[Wasagdu] Delta Airlines

Sat Jan 20 00:46:57 UTC 2018

I definitely will, but it seems they are aware of it. NFB sent out a tweet about it expressing their opposition. 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jan 19, 2018, at 4:26 PM, Marci Carpenter <mjc59 at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
> 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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> 