mvoight

Well, maybe the son and his friends have anxiety about being separated.
I am not aware of AA having a policy for people to sit together simply because there is a service animal
And, this is something the GA should have been handled. Surely the couple knew they didn't have seats together before boarding.
There usually pairs of seats together together on short notice. They are "preferred seats" , so if you don't have elite status and don't want to chance not sitting together, the pay the fee.

JacquelineB

I fly a lot and rarely see service animals. Most of the time it is for the blind. I don't agree with what this couple did, but I don't see it as a big issue. Was the dog a problem on the flight?

There are many more egregious problems when traveling. I find flyers with oversized carry-ons, those that talk at the top of their lungs on cell phones who refused to put them away on take off, a more distracting situation.

Full Disclosure: I'm a dog lover!

lloydah

So am I, he said with a yellow lab over his feet, but this wasn't about the dog. It was about the pathetic owners who thought they deserved better treatment because their sanity was somehow dependent on being sat together with an obviously non service animal. No one is blaming the pooch - who was probably embarrassed at the whole affair.

Mickidon

Well, it wasn't a dog, but this incident might have a place on this thread:
http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2014/1...pig-off-plane/

I know three people who readily admit to having gotten on-line certificates and uniforms for their pets simply because they don't want to pay for kennels when they travel. One has a badly behaved dog who will, 100%, irritate everyone on the plane on his first flight.
Another is a cat. As a dog lover, I wonder what kind of emotional support this cat provides (don't mean to start a dust up with that comment) but I am very allergic to cats and resent this. It is clear that the airlines are terrified to question any potential service animal, hence the flagrant advantage taking. This topic is picking up steam, but no
easy solution to cheating seems likely:
http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health...em-f8C11366537

Amicus

I have doubts about many of the service animals/owners on recent flights.
Here is an interesting article about this, from BBC News:

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31646970

nrr

Some people are "claustrophobic" [they should be able to get a doctors note stating this], sitting in a window seat (with the shade OPEN) might lessen the problem. Assuming the couple (and dog) were seated in window-aisle (as would be the case in FC, or on some of AA's MD-80's) why should they "trump" the pax that needed to be in a window seat? [I'm assuming that the couple being paired, caused the poster to be bumped from a window seat.]
PS: If one had claustrophobia sitting in a middle seat might (also) be a problem.

azimut95

British Columbia is taking action against fake service dogs.

"B.C. service-animal owners to require licence as family pets increasingly passed off as guide dogs"

http://www.nationalpost.com/m/wp/blog.html?b=news.nationalpost.com/2015/03/23/b-c-service-animal-owners-to-require-licence-as-family-pets-increasingly-passed-off-as-guide-dogs

nrr

The problem with fake vs. real service dogs is that once one gets "medical" certification (not hard to do), the fake sd is no longer fake.

MaxBuck

Every dog is a service dog, in fact, though that doesn't excuse fraud. Dogs get their meaning in life through service to their masters. Nonetheless, we've gotten into the business as a society of evaluating whether someone is sufficiently handicapped such that they should be permitted to take their dogs everywhere they go, or not, through the "service dog" designation.

Personally, I'd like to see dogs permitted more places rather than fewer, but that's because I really love my dog. I'd never fake this designation for my own dog, but I'm quite pleased to see dogs in public settings, including on planes. I understand not everyone agrees.

nlkm9

anyone else see the piece on fake emotional support dogs??

brendog

Deleted

mules

I suggest you read this very moving book about a soldier with PTSD and physical and head injuries. His dog is highly trained and makes it possible for him to continue his life.
http://smile.amazon.com/Until-Tuesda...=until+tuesday

Here is a youtube view about the author https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4dz5KSYbTs

MSPeconomist

I caught part of it. It showed how easy it is to buy fake credentials and some strange animals in this role, including a hedgehog and a miniature horse in a bulk head row. IIRC DL accepted one fake emotional support animal and denied one. There was also a scene with another airline, but I didn't see all of that part.

gungadin

I have a friend who is mostly deaf and her service dog has saved her life several times. If she happened to be on a flight with her dog, you might question it because she is not blind nor is she a terrified flier. But if there was an emergency, she would be much better off with the dog. Just a thought for those who do not know someone deaf.

mmff

Your friend has a service dog, not an emotional support dog. Two very different things.