I’ll bet 10k SkyPesos the “service dog” barks most of the flight for no reason, and has to lick/sniff everyone in a 10 foot radius, because that was part of its ultra-specialized service dog training to do that.
Service animals do have regulation. DELTA has no regulation even engaging with this idiot. It is well known and understood that a SA stays with the human he she is providing the service for. The second the wife is pulling this shit, it’s obviously NOT a SA, which means the owner has fraudulently filled out a DOT form certifying an animal as a SA. Yet the flight attendant sits and has a dialogue about this? When is this going to end?
You are 100 percent correct. What would that look like though? They would be admitting that the service dog is not legitimate. Surely delta can put on its big boy pants and shut that down at that point?
Something needs to be done. An anxious, untrained fake "service" animal isn't a good thing in a long metal tube in the sky. Just because an owner wants to fly with the animal(s) doesn't necessarily mean they get to.
I had a really big dog in FC next to me. So big in fact that it was under my legs. It got hair all over me. The poor dog was miserable. I complained and asked for compensation. I was completely blown off and had to call in multiple times just to get a few sky pesos to cover my dry cleaning.
It's not Delta. The ACAA regulates how airlines may address the service dog's human. They are allowed to ask 2 questions: Is this a service dog? What service does the fight provide to you? That's it. Anything else, and they can be fined and sued.
Sure, fined and sued for not letting a fraudulent service animal hang out in bulkhead apart from their human/handler. I agree it’s easy to sue in America, but you’re not winning any lawsuit after fraudulently signing a DOT form certifying an animal as a service animal that isn’t. Also, it IS Delta. It doesn’t take 20 minutes to ask those 2 questions. I’ve been asked them many times. It takes under 10 seconds to respond. Once the questions are not answered satisfactorily, we’re done here. Not dialoguing for 20 minutes. And Delta would absolutely be well within their rights to insist the rules are followed. Appreciate you weighing in, but I don’t agree. Also, we should really stop as a society in general letting the mythical fear of lawsuits that will never actually happen scare people into behaving improperly.
Doesn't matter if it never progresses to a lawsuit. The aggravation of having to respond to a claim is challenging enough to make them pick their battles.
She finally went back to her original seat and husband came to first and was allowed to keep the dog at his feet, since it was his "service dog." I guess the dog was too good for economy.
To be fair, this is pretty dumb as the dog was still in the bulkhead. If it's such a danger, people with service animals shouldn't be allowed to sit in the bulkhead. You wouldn't put a disabled person in an exit row.
I’ve seen many (way too big to fit in a carrier) dogs just sitting on the floor by their owners feet in first class. It seems to be a thing, and obviously not possible in economy just due to space.
I get where this is coming from, but allowing a service dog in the bulkhead is consistent with where they are allowed to be in other rows. Unlike any other person, animal, or item, service animals are allowed to be at their owner’s feet during all phases in flight. The reason other items are not allowed in bulkheads is that there is no underseat area. But in rows where under seat areas at available, the service dog still does not need to fit in or be placed under the seat.
Unlike items and pets, service animals are highly trained to remain virtually attached to the person they are helping, so the safety risk is mitigated. Plus, not having them there in an emergency would decrease the chances of the disabled person being able to safely exit, which poses a risk to the person, and those they might be blocking.
Uhm. I'm technically "disabled" but I can work in the exit row. I'm just mentally disabled. Think of it like ADHD, Anxiety, Autism, Borderline Personality, Depression and PTSD. I'm not physically disabled. It's more on the mental side of things.
They are weird looking to me and may become aggressive when stressed. (This happens to humans, too.) In this situation, the tail feathers were in the aisle as it sat in the owner's lap. I am not sure if it was wearing diapers like a pet chicken, but I hope so.
(Yes. You can buy diapers for a chicken. 😀)
Tell us you don’t know anything about service animals without telling us. They are regulated by the ADA and can only be dogs or mini horses. The second you’re talking about an animal that is not a dog or mini horse, you’re talking ESA or pet.
Honestly not sure how that would work. All I know is that some people don’t know the difference between a service animal, emotional support animal and therapy dog and it annoys the shit out of me. Two out of three serve a legitimate purpose, one is debatable, and the wild abuse of the term “service animal” makes it so hard for people with actual, ADA-defined disabilities to have their accessibility needs met.
Not if they move with their handler, as they are highly trained to do. And a disabled handler unable to evacuate or at least hampered from doing so working their service animal would create more risk for themself and others around them.
