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Iago

'Emotional Support' animals and airplanes

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You need to fly more then ;) I've encountered at least 3 of these this year so far.(74 segments/58k domestic so far) The worst one was about 3 weeks ago on a flight from PHX to the Midwest. Older woman that needed assistance/wheelchair getting on the plane had a large German Shepard/Lab mix. They seated her in the Bulkhead row (A319) so the dog could lay down for the flight. On the other side of the aisle one row back a couple was traveling with a small dog that was under the seat in a carrier. The "emotional support" dog spent the entire flight trying to get up and go see the other dog. It was in the aisles the entire flight and its owner had no control over it and eventually just gave up in trying to control it. The owners of the small dog eventually put the small dog next to the window to keep her away from the larger dog. Emotional support owner eventually went to sleep and the crew was just shaking the heads at the situation.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

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Not wanting to denigrate anyone who truly needs one, but my gut tells me there is rampant abuse. