rsteinmetz70112

Are you suggesting printing the letterhead yourself? If so how is that different from what happened here?

BTW I'm a professional and we haven't had pre-printed letterhead in years. We do have a letterhead form we use on those few occasions where we need to write an actual letter, which if very seldom these days.

Kevin AA

Given that the form needs to be scanned and uploaded to delta.com, it doesn't matter whether you take pre-printed high quality paper letterhead and feed it through the printer, or just print out on cheap paper the same image, because it's going to look the same on Delta's side.

The issue here was that the doctor's letterhead was fake. It wasn't fake because it was generated digitally rather than physically (e.g. taping a logo on blank paper), it was fake because it wasn't the doctor's letterhead. Make your own in a Word or whatever document, save it, and each time you need one, fill it out and hit print. Very easy.

rsteinmetz70112

That's not exactly what the person said.

Rather the the Doctor used a poor quality digital image to generate his own letterhead.

justhere

I know what the other poster said. I didn't ask for an explanation of what some other poster said. I specifically asked about your position based on your statements. You seem to be saying that it is an all or nothing proposition.

As you note, it's unlikely that the poster's medical documentation only approves the animal for leisure. I agree with you on that so based on your logic their doctor is not a quack. And I agree with you on that too. What's left is whether or not the animal is necessary. As we've established that the doctor isn't a quack it would be fair to presume the animal is necessary. It appears that the poster is choosing to go without a prescribed/approved ESA for work trips. Where does it say that someone must always use an ESA if it is prescribed? Who are you to tell them that if they can sometimes manage without it, then they must not need it?

aldaniti

I was in Term1 at LAX today at 5am, I must have seen 6 'ESAs' one of them boarded our BWI flight, the guy was a C boarder, 4th last on boarding the plane, 2 x hand luggage plus the cage with this yappy thing in, guy obviously had middle seat with the yappy thing under the seat in front, it's ridiculous. The guy didn't seem insecure or in need of consulting his ESA during the long flight. It's not fair on the animal and it's not fair on the majority pax. Come Southwest sort this out for the common good.

Kevin AA

If the dog was in a cage, it must not have been an ESA. He must have been one of those suckers who paid the pet fee instead of cheating.

LegalTender

I gather if the ESA was agitable or high-strung a cage would be involved.

synergistic

I don't think there is anything that says ESAs can't be crated - I know cats can be ESAs and I've never seen a cat traveling without a carrier. In that case, though, I agree that he was probably traveling with a pet - don't folks with ESAs get preboarder status?

FortHay

Agreed. I have a friend afraid to go anywhere without his trusty handgun. That should not entitle him to board a flight with a loaded weapon. The entire animal adoration movement needs to be checked, not just aboard flights, but in businesses in general, especially eateries and food sellers.

Kevin AA

+1

That's why several states have made it a crime to pass off your pet as a service animal in businesses that do not allow pets (but allow service animals obviously).

disabledflyer

Have any of you read your comments? Ouch, you sound harsh.

I’m disabled with a compromised immune system due to a genetic disease, PTSD (not the kind where I act out I go introverted) and spinal issues.. You would never know these things by looking at me. Yes I do get a very small medical only bag that carries medical supplies I need while traveling, this makes people think I’m getting special treatment, an extra bag. It is marked with a Caduceus label and checked by security every time I fly because of the contents. No I’m not lucky because I get an extra bag, I can’t survive without it. Hippa law states that I don’t have to disclose why I need anything that is in that bag, just that prescriptions are properly labeled. Most people wouldn’t recognize what I have to take anyway. Every trip I go through the humiliation of a full pat down in a wheelchair for “everyone’s safety” because I’m such a threat not being able to walk more then a few steps without falling or use my hands well most days due to tremors. Oh and I am not old. I have been told by my doctors that they want me to get a ESR but I have resisted so far.

Properly trained animals would would not cause any of the disturbances that I keep reading about but I also wonder how many are exaggerated an ESR animal must be properly trained before being out in service. Drs. note included.

The same goes goes with the whole peanut allergy rise. There is some truth to it and a simple drs note would suffice. It’s not a difficult adjustment for the airlines to make. It should have been done broadly already when it became public knowledge that the allergy was on the rise in children. Easier then the constant fight and the very real possibility of having to turn a plane around for emergency anaphylaxic shock.

Even the use of wheelchairs for pre-boarding is out of hand. A person can’t park in a disabled spot or buy a discounted metro pass without their disabled placard and accompanying information sheet that information and it shows no health record. No information that breaks hippa laws so why can’t the airlines use those as proof of need for a wheelchair and assistance? I carry a copy of my paperwork at all times. It just identifies me as disabled, nothing more. Those ques would get shorter I’m pretty sure.

Maybe it would stop or tamper some of the hate towards those of us who follow the rules, cause no problems (you probably never notice me I’m still sitting on the plane while you all rush off.) although I might take one of those bulkhead seats because I need to move a little due to extreme pain and lou closeness. After all there is no such thing as an accessible Lou on a plane. We have been asking for one for years.

I dislike rule breakers probably more then you because it’s the very services that are desperately needed by people like me that are being abused and the ways to stop it without breaking HIPPA are so simple. I don’t know why the airlines haven’t.

It seems like it wouldn’t be too hard on most flights to keep people and animals on separate flights more work but if a person with a drs note about a severe animal allergy is no different then any other allergy. Most, not all flights can be re-booked around flights without service animals or vice versa.. Not all animal allergies cause anaphylaxis and there are treatments for the others if a person can take them because they know ahead of time.

All a dream I know. Especially in these times.

kennycrudup

ESA or real, actual, trained Service Dog? I don't think anyone has a problem with the latter, but this thread is about people abusing the former (and y'all should be glad I'm not King of the US, as I'm against the entire idea of "'E'SA"s and believe that people so whacked out they can't fly with a damned animal need to stay off planes in the first place, but ah well ...!)

Kevin AA

Welcome to FT. I don't understand what you're trying to say. You're contradicting yourself with those two parts I bolded. The only people who like the relaxed ESA rules are ESA abusers, not people like me and not people like you who are disabled and not faking it.

I agree with you about the phony wheelchair pre-board abusers. It's not exactly the same topic as ESA abusers, but it's abuse of airline policy nonetheless. That's why I maintain that if you need a wheelchair to get ON the plane, then you have to sit there and wait for a wheelchair to get OFF the plane. Watch the number of people who pre-board in a wheelchair and then miraculously get cured in flight drop like a stone.

kennycrudup

UN throws 'E'SA scammer off plane for trying to fly with a freakin' PEACOCK

But here's part of the problem: Wonder how much $$ they bring in on each registration?

rsteinmetz70112

The peacock story quotes United as seeing a 75% year over year increase of ESAs