TachOz

There's been some fuss in the Australian media today because Jetstar refused to let a guide dog (seeing-eye dog) onto a flight. Obviously there's regulations in place which allow guide dogs on flights and the airline didn't act accordingly, but this raises a question I'm interested in hearing the answer to...

I've been on flights before where it was announced that nobody could open any nut products on board the flight because someone on board was violently allergic. They informed the airline beforehand as it's common for the airlines to have snacks on board containing nuts.

However what would happen if someone on board was violently allergic to dogs? It's not common to have a guide dog on board, and is not something you would ordinarily see the need to inform an airline about! How would an airline be expected to deal if a guide dog needed boarding and someone on board was violently allergic?

Just curious!

cepheid

Chances are strong that the allergic person would end up reaccommodated on another flight. That, or the person requiring the dog... but chances are higher it would be the allergic person, because blindness (or pretty much anything else requiring a guide dog) is a protected disability, while allergies are not, so the legal issues are minimized by inconveniencing the allergic person.

TachOz

I suppose. But that's impractical in situations when flights only run a couple of times a week. And what happens if you end up with the dog on a connecting flight? You'd be unaware of it until you got to the gate - all your checked bags and everything would already be in transit. And if the person requiring the dog got advanced boarding, you may not even realise there's a dog on board. Would the airline then be liable if you had an allergic reaction and they didn't explicitly inform you that there was a dog in the cabin?

*shrug* the practicalities of it all just interest me.

spongebue

I worked for pre-merger NW in the summer of 2008, and we had to go through a standard training program before we could work; something all employees did annually (even if the position didn't come close to needing that information, like mine). This exact question came up, of what to do if a passenger with dog allergies was on the same flight as a blind pax with a guide dog. The correct multiple choice answer was that the pax with allergies would have to be put on a different flight, as an allergy-free flight couldn't be guaranteed or something like that (not to mention ADA rules that I'm sure would come into play)

slawecki

i recently saw someone bringing a guide dog onto a flight. the dog was all decked out as a guide dog, but i don't think it was. was a border collie, with the owner, and was standing on two back paws against the check in desk, getting head rubs from the gate attendant.

while i watched for the next 5 min. dog did much more following than leading. i was unable to notice any defects in the dog's master.

tev9999

This thread may get heated as the allergy topic typically does. From the legal side I agree that blindness and many other conditions are legally protected disabilities and airlines are required by law to accommodate the passenger. Allergies and other medical conditions are not.

Someone with bad allergies can (and should) take precautions to minimize their chance of problems. Medication, epi-pen, mask, respirator, etc. Really, how do you know you are not going to run into a dog/cat in a train, bus, store, or just walking down the street. A blind person cannot do anything to mitigate their blindness.

My belief is that if your condition is so bad that it could cause death or serious injury, and you are unable or unwilling to find a way to minimize the risk, you should not be traveling by commercial transport. I don't see it as any different than someone who is at high risk of DVT expecting the airline to give them a business class seat.

I'm not saying the airline should do nothing, but expecting them to guarantee a flight is allergen free or remove six seats so your hospital gurney can be accommodated is too much.

Going OT a bit, is it possible for a human to be allergic to other humans? We share pretty much the same hair/dander/skin oils as our mammal cousins so it seems like it could be possible. How would an airline handle that one?

HereAndThereSC

Sometimes the dogs are being "moved around" not by owner but by a helper which is not necessarily trained to handle the dog.

In the case you mention above, sure sounds like that border collie was a pet that was dressed up. I saw the same one time, and it was refused on board because it wasn't in a harness!

HTSC

djk7

With people using sites like this one, no surprise.

Ocn Vw 1K

Let me move this to our Disability Travel forum for further discussion, with a slightly more descriptive thread title. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

CosmosHuman

As a social worker, and a member of the human race, I feel that JetStar has made a person living with a disability quite humiliated. I don't know the laws in OZ, but in the USA this airline would not only have been fined but it would be on the national news as well as a total disgrace/neglect for human rights.

Shame on you JetStar!

gj83

If we're just talking about allergies, what happens to someone who paid to bring a dog onboard that is not a service dog? Those dogs are required to stay caged. The odds are much higher that someone has a cabin dog than a service dog. Would the person with the allergy still be the one moved to a later flight, the person with the dog, or neither since the pet is caged.

oldpenny16

Real service dogs require training. What the person above saw may have been a young dog in training to be a service dog. One of my co-workers who is totally blind had a problem with her first guide dog as he was terrified of airplanes. The trainer came down from the dog's training school and worked with the dog on many flights to get him used to the idea as travel was required in her master's job.

cepheid

It depends on the airline and the situation, I'm sure, but in my experience, it's still the person with the allergy. Cabin pets require an extra fee, and since no actual service is provided for that fee, my presumption is that the fee is intended to cover increased liability and possible passenger reaccommodation for exactly this reason (notwithstanding the "because they can" factor).

I fly with my dogs in-cabin once a year, and one year a passenger made a big fuss (to the GA, not to me, and not directly in front of me) about the dog. The GA told her she could switch seats or take a different flight; I was not asked to do anything. (For the record, our dogs stay in their bags the entire time, and on most flights, even our row-mates don't know there's a dog on board.)

b1513

There are many people who are legally blind who still have some vision left but not enough where they can get along on their own and, consequently, have a guide dog. It may not be at all evident just by looking at the person or the situation. Usually, though, when guide dogs are *working* they wouldn't be jumping up on the desk, as you mention.

Bobette

CDTraveler

It may depend on who booked first, and if the airline was notified in advance of the allergy.

My son has a life-threatening allergy to dogs, which, BTW, is covered under the ADA in certain circumstances, but those don't include flying. I have taken to calling the airline to see if there is a dog booked on a flight before booking a specific flight. If there is, I book a different flight, and notify the airline of the severe allergy. Some airlines, for example NW pre-merger, would then promise that no pet dogs could be booked in the cabin for the flight, but that if a service dog was booked, the service dog would fly and we would be bumped.

BTW, a cage/pet bag would have no effect at all in preventing an allergic reaction for my son; just breathing essence of dog in a confined space will get to him. And, yes, I've got half a pharmacy in my bag to deal with his allergies.