> service and support animals can be a disservice to customers who have real
>> and documented needs. Delta has seen an 84 percent increase in reported
>> animal incidents since 2016, including urination/defecation, biting and
>> even
>> a widely reported attack by a 70-pound dog. In 2017, Delta employees
>> reported increased acts of aggression (barking, growling, lunging and
>> biting) from service and support animals, behavior not typically seen in
>> these animals when properly trained and working.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> New Procedures & Updated Requirements
>> 
>> In compliance with the Air Carrier Access Act, Delta provides in-cabin
>> travel for service and support animals without charge. The guidelines,
>> effective March 1, require that all customers traveling with a service or
>> support animal show proof of health or vaccinations 48 hours in advance. In
>> addition to the current requirement of a letter prepared and signed by a
>> doctor or licensed mental health professional, those with psychiatric
>> service animals and emotional support animals will also need to provide a
>> signed document confirming that their animal can behave to prevent
>> untrained, sometimes aggressive household pets from traveling without a
>> kennel in the cabin. These measures are intended to help ensure that those
>> customers traveling with a trained service or support animal will no longer
>> be at risk of untrained pets attacking their working animal, as has
>> previously been reported.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> “The rise in serious incidents involving animals in flight leads us to
>> believe that the lack of regulation in both health and training screening
>> for these animals is creating unsafe conditions across U.S. air travel,”
>> said John Laughter, S.V.P. – Corporate Safety, Security and Compliance. “As
>> a leader in safety, we worked with our Advisory Board on Disability to find
>> a solution that supports those customers with a legitimate need for these
>> animals, while prioritizing a safe and consistent travel experience.”
>> 
>> In developing the updated requirements, Delta solicited the feedback and
>> input of its 15-member Advisory Board on Disability, a group of disability
>> advocates established more than a decade ago and composed of diverse Delta
>> frequent flyers with a range of disabilities.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Air Carrier Access Act
>> 
>> As the Title 14 Code of Federal Aviation Regulations § 382.117 dictates,
>> “you must permit the service animal to accompany the passenger with a
>> disability at any seat in which the passenger sits, unless the animal
>> obstructs an aisle or other area that must remain unobstructed to
>> facilitate
>> an emergency evacuation.” However, untrained animals that have been
>> misidentified as service and support animals are regularly reported to
>> occupy seats, stretch across the aisles and move throughout the cabin
>> during
>> flight, often without restriction. That same regulation also requires that
>> airlines determine whether any factors preclude travel in the cabin by a
>> service animal. Such factors include: “whether the animal would pose a
>> direct threat to the health or safety of others” and “whether it would
>> cause
>> a significant disruption of cabin service."
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> “We are committed to consistently improving our policies, prioritizing the
>> safety of all Delta customers and employees,” said Laughter. “We have
>> received extensive customer feedback through calls, emails and social posts
>> – many from among those within the disability community – urging Delta to
>> take action. This new policy is our first step in better protecting those
>> who fly with Delta with a more thoughtful screening process.”
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> What Customers with Service and Support Animals Need To Know
>> 
>> Any customer traveling with a service or support animal after March 1 will
>> need to meet the new requirements as outlined below:
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Traveling with a trained service animal
>> 
>> • Customers traveling with a trained service animal will be required to
>> submit a signed Veterinary Health Form and/or an immunization record
>> (current within one year of the travel date) for their animal to Delta’s
>> Service Animal Support Desk via Delta.com at least 48 hours in advance of
>> travel.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Traveling with an emotional support animal or psychiatric service animal
>> 
>> • Customers traveling with an emotional support animal or psychiatric
>> service animal will be required to submit a signed Veterinary Health Form
>> and/or an immunization record (current within one year of the travel date),
>> an Emotional Support/Psychiatric Service Animal Request form which requires
>> a letter prepared and signed by a doctor or licensed mental health
>> professional, and a signed Confirmation of Animal Training form to Delta’s
>> Service Animal Support Desk  via Delta.com at least 48 hours in advance of
>> travel.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Delta is creating a Service Animal Support Desk for customers traveling
>> with
>> service and support animals to improve their travel experience and ensure
>> they receive excellent customer service. This desk will verify that the
>> above documentation is received and confirm the customer’s reservation to
>> travel with the animal, prior to arrival at the airport. If a form is not
>> completed, a representative will communicate with the customer via e-mail
>> to
>> request the missing or incomplete items.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Delta does not accept exotic or unusual service or support animals.
>> Additional information on types of accepted animals and other questions
>> related to traveling with service and support animals is available here.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Delta Air Lines serves more than 180 million customers each year. In 2017,
>> Delta was named to Fortune’s top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to
>> being named the most admired airline for the sixth time in seven years.
>> Additionally, Delta has ranked No.1 in the Business Travel News Annual
>> Airline survey for an unprecedented seven consecutive years. With an
>> industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers
>> offer service to 314 destinations in 54 countries on six continents.
>> Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs more than 80,000 employees
>> worldwide
>> and operates a mainline fleet of more than 800 aircraft. The airline is a
>> founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the
>> industry’s leading transatlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and
>> Alitalia as well as a joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its
>> worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily
>> flights, with key hubs and markets including Amsterdam, Atlanta, Boston,
>> Detroit, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK and
>> LaGuardia, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City, São
>> Paulo, Seattle, Seoul, and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of
>> dollars in airport facilities, global products and services, and technology
>> to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional
>> information is available on the Delta News Hub, as well as delta.com,
>> Twitter @DeltaNewsHub, Google.com/+Delta, and Facebook.com/
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> <https://mandrillapp.com/track/open.php?u=30489975&id=4331b7e331e44273bbbdb3
>> 9e93e929b2>
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
> 
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