[Nfbf-l] [Flagdu] FW: [nagdu] US Airways passengers stand up for blind man removed from flight

Thu Nov 14 23:22:00 UTC 2013

I remember all that stuff over exit row seating. All this is very sad! As I 
said, hope something worthwhile comes out of it!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <lball42 at tampabay.rr.com>
To: "NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List" <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2013 4:36 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] [Flagdu] FW: [nagdu] US Airways passengers stand up 
for blind man removed from flight


Kathy I do not know if you have been around long enough to remember when two 
people from Michigan Joe Sontag and Nancy Kruger were arrested in Detroit 
when they refused to give up there NFB canes to the stewardess. They were 
actually kicked off the plane the airlines called the police and Joe and 
Nancy were arrested. This is just as bad as that. The stigma rolls on and on 
and on
---- Kathy Davis <kdavisnfbf at cfl.rr.com> wrote:
> Isn't this just the most terrible situation? It's tough enough for any
> airline passengers to have to sit on the tarmac for an hour and a half but
> to expect for a guide dog to remain under a seat in such cramped quarters
> with no fresh air is over the top ridiculous. It goes without saying that
> this exact situation could have happened to anyone of us who are guide dog
> users.
> Thank goodness I have a direct flight to Atlanta on November 23 and
> that my flight isn't very long. I'll be eager to find out if legal action
> will be taken.
>
> Blessings,
>
> Kathy Davis
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Flagdu [mailto:flagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Sherrill
> O'Brien
> Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2013 3:34 PM
> To: NFBFL; FLAGDU List
> Subject: [Flagdu] FW: [nagdu] US Airways passengers stand up for blind man
> removed from flight
>
> Hello all,
>
> This is once again the problem of inconsistent training of flight 
> attendants
> regarding the Air Carrier Access Act. Of course we weren't there to hear 
> the
> airline's side of the story. Usually I have no trouble when I fly. But 
> just
> when you think the attendants all get it, something happens that leaves 
> you
> frustrated and shaking your head. Like the time the flight attendant 
> became
> upset with me when I dared to tell him that my dog could indeed fit under
> the seat. He kept insisting there was no way. One problem these days is 
> that
> there's so little maneuvering room between your seat and the back of the 
> one
> in front of you that it's a struggle to get the pooch down and settled in
> that very small area. Anyway, the attendant was very rude when all I said
> was that he needn't worry, that I could get the dog settled, but that I
> needed a bit more time to accomplish it. It was annoying since none of 
> that
> nonsense needed to happen.
> Well, I'll stop ranting so you can read the article now (lol)
> Sherrill
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org]On Behalf Of cheryl
> echevarria
> Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2013 2:18 PM
> To: travelandtourism; NAGDU Talk List; nyagdu
> Subject: [nagdu] US Airways passengers stand up for blind man removed
> from flight
>
>
> 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
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