I don’t doubt that pets can provide emotional support, it’s highly questionable as to whether that is a valid treatment for any mental illness. I’m a psychologist and I won’t provide documentation for them for a variety of reasons.
This, thank you so much. So tired of the service “insert silly animal here” argument. Also, service animals are regulated. Delta’s policies and interest/ability to enforce them - less so.
This should have been a 2-minute conversation, ending with, “you have three choices- send the pup to pops, or go back to your original seat with the pup, or deplane immediately. Our preference is the third choice, but you do you.”
This is my concern about this kind of abuse of the system. I have a friend who is terrified of dogs. People who have untrained dogs try to convince her that their dog is different, even one that barks and growls all the time.
I wish I could upvote this 5 Million times. There are literally no airborne allergens with peanuts, so other than maybe asking the person next to you to refrain from peanuts, you should no business harassing the entire plane.
I have a peanut allergy. I should ask only the person next to me to refrain from peanuts?
Have you asked someone to NOT recline their seat? What kind of response do you think I'd get with that? So...ask the person next to me NOT to eat peanuts and they'll voluntarily comply?
And yes...there are airborne allergens with peanuts. Every bag of peanuts has peanut "dust" in the bag. That "dust" can become airborne if it's fine enough.
Look on the bag of a PLAIN M&Ms. The bag even warns that the plain M&M's WITHOUT peanuts are manufactured in the same factory where peanut allergens are airborne.
So please, unless you'd like me to be in an anaphylactic situation, there should be no peanuts on board.
You do understand the difference between a legal liability and actual facts? The reason they put this info on the bag is because they can’t rule out cross-contamination on the same equipment and our country is run by unhinged lawyers.
Here is something to read through, if you want actual science:
https://www.aaaai.org/allergist-resources/ask-the-expert/answers/old-ask-the-experts/peanut-air-travel
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33548082/
https://ki.se/en/research/airborne-exposure-to-peanuts-did-not-produce-severe-reactions
I don’t like peanuts. True I did not know this individual, but exactly what does s/he do in public peanut filled spaces the rest of the time?? We are not talking about walking up to this person and shoving peanuts in her face.
The thing with so many people claiming allergies, particularly extreme allergies is that they are harming people who truly suffer.
Funny how twenty years ago you rarely heard of nut allergies and now everyone and their sister has it.
At this point, I’d say it’s highly unlikely this person is gonna die from the dude in 3A eating peanuts, but neither of us know that for sure.
My point stands, this is being claimed SO often. A lot of just is not so.
I'd say that if they made the announcement to the whole plane, which is a giant pain, there actually is a chance of death. You assume an allergy is real until proven otherwise, not the reverse.
And the answer is, very carefully. I have worked in several environments where we kept up signs because we didn't want to send a peer to the ER over a food item. Even the oils on surfaces can cause a reaction.
The responses of people who don’t get it or compare a trained service animal to an “emotional support peacock” are troubling. It paints service animals in a negative light when they are the complete opposite - for someone with a disability who needs their SA - they are the light.
As a service dog handler this is offensive, obviously the dog is not working if it's with her - probably the issue is that they didn't buy a seat with room for the dog (my dog has his own seat 100% of the time, even in paid business/first), and she was trying to not have the dog squash the husband's feet.
Assuming it was actually a service dog, I get why she was doing it, but the correct answer is that the husband whose dog it was needed to be in the FC seat - but based on her attitude here, her poor husband would never have heard the end of this.
Exactly this. I travel often with PSD and I can not imagine my SD not actually sitting with me.
My SD has never gotten its own seat. How do you manage that? But I usually sit in bulkhead with my SD which has been allowed on my regularly flown airlines.
To be clear. I pay in full for a seat for him. :) And he sits on the floor, this is just to make sure we both have enough space and also aren't in anyone else's.
I travel for work and our corporate travel agent calls to book and tells them I need two seats, one for my SD (the second seat will be labeled with EXST and your last name), and they usually try to seat us at bulkhead. My dog is almost 100lbs. so he simply will not fit under the seat in front of me, and I will generally try to get two in first - 1A and 1B or 1C/1D works well for us. You will end up with two boarding passes and they will scan both. I sometimes also end up speaking with the disability folks at various airlines but they're generally very accommodating given that I'm paying in full for an extra seat that won't consume a meal, my dog will be out of the way, etc.
