Photo courtesy: Bangor Daily News
Sue Martin, 61, is a blind woman who was accompanied by her 3-year old service dog named Quan (a German Shepherd) and her husband on her flight from Bangor. The three of them were able to fly from Bangor to Washington, DC but had trouble doing so during the second leg of their flight.
What happened was that they had trouble finding a seating in American Airlines that was big enough for Quan to lay down. The AA flight attendant refused to offer a larger seating after Martin made a request. Martin also suggested if she could get a first-class ticket and the attendant replied that dogs are prohibited in first class. A passenger in first class offered his seat. After Martin accepted, an American Airline supervisor came and directed Martin, Quan, and her husband off the flight.
Martin asked why she has been removed and the supervisor responded that the crew decided that their presence on the plane was unsafe and that they had to leave. After returning home by taking another airline flight, Martin filed a complaint against American Airlines for the incident. The company made an apology and stated that Martin’s allegations would be investigated.
According to Robert Mann of R.W. Mann & Co. in Port Washington, N.Y., there probably has been a confusion with the recognition of Quan as a legitimate service dog. The U.S. Department of Transportation accepted Martin’s complaint. The investigation is still going on. Martin would also like to be reimbursed for the $80 cab fare she spent while traveling with Quan and her husband to a different airport.
Article source: Bangor Daily News
Are you an owner of an assistance animal?
The Service Animal Registry of California invites you to have your assistance animal registered in order to designate its status. We also encourage you to take our online classes so you can be fully aware of your rights and gain more knowledge about your support animal.
Finally, we present to you our book entitled, “ASSISTANCE ANIMAL LAWS: LEARN YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING SERVICE ANIMALS, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS, THERAPY PETS, AND OTHER DOGS, CATS, AND ASSISTANCE ANIMALS” to provide you with a complete education on assistance animals.
Purchase your copy of the book by clicking the text or image below.
