American Airlines pulled me off a plane to Mexico City last month because my federally issued veterinary health certificate was 5 days old when I started the trip, but 6 days old when I reboarded from Dallas after an overnight layover. They demanded i get a vet to come to the airport to issue a new certificate. I was stranded in Dallas with no money, no cell phone, no way to find a vet. I had to make almost $100 dollars in collect calls to get someone to find a vet, then I had to pay $250 for the vet to come to the airport. THEN, they got me on the next plane, however the driver who had come 2.5 hours - at a cost of nearly $200 - to get me was, of course, no longer waiting and I was then stuck in Mexico city, a VERY dangerous city, at nearly midnight.Oh, and did I mention that this was a service animal. I was shaking and crying upon landing. This trip was a complete disaster. I URGE YOU not to fly American Airlines. American Airlines employees are the most angry and rude employees I have ever encountered in the industry. I would hate for anyone to experience what I did!
jennj99738
Nov 9, 10, 8:39 pm
Hello, kubalek, besides posting here, have you submitted a complaint to American requesting reimbursement of your expenses? If that fails, you could file a complaint with the Department of Transportation. The correct code to cite in your complaint is the Air Carrier Access Act and, in particular, 14 C.F.R. § 382.117, which discusses service animals. However, before you submit your complaint, make sure you fit within the requirements of the Act. The code changed in 2009. Here is a summary of the Act:
This website may also be helpful: http://www.disabilitytravel.com/airlines/acaa_details_2.htm
If you would like to file a DOT complaint, you may do so online at http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/
Good luck! I'm sorry you went through such an ordeal.
Kate_Canuck
Nov 9, 10, 8:55 pm
a[QUOTE=kubalek;15109880]I was stranded in Dallas with no money, no cell phone, no way to find a vet. QUOTE]
I'm sorry to hear about the difficult situation you experienced but there are a few things I don't understand. First, why didn't you have money or a cell phone? Surely, you at least had a bank card and a credit card? I NEVER travel without money, an ATM card, a credit card and my blackberry.
I also don't understand why, if you travel regularly with a service animal, you weren't familiar with what appears to be a rule about the currency of vet certificates. If the certificate had to be no more than 5 days old, and you knew you were taking a stopover that meant your certificate would be 6 days old, why are you surprised that you had a problem?
Why didn't you call the service that arranged the car for you and cancel it or reschedule it?
jennj99738
Nov 9, 10, 11:09 pm
The vet certificate actually has to be dated within 15 days for travel to Mexico so I can definitely see merit to kubalek's complaint. She wrote more details in the disability forum.
If this is correct, however. Information on Mexico is not so easy to obtain. Some other sites list 10 days.
ETA: other sites state that the vet certificate has to be within 72 hours of entry into Mexico. If that's the case, and it's the airline's job to check this, then there is a bigger problem, i.e., why was she allowed on at her original point of departure because the certificate was out of date then. http://www.solutionsabroad.com/en/relocating/relocating-category/pets-in-mexico.html
Kate_Canuck
Nov 10, 10, 4:04 pm
The vet certificate actually has to be dated within 15 days for travel to Mexico so I can definitely see merit to kubalek's complaint. She wrote more details in the disability forum.
If this is correct, however. Information on Mexico is not so easy to obtain. Some other sites list 10 days.
ETA: other sites state that the vet certificate has to be within 72 hours of entry into Mexico. If that's the case, and it's the airline's job to check this, then there is a bigger problem, i.e., why was she allowed on at her original point of departure because the certificate was out of date then. http://www.solutionsabroad.com/en/relocating/relocating-category/pets-in-mexico.html
That still doesn't explain why Kubalek was travelling without money or a cell phone ...
jennj99738
Nov 10, 10, 8:05 pm
That still doesn't explain why Kubalek was travelling without money or a cell phone ...
I totally agree with that but I still have a problem with AA demanding Kubalek hire a vet to come to the airport and clear the service dog, if the health certificate was valid for entry to Mexico.
The rest of the issue is totally due to a lack of planning and responsibility.
CDTraveler
Nov 10, 10, 9:45 pm
That still doesn't explain why Kubalek was travelling without money or a cell phone ...Not everyone is in the same financial position and perhaps those details shouldn't be shared on a public board.
Kate_Canuck
Nov 10, 10, 10:03 pm
Not everyone is in the same financial position and perhaps those details shouldn't be shared on a public board.