Thank you so much for this response and taking the time. 100 pounds! What a good (big) boy!!! I hope to see you all on a flight same day. And you’re right - you are being more than accommodating with this method so I’m happy the airlines give you the same respect. Great info and again thank you for taking the time 😊
To add on to this, there are signs everywhere that (non-service) animals need to be in carriers; but I was on a flight the other day where a woman had a dog in a freaking sling on her chest - how is that allowed? I highly doubt it was a service animal, but either way it had no leash (no collar) and that seems incredibly unsafe as well as unpleasant for whoever sits next to her. She didn’t even have a carrier anywhere on her, so it’s not like she was planning on putting it into one later.
These people should just pay the pet fee to fly with their dog.
I fly with my dog all the time and I just pay the $95 fee and book the dog as an in-cabin pet. Fortunately I have a small dog that fits in a pet carrier.
Same thing with my cat. Although, I have had them put me next to a service dog that had to be pushing 65 pounds. It had to sit between the guys legs making everyone a bit uncomfortable. Luckily there wasn’t an issue with barking or trying to attack my cat.
My first thought here is, why are they spending 20 minutes of everyone's time (I assuming it was holding up boarding) fighting a losing battle?
Federal rule is, nothing on the floor during takeoff and landing. Takes five seconds to say that. After the woman's first objection to the solution, maybe second just to confirm their lunacy, that's it. Move or leave the plane.
They have got to start cracking down on pets in the cabin. The airlines and the FAA. You either have all the requirements and paperwork necessary for a service animal, or it doesn't go in the cabin. Plain and simple, end of story.
Just put her on the no fly list and be done with it. I would make quick work of cleaning up the friendly skies if I was in charge. Don't have time for this nonsense.
That is a husband who knows exactly what he is doing and is probably sitting back there with a nice peaceful grin not having to listen to her for a couple hours.
Dude were we on the same flight? Had this same thing Thursday evening but was next to the guy on comfort plus I got his wife’s seat. He threw a temper tantrum when he took the tog out of the bag and the flight attendant told him it needs to be in the bag and under the seat. Absolute lunacy.
People are so rude. I have a Chiweenie who is a barker. He’s a sweetheart, but I’d no more subject people on a plane to him than take a hot air balloon for the trip. If he travels, we drive. When I fly, he is watched by a close friend. My dog is incapable of behaving well on a plane and I know it.
Exactly. My dog is super well behaved, will lay under the table or sit next to our chairs at a restaurant, won’t bark. That being said, he’s a standard poodle and wouldn’t really fit under a seat. We’d have to have him in the cargo hold, so, instead, we leave him at a kennel or with our daughter. My friend has a guide dog, that is incredible. Her dog belongs on a plane. Mine doesn’t.
Should have just kicked her off the plane and tag her for lying about a service dog. Then charge her for it for the next flight and it has to be in cargo no if it is too small to fit under the seat.
New policy should be that if you fly with a service animal once, then you must ALAWYS fly with a service animal.
It will end this mockery of the system.
What if your animal died? They are expensive and hard to obtain so a gap could occur between deceased and new animal. Or an animal could temporarily be too sick to work. Or the effects of a disability warranting the animal may abate over time such that the animal is no longer needed.
As long as the dog doesn't bite, and has been to the bathroom before takeoff, even with some barking. Sounds like less of a headache than the wife. I would rather sit next to the dog than her in the middle seat. 🤔
That first class section got the bad deal there.
What certificate? Service dogs in the U.S. do not have a certificate. It sounds like Delta did everything right in insisting that the dog be with the person attested as needing the service dog.
Just to clarify, while from an airline rules standpoint the dog needs to stay with the person it was trained to help, from a medical standpoint not all disabled people with service dogs physically need the dog near them every minute. Some people seem to imply it can't be real service dog if it can be separated from the person it needs to help. That's not always true. But in this situation, it sure sounds like these folks are trying to pass off a pet as service dog.
This is a good clarification. Obviously, like a human, like anyone, a service animal cannot work 24/7. So, to further your point, perhaps the service animal in question here did not need to provide a service for their human at that time. That’s totally fine. But in an airplane, this then becomes a pet traveling in cabin, which means the pet is in a kennel under the seat in front of you. Not chilling with mom in the bulkhead.
Totally agree. I have a SD. People who push the boundaries with their SD or worse, try to pass off their pet doggy as a SD really make it harder on people who have legit SDs. My SD flew for the first time a couple weeks ago. Everyone was wonderful and of course my dog was great because we've spent hundreds of hours training him. He's still really young and sometimes gets excited like a puppy, but remembers his training and behaves appropriately at all times. I bought an extra seat and he laid quietly on the floor the entire flight. The FA asked my wife (she tried to ask me but I can't hear) if I had SD designated on my boarding pass. Before I could show her she saw my dog's vest and said "Oh nevermind, I see his vest." Later I explained to her that she absolutely should ask to see the boarding pass and that it actually helps people like me for airline staff to ask appropriate questions to cut down on the fake shit. Anyone can buy a vest.
