taylopet

Not to re-tread other discussion on the topic such as On Board Dog & Allergy but at the First Class check-in desk in recently on flight from JFK to LHR (travelling in F) the check in agent said, "Just to let you know there is a service animal traveling in your cabin". First time I had heard that notice, for anyone in the know, is this now part of check in if there is a service animal in the cabin? Only for first class? Just the check in agent taking initiative? One of the reasons for posting here is, if you did have an objection to it (allergy etc...) I am not sure what you could do with that information at that stage? Request a seat move/cabin downgrade? Would BA allow a flight change to a later flight at my (in)convenience.

corporate-wage-slave

This is rare, I've only had a couple of service dogs on my flights, and that was only due to a member of BA's staff, living in my area, was occasionally on NCL hops. You can assume this is a fully spec'd and trained service dog.

Yes, the point of that advice would be to allow you to move to another cabin or to another flight that day in the event of allergy or cynophobia. This could be an outcome for other allergies or phobias, inconvenient yes, but better than having a reactive trauma over the Atlantic. Usually both solutions are relatively easy to accomplish on that routing.

shefgab

If YOU do not wish to travel with the service animal, then YOU can be moved to a different flight or cabin. They will not move the passenger with the service animal.

bhomburg

Yes.
Good agents do this to inform the other passengers in the vicinity about the animal before boarding to allow them to swap seats or flights in case of allergies etc.
Other airlines like TK have this set in procedures and notify other passengers in advance.
I`ve only rarely flown BA with my dog, and one time when we were rebooked on BA on short notice, the BA agent was visibly aggravated at their AA counterpart who foisted us on 'his' flight (LHR-LAX) because the whole thing was done like 45 mins prior to departure and he could not inform the other passengers about the presence of the dog.

RichieMc

I had this on shorthaul once. Scanner at FW rejected my BP and I had to go and see the human who informed about the dog. I was fine with this and went on my way. I was notified at B gate lounge entrance and said it was fine. And I was notified a third time at boarding and still hadn’t changed my mind. The thoroughness is admirable but seemed a bit overkill.

chavala

The should do this with infants ; )

fwfdan

nevermind

ZBD

I had a passenger with service dog across the aisle from me on A380 to Chicago last summer. The first I knew about it was when I sat down and was asked if I had a problem with it. I have to say the dog did not make a sound the whole way to Chicago. Totally different situation from the infant across the aisle from me to Miami on Christmas Day again in F on A380 and parents seemed to think an at seat diaper change just as lunch was served would not cause an issue. Give me the little dog anytime

father_ted

Quite. I'd happily set a flag in my BAEC profile that says 'no objection to nearby service dogs'.

On the matter of changing babies, I have had this unfortunate experience twice recently. Presumably all BA cabins have lavatories with suitable tables for the process?

shefgab

The vast majority of washrooms on BA have a changing table.

JD1905

I’d have said something - that is not acceptable at all.

SxMan

Do they provide an oxygen mask for said Service creature, or does it have a longer time of useful consciousness? Does it have to wear a seatbelt or harness?

how are its toilet and heating needs catered for?

PAL62V

Are you referring to the service animal, or the aforementioned baby?

bhomburg

On the off-chance this is a genuine request for information:
oxygen mask - not really. In theory you could use the extra masks intended for lap infants when your seat is such equipped, but that'd mean I`d have to lift 28kg of dog up to my lap as the masks don't reach down to the floor. Also, I`d have my doubts as to how effective they'd be as they are formed with the human anatomy in mind and not dog snouts.
Harnesses and seatbelts - that depends on the airline. BA - no yes. Some airlines require that you have a harness and seatbelt adapter so they can be secured in case of turbulence. I do have this on us anyway for car use (required in most countries) and it's in the dog travel kit.
In 12 years of frequent travel with my dog, I`ve had to use this twice on flights with heavy turbulence..

Service dogs (the only kind of animal allowed in BA cabins) are specifically trained to not have 'toilet needs' .during flights. My dog knew what she had to do when we were at an airport. Never had an 'accident', but saw that times between potty break opportunities didn't exceed twelve hours at the most (no ULH flights).

oceanscape

That's what I thought. However, someone I know plastered all over instagram photos of themself cuddled up with their dog in Club World. It definitely isn't a service dog - unless they came up with some fake excuse? I have no issue with service dogs travelling but I think BA need to stand firm and not allow pets in the cabin. I assume they require some kind of official documentation?