A woman with medical issues and her medical service dog were kicked off of a Southwest Airlines flight in
November of 2013 because a crew member didn’t like the dog’s breed, and possibly the fact that the woman was wearing a T-shirt the crew member might not have approved of— this could be an expensive mistake on the part of Southwest! Not quite feeling the “Luv” now, are we?
Schuyler McGraw, 34, of Oakland, CA, is under the care of a psychiatrist and takes medication for PTSD. She also has a obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). She was the victim of abuse as a child and has physical seizures. To help predict and prevent those seizures, she has a Staffordshire bull terrier, whose name is “Lux.” When the dog senses a seizure onset, Lux signals to McGraw, hovers near her, and leans on her, as the San Jose Mercury News reports.
McGraw was able to check her bags at the Okaland, CA airport and go through security lines without issue. She boarded the flight. Once on board, however, she reports: “I clicked the seat belt and I was so happy. I felt 30 seconds of freedom,” McGraw said. But then she noticed a flight attendant staring at her, “I saw the look in her eye and it was so petty,” she said, mentioning that she was wearing a shirt with the logo of a medical marijuana dispensary on it and felt judged. “The look in her eye (said to me), ‘That is a stoner with a pit bull.'”
Crew members asked McGraw to leave the plane, despite McGraw’s presentation of a recently dated handwritten note from her psychiatrist which reads “(McGraw) requires a dog as an accommodation for air travel. The dog has the ability to predict and prevent medical problems such as seizures.”
McGraw said she contacted the airline two days before her flight to make sure that Lux would be permitted on board. Southwest confirmed on the phone that it wouldn’t be a problem so long as she had a note.
“Our employees are responsible for the safety and well-being of all passengers and their animals on our aircraft,” Southwest spokesman Dan Landson said. “We take customer service very seriously … and we are working with the customer to resolve the situation.”
The airline refunded McGraw her $651 ticket for the flight she could not take, which she accepted, but she would not accept an offer of an additional credit for a future flight.
“She tried to apologize, tried to offer me miles. I said, ‘Save it, this is a discrimination case, this is not about the money.’ I don’t want to fly on their miles. I don’t want to fly their airline again. She called me with a very cheap solution to a very expensive situation.”
McGraw has rights under the ADA and Dept. of Transportation Regulations to have her service dog on board with her. Stay tuned to see if this escalates into a lawsuit or other claim.
Flying with such a T shirt?
Sounds like they both should have been put in the belly with the baggage !
True ignorance at it’s best. Shame on you.
@ S L Hedge above– sounds like you approve of her disability law rights being violated, and to boot you want to see her first amendment rights violated as well…. she is allowed to express herself on her t-shirt, and maybe she takes medical marijuana for her condition, which BTW is legal in California where she lives. Free speech rights are vital in this country, just as important as disability rights. what next in your opinion, tell her she shouldn’t be able to own property or vote because she’s a woman??? Boo on Southwest for not properly training their staff; boo on you for promoting censorship of free speech
Yes, I was just being silly, sorry if I upset you but you are 100 0/0 right!
The airline went against ADA standards as it was considering that they are NOT to ask you for paperwork or anything else for your service animal… They may ask if it IS a service animal, but they are not allowed to ask for ANYTHING else… I also have a Staffordshire Terrier as my service animal for multiple medical issues.
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I’m surprised this happened on Southwest Airlines. I flew out of CA, to NV to Seattle to visit my son on Christmas Day. Samson had his Service Dog gear on, and ID tag “Certified Combat PTSD Service Dog attached to his vest. Showed our paperwork, his AKC CGC, & Doctors prescription for my dog, and I received a pre-boarding pass. My attire was blue jeans, and my Red Marine Corp. League Shirt. After 4 days in Wash. Flow back, same routine, different shirt with Samson of course. Samson is my 90# AKC German Shepherd, Black & Red K-9. He laid on the floor at the bulkhead and chilled there and back. Other than small children, no one paid us no mind. Only received compliments from airline staff. And they thanked Samson for flying Southwest.
Talk about an end to that flight attendents career. I hope her prejudice thoughts are worth the public outcry for this discrimination. I work in the Bay Area In Hospitality you cannot have employees who judge and discriminate. Southwest is liable as the crew is the face of the company. Sue them and donate a portion of the eventual settlement to training more service animals.