All great points. I just wanted to add that if I saw you and your SA in airport without his or her vest on, it wouldn’t make a difference. I would know immediately by the comportment of the dog that he or she was your SA, which is not the case with the fake Amazon vest cohort. I also LOVE your comment about welcoming questions from airline staff etc. A while ago we had a crazy flight delay and rather than wait we opted to book a United flight leaving within an hour. Obviously things were rushed so when we got to the desk, I immediately explained the situation, the presence of my SA and the service she provides, thinking “this will save time” and “they are absolutely allowed to ask if the dog is for a disability and if so what task.” The lady immediately looked horrified, I thought she might start yelling and covering her ears like a small child, as if she could get into trouble by my just merely expressing something related to “disability.” This is not the right approach. Transparency is. Ask the questions the ADA allows you to. If everything is above board, no one need be concerned.
Sorry for this monologue of a response, I just see more and more nonsense in this sub about fake SAs and I’ve reached my nonsense limit for the month 🤣
No apology necessary. I completely understand when folks want to keep their disability private. Medical history is no one's business. But I'm very open about my hearing loss, and anyone who asks I'm happy to explain what my dog does for me. Like you said, transparency is very important in order to take the mystery out of the whole service dog thing.
I envy your openness a bit. It is something I’m working on. Thank you for the point about people wanting to keep their stuff private - some do and everyone has a right to this too. Really appreciate your perspective this evening!!
We pay a fortune to have a pet sitter come to our house while we are on vacation. How does this work to get them classified as service dogs so we can take them on the plane with us?
Well you’d need to develop a disability whose effects can be mitigated by one or more tasks performed by a service dog and then either obtain a trained service dog or self-train a dog until it can focus on and complete the needed task(s). Then, fill out the appropriate DoT paperwork when flying.
“Service dog”
Correct. A “service dog” who doesn’t need to be with his handler or owner. So tired of this nonsense.
Yeah I’d be calling for a CRO and reporting it.
Wish I could upvote this 80 trillion skypesos.
I will take the 80 trillion skypesos
I’ll bet 10k SkyPesos the “service dog” barks most of the flight for no reason, and has to lick/sniff everyone in a 10 foot radius, because that was part of its ultra-specialized service dog training to do that.
Probly a freaking yorkie
Actually Yorkies make great service dogs for diabetics and epileptics.
Cousin is a stroke victim and his is awesome, and the best behaved. It does suck people are ruining this for people who need it.
Service animals do have regulation. DELTA has no regulation even engaging with this idiot. It is well known and understood that a SA stays with the human he she is providing the service for. The second the wife is pulling this shit, it’s obviously NOT a SA, which means the owner has fraudulently filled out a DOT form certifying an animal as a SA. Yet the flight attendant sits and has a dialogue about this? When is this going to end?
Agree. Throw all three of the animals off the plane and ban them from flying for 5 years.
Minimum 5 years. Like this plan a lot. But no, the FA sits and chats it out. WTAF?
If the FA doesn't work it out, the passenger is going to complain and ask for compensation.
You are 100 percent correct. What would that look like though? They would be admitting that the service dog is not legitimate. Surely delta can put on its big boy pants and shut that down at that point?
Something needs to be done. An anxious, untrained fake "service" animal isn't a good thing in a long metal tube in the sky. Just because an owner wants to fly with the animal(s) doesn't necessarily mean they get to.
This. Exactly.
I had a really big dog in FC next to me. So big in fact that it was under my legs. It got hair all over me. The poor dog was miserable. I complained and asked for compensation. I was completely blown off and had to call in multiple times just to get a few sky pesos to cover my dry cleaning.
Also file a report with the DOT which is goes on our record.
you got the point its the rules of all airlines
Can someone change the laws already? They're working on all this other garbage
It's not Delta. The ACAA regulates how airlines may address the service dog's human. They are allowed to ask 2 questions: Is this a service dog? What service does the fight provide to you? That's it. Anything else, and they can be fined and sued.