Well, kubalek seems willing to share the fact that he or she didn't have cash or a phone (so obviously was willing to share some personal details about financial position). I wasn't asking for a statement of net worth - just curious about a story that didn't fully hang together for me - who travels internationally by plane without cash, an ATM card or a credit card? (And if the OP is paying for a car to pick him or her up in Mexico City to drive somewhere else, it sounds like s/he is not broke.)
jennj99738
Nov 11, 10, 12:56 pm
In any event, the vet certificate does have to be dated no later than 5 days before entry to Mexico so AA was correct. I contacted a friend of mine who flies to Mexico with her dogs several times a year. She provided the document she received from the Mexican agricultural authorities and it's very specific.
"The health certificate must be showed in headed paper with the printed Professional License or Photocopy of the Medical Veterinary License who issues the certificate, with date no older than five days, indicating the health status of the pet and that the it has been treated against endoparasites and ectoparasites within six months prior to your trip and that the it has been free from any internal and external parasites."
I have typed it with all of the original bolding and typographical errors. I would upload the image but I don't know how. I don't believe the OP will be back anyway.
kubalek
Nov 13, 10, 11:03 am
I LIVE in Mexico and fly to Reno, Tahoe many times a year, for the last SIX years, so yes, I know the rules well. The rule has always been that the cert has to be dated within 10 days, and it was, apparently, changed within days of my flight. But jennj99738 misses the point entirely. American Airlines was so intent on harassing me about my service animal that they failed to recognize the issue prior to boarding me the day before. That left me stranded in DFW.
Immigration/Customs in Mexico was appalled and told me that had I shown up without the proper paperwork, they would have simply called a vet to come to the airport to get it squared away. At a cost of 400 pesos (less than $40USD!)
I simply want others to know that American Airlines seems to have some very angry and bitter employees and if you are disabled or financially unable to figure an extra SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS into your trip, I would stay FAR away from this airline.
kubalek
Nov 13, 10, 11:11 am
Regarding $/Cell phone.
I do not use a cell phone. It is a personal choice not to live like the drones in the US who seem unable to breath without one. In the last 10 years that I have lived without a cell phone, I have never had an issue where I needed to spend hours on a pay phone. I would not have had an issue this time had American Airlines not pulled all of this.
I consider having $150 cash sufficient since I was dropped off and being picked up. American Airlines took the $150 I had in cash when they denied my service animal and made me pay for it as a pet.
kubalek
Nov 13, 10, 11:38 am
Thanks for this - I haven't submitted anything to American Airlines, because I could barely write this out here without getting upset all over again. I appreciate the links and suggestions, though. I'm really not sure what I will do.
Hello, kubalek, besides posting here, have you submitted a complaint to American requesting reimbursement of your expenses? If that fails, you could file a complaint with the Department of Transportation. The correct code to cite in your complaint is the Air Carrier Access Act and, in particular, 14 C.F.R. § 382.117, which discusses service animals. However, before you submit your complaint, make sure you fit within the requirements of the Act. The code changed in 2009. Here is a summary of the Act:
This website may also be helpful: http://www.disabilitytravel.com/airlines/acaa_details_2.htm
If you would like to file a DOT complaint, you may do so online at http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/
Good luck! I'm sorry you went through such an ordeal.
jennj99738
Nov 13, 10, 10:39 pm
I LIVE in Mexico and fly to Reno, Tahoe many times a year, for the last SIX years, so yes, I know the rules well. The rule has always been that the cert has to be dated within 10 days, and it was, apparently, changed within days of my flight. But jennj99738 misses the point entirely. American Airlines was so intent on harassing me about my service animal that they failed to recognize the issue prior to boarding me the day before. That left me stranded in DFW.
*snip
I had written a lengthy response to this post but I decided it wasn't worth it. For other FTers looking to travel to Mexico with a pet and until other documentation, not hearsay, is provided, the animal is required to have a health certificate dated 5 days prior to entry. I welcome actual documentation proving this documentation is incorrect. Here's the link to the document from SAGARPA, the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food:
I consider having $150 cash sufficient since I was dropped off and being picked up. American Airlines took the $150 I had in cash when they denied my service animal and made me pay for it as a pet.
Did your animal have any type of harness or vest to identify it as a service animal? That can be very helpful in these situations. If it is an emotional support animal, then you must have documentation with you.