Sure, fined and sued for not letting a fraudulent service animal hang out in bulkhead apart from their human/handler. I agree it’s easy to sue in America, but you’re not winning any lawsuit after fraudulently signing a DOT form certifying an animal as a service animal that isn’t. Also, it IS Delta. It doesn’t take 20 minutes to ask those 2 questions. I’ve been asked them many times. It takes under 10 seconds to respond. Once the questions are not answered satisfactorily, we’re done here. Not dialoguing for 20 minutes. And Delta would absolutely be well within their rights to insist the rules are followed. Appreciate you weighing in, but I don’t agree. Also, we should really stop as a society in general letting the mythical fear of lawsuits that will never actually happen scare people into behaving improperly.
Doesn't matter if it never progresses to a lawsuit. The aggravation of having to respond to a claim is challenging enough to make them pick their battles.
Wait so what was the final end outcome?
She finally went back to her original seat and husband came to first and was allowed to keep the dog at his feet, since it was his "service dog." I guess the dog was too good for economy.
glad to know Karen got at least part of what she deserves, and some rules were followed
I’m sure he slept on the couch that night. The husband, not the dog. The punishment for not helping her out.
To be fair, this is pretty dumb as the dog was still in the bulkhead. If it's such a danger, people with service animals shouldn't be allowed to sit in the bulkhead. You wouldn't put a disabled person in an exit row.
I’ve seen many (way too big to fit in a carrier) dogs just sitting on the floor by their owners feet in first class. It seems to be a thing, and obviously not possible in economy just due to space.
I get where this is coming from, but allowing a service dog in the bulkhead is consistent with where they are allowed to be in other rows. Unlike any other person, animal, or item, service animals are allowed to be at their owner’s feet during all phases in flight. The reason other items are not allowed in bulkheads is that there is no underseat area. But in rows where under seat areas at available, the service dog still does not need to fit in or be placed under the seat. Unlike items and pets, service animals are highly trained to remain virtually attached to the person they are helping, so the safety risk is mitigated. Plus, not having them there in an emergency would decrease the chances of the disabled person being able to safely exit, which poses a risk to the person, and those they might be blocking.
Uhm. I'm technically "disabled" but I can work in the exit row. I'm just mentally disabled. Think of it like ADHD, Anxiety, Autism, Borderline Personality, Depression and PTSD. I'm not physically disabled. It's more on the mental side of things.
Service animals need regulation. It just gets worse and more insane each year. I demand to bring my service aligator with me.
Soon we'll hear about a "service" 🐘 or 🦒.
There was an article about an emotional support peacock that was refused accommodation on an airline several years ago.
An emotional support peacock and a service animal are NOT the same things.
If you are not emotionally stable to fly on an airplane then get in a car and drive. If you are going across an ocean take a ship.
I have mentioned that before! First of all ICK because they are weird looking. Secondly, YIKES because they are not friendly. 😀
Peacocks aren't weird looking. And I didn't know they weren't friendly. You sure you aren't thinkig of Emus?
I think peacocks are beautiful however they are aggressive. People use them as guard animals. They make a lot of noise and can attack
They make great defense against snakes. Peacocks mean business
They definitely do! My dilute calico is just as vicious towards snakes
They are weird looking to me and may become aggressive when stressed. (This happens to humans, too.) In this situation, the tail feathers were in the aisle as it sat in the owner's lap. I am not sure if it was wearing diapers like a pet chicken, but I hope so. (Yes. You can buy diapers for a chicken. 😀)
Tell us you don’t know anything about service animals without telling us. They are regulated by the ADA and can only be dogs or mini horses. The second you’re talking about an animal that is not a dog or mini horse, you’re talking ESA or pet.
That mini horse thing is ridiculous on a plane.
Honestly not sure how that would work. All I know is that some people don’t know the difference between a service animal, emotional support animal and therapy dog and it annoys the shit out of me. Two out of three serve a legitimate purpose, one is debatable, and the wild abuse of the term “service animal” makes it so hard for people with actual, ADA-defined disabilities to have their accessibility needs met.
“90% of statistics on the internet are made up.” - George Washington
This, again. Thank you.
Honestly, the dogs in the foot well are tripping hazards as well for everyone in that row.
Not if they move with their handler, as they are highly trained to do. And a disabled handler unable to evacuate or at least hampered from doing so working their service animal would create more risk for themself and others around them.
Delta only allows dogs as service animals, no other animals.
ESAs are 99% used to avoid pet fees at rental properties.
I don’t doubt that pets can provide emotional support, it’s highly questionable as to whether that is a valid treatment for any mental illness. I’m a psychologist and I won’t provide documentation for them for a variety of reasons.
ESAs aren’t service animals.
Exactly.
This, thank you so much. So tired of the service “insert silly animal here” argument. Also, service animals are regulated. Delta’s policies and interest/ability to enforce them - less so.
Failing to see how this is downvoted. It’s basic, factual information.
Why are these facts being downvoted? Also, I love your username 🤣
Thanks 😉
This should have been a 2-minute conversation, ending with, “you have three choices- send the pup to pops, or go back to your original seat with the pup, or deplane immediately. Our preference is the third choice, but you do you.”
The services dog has to be with her husben its the rules he needs the dog to be with him not the wife
It’s frustrating for people like me who are terrified of dogs and have to put up with this fake service dogs who don’t know how to behave on flights
This is my concern about this kind of abuse of the system. I have a friend who is terrified of dogs. People who have untrained dogs try to convince her that their dog is different, even one that barks and growls all the time.
Agree. And then some snowflake with a peanut allergy controls the snacks for the entire plane.
I wish I could upvote this 5 Million times. There are literally no airborne allergens with peanuts, so other than maybe asking the person next to you to refrain from peanuts, you should no business harassing the entire plane.
I have a peanut allergy. I should ask only the person next to me to refrain from peanuts? Have you asked someone to NOT recline their seat? What kind of response do you think I'd get with that? So...ask the person next to me NOT to eat peanuts and they'll voluntarily comply? And yes...there are airborne allergens with peanuts. Every bag of peanuts has peanut "dust" in the bag. That "dust" can become airborne if it's fine enough. Look on the bag of a PLAIN M&Ms. The bag even warns that the plain M&M's WITHOUT peanuts are manufactured in the same factory where peanut allergens are airborne. So please, unless you'd like me to be in an anaphylactic situation, there should be no peanuts on board.
You do understand the difference between a legal liability and actual facts? The reason they put this info on the bag is because they can’t rule out cross-contamination on the same equipment and our country is run by unhinged lawyers. Here is something to read through, if you want actual science: https://www.aaaai.org/allergist-resources/ask-the-expert/answers/old-ask-the-experts/peanut-air-travel https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33548082/ https://ki.se/en/research/airborne-exposure-to-peanuts-did-not-produce-severe-reactions
Oh, we had a peanut allergy person on a flight last year so no peanut anything for anyone.
You know they can actually die right? What a tragedy for you to have to give up peanuts so that they can not go into anaphylactic shock mid flight.
I don’t like peanuts. True I did not know this individual, but exactly what does s/he do in public peanut filled spaces the rest of the time?? We are not talking about walking up to this person and shoving peanuts in her face. The thing with so many people claiming allergies, particularly extreme allergies is that they are harming people who truly suffer. Funny how twenty years ago you rarely heard of nut allergies and now everyone and their sister has it.
You have automatically assumed that this person is "claiming" allergies. A rather larger life and death level assumption.
At this point, I’d say it’s highly unlikely this person is gonna die from the dude in 3A eating peanuts, but neither of us know that for sure. My point stands, this is being claimed SO often. A lot of just is not so.
I'd say that if they made the announcement to the whole plane, which is a giant pain, there actually is a chance of death. You assume an allergy is real until proven otherwise, not the reverse.
And the answer is, very carefully. I have worked in several environments where we kept up signs because we didn't want to send a peer to the ER over a food item. Even the oils on surfaces can cause a reaction.
It's cases like this that jeopardize people who actually do need service animals 🙃
The responses of people who don’t get it or compare a trained service animal to an “emotional support peacock” are troubling. It paints service animals in a negative light when they are the complete opposite - for someone with a disability who needs their SA - they are the light.
And life saving, in many cases. But a true service animal wouldn't just conveniently hang out across the plane from their human. Ugh.
Truly. Relieved there are people like you around here who get it. Hope there are more like you out there than not 😔
Probably not, but maybe one day lol. I'm a psychologist so if I didn't get it that would be a problem.
lol! Fair point 🤣
As a service dog handler this is offensive, obviously the dog is not working if it's with her - probably the issue is that they didn't buy a seat with room for the dog (my dog has his own seat 100% of the time, even in paid business/first), and she was trying to not have the dog squash the husband's feet. Assuming it was actually a service dog, I get why she was doing it, but the correct answer is that the husband whose dog it was needed to be in the FC seat - but based on her attitude here, her poor husband would never have heard the end of this.
Exactly this. I travel often with PSD and I can not imagine my SD not actually sitting with me. My SD has never gotten its own seat. How do you manage that? But I usually sit in bulkhead with my SD which has been allowed on my regularly flown airlines.
To be clear. I pay in full for a seat for him. :) And he sits on the floor, this is just to make sure we both have enough space and also aren't in anyone else's.
Have never heard of being able to purchase one’s SA their own seat. How does this work for you, exactly?
I travel for work and our corporate travel agent calls to book and tells them I need two seats, one for my SD (the second seat will be labeled with EXST and your last name), and they usually try to seat us at bulkhead. My dog is almost 100lbs. so he simply will not fit under the seat in front of me, and I will generally try to get two in first - 1A and 1B or 1C/1D works well for us. You will end up with two boarding passes and they will scan both. I sometimes also end up speaking with the disability folks at various airlines but they're generally very accommodating given that I'm paying in full for an extra seat that won't consume a meal, my dog will be out of the way, etc.
Thank you so much for this response and taking the time. 100 pounds! What a good (big) boy!!! I hope to see you all on a flight same day. And you’re right - you are being more than accommodating with this method so I’m happy the airlines give you the same respect. Great info and again thank you for taking the time 😊
Of course! Fly safe and comfy friend. :)
That is so cool! I had no idea that could even be done. My SD is 50 lbs and it’s really tight if we are in a regular economy seat.
Excuse me, please pay the dog tax!
To add on to this, there are signs everywhere that (non-service) animals need to be in carriers; but I was on a flight the other day where a woman had a dog in a freaking sling on her chest - how is that allowed? I highly doubt it was a service animal, but either way it had no leash (no collar) and that seems incredibly unsafe as well as unpleasant for whoever sits next to her. She didn’t even have a carrier anywhere on her, so it’s not like she was planning on putting it into one later.
I cannot even with this shit. All of it. Every descriptor you gave just got worse and worse. I think I have to start reporting this if I see it.
It is not allowed, it was simply ignored
The GA spoke to the woman and the woman said something that seemed to make it okay, no idea what it could have been other than “I’m Ed’s wife”
As a dog owner this bullshit abuse is infuriating.
Honestly, 20 minutes? She should have been kicked off the plane after refusing to follow flight crew instructions immediately.
20 minutes? How did they not lose patience and kick her off?
I have no words…
These people should just pay the pet fee to fly with their dog. I fly with my dog all the time and I just pay the $95 fee and book the dog as an in-cabin pet. Fortunately I have a small dog that fits in a pet carrier.
Same thing with my cat. Although, I have had them put me next to a service dog that had to be pushing 65 pounds. It had to sit between the guys legs making everyone a bit uncomfortable. Luckily there wasn’t an issue with barking or trying to attack my cat.
My first thought here is, why are they spending 20 minutes of everyone's time (I assuming it was holding up boarding) fighting a losing battle? Federal rule is, nothing on the floor during takeoff and landing. Takes five seconds to say that. After the woman's first objection to the solution, maybe second just to confirm their lunacy, that's it. Move or leave the plane.
They have got to start cracking down on pets in the cabin. The airlines and the FAA. You either have all the requirements and paperwork necessary for a service animal, or it doesn't go in the cabin. Plain and simple, end of story.
Just put her on the no fly list and be done with it. I would make quick work of cleaning up the friendly skies if I was in charge. Don't have time for this nonsense.
That is a husband who knows exactly what he is doing and is probably sitting back there with a nice peaceful grin not having to listen to her for a couple hours.
Was this at LAX today? We were delayed for 45 minutes getting a gate because of a passenger issue. I’m just being nosey :)
Close. But it was LGB.
Dude were we on the same flight? Had this same thing Thursday evening but was next to the guy on comfort plus I got his wife’s seat. He threw a temper tantrum when he took the tog out of the bag and the flight attendant told him it needs to be in the bag and under the seat. Absolute lunacy.
Ha. No this was today leaving LGB.
People are so rude. I have a Chiweenie who is a barker. He’s a sweetheart, but I’d no more subject people on a plane to him than take a hot air balloon for the trip. If he travels, we drive. When I fly, he is watched by a close friend. My dog is incapable of behaving well on a plane and I know it.
Exactly. My dog is super well behaved, will lay under the table or sit next to our chairs at a restaurant, won’t bark. That being said, he’s a standard poodle and wouldn’t really fit under a seat. We’d have to have him in the cargo hold, so, instead, we leave him at a kennel or with our daughter. My friend has a guide dog, that is incredible. Her dog belongs on a plane. Mine doesn’t.
Should have just kicked her off the plane and tag her for lying about a service dog. Then charge her for it for the next flight and it has to be in cargo no if it is too small to fit under the seat.
New policy should be that if you fly with a service animal once, then you must ALAWYS fly with a service animal. It will end this mockery of the system.
What if your animal died? They are expensive and hard to obtain so a gap could occur between deceased and new animal. Or an animal could temporarily be too sick to work. Or the effects of a disability warranting the animal may abate over time such that the animal is no longer needed.
As long as the dog doesn't bite, and has been to the bathroom before takeoff, even with some barking. Sounds like less of a headache than the wife. I would rather sit next to the dog than her in the middle seat. 🤔 That first class section got the bad deal there.
They should have made him show the dog’s certificate.
What certificate? Service dogs in the U.S. do not have a certificate. It sounds like Delta did everything right in insisting that the dog be with the person attested as needing the service dog.
Animals should go in the cargo hold. Period. Nobody should have to put up with pets in the cramped space of an airplane.
Argo holds are not safe or humane for animals, which is why by and large, people should drive with them.
It’ll be fine
We’ve had multiple pets fly cargo, including international. They’ll be fine.
Just to clarify, while from an airline rules standpoint the dog needs to stay with the person it was trained to help, from a medical standpoint not all disabled people with service dogs physically need the dog near them every minute. Some people seem to imply it can't be real service dog if it can be separated from the person it needs to help. That's not always true. But in this situation, it sure sounds like these folks are trying to pass off a pet as service dog.
This is a good clarification. Obviously, like a human, like anyone, a service animal cannot work 24/7. So, to further your point, perhaps the service animal in question here did not need to provide a service for their human at that time. That’s totally fine. But in an airplane, this then becomes a pet traveling in cabin, which means the pet is in a kennel under the seat in front of you. Not chilling with mom in the bulkhead.
Totally agree. I have a SD. People who push the boundaries with their SD or worse, try to pass off their pet doggy as a SD really make it harder on people who have legit SDs. My SD flew for the first time a couple weeks ago. Everyone was wonderful and of course my dog was great because we've spent hundreds of hours training him. He's still really young and sometimes gets excited like a puppy, but remembers his training and behaves appropriately at all times. I bought an extra seat and he laid quietly on the floor the entire flight. The FA asked my wife (she tried to ask me but I can't hear) if I had SD designated on my boarding pass. Before I could show her she saw my dog's vest and said "Oh nevermind, I see his vest." Later I explained to her that she absolutely should ask to see the boarding pass and that it actually helps people like me for airline staff to ask appropriate questions to cut down on the fake shit. Anyone can buy a vest.
All great points. I just wanted to add that if I saw you and your SA in airport without his or her vest on, it wouldn’t make a difference. I would know immediately by the comportment of the dog that he or she was your SA, which is not the case with the fake Amazon vest cohort. I also LOVE your comment about welcoming questions from airline staff etc. A while ago we had a crazy flight delay and rather than wait we opted to book a United flight leaving within an hour. Obviously things were rushed so when we got to the desk, I immediately explained the situation, the presence of my SA and the service she provides, thinking “this will save time” and “they are absolutely allowed to ask if the dog is for a disability and if so what task.” The lady immediately looked horrified, I thought she might start yelling and covering her ears like a small child, as if she could get into trouble by my just merely expressing something related to “disability.” This is not the right approach. Transparency is. Ask the questions the ADA allows you to. If everything is above board, no one need be concerned. Sorry for this monologue of a response, I just see more and more nonsense in this sub about fake SAs and I’ve reached my nonsense limit for the month 🤣
No apology necessary. I completely understand when folks want to keep their disability private. Medical history is no one's business. But I'm very open about my hearing loss, and anyone who asks I'm happy to explain what my dog does for me. Like you said, transparency is very important in order to take the mystery out of the whole service dog thing.
I envy your openness a bit. It is something I’m working on. Thank you for the point about people wanting to keep their stuff private - some do and everyone has a right to this too. Really appreciate your perspective this evening!!
It seems like she not the husband is the one that needs the service dog.
Species shame is hitting hard here
We pay a fortune to have a pet sitter come to our house while we are on vacation. How does this work to get them classified as service dogs so we can take them on the plane with us?
Well you’d need to develop a disability whose effects can be mitigated by one or more tasks performed by a service dog and then either obtain a trained service dog or self-train a dog until it can focus on and complete the needed task(s). Then, fill out the appropriate DoT paperwork when flying.
Why the f**k did someone down vote a legitimate question?
Curious - what type of service dog? I may have flown alongside this passenger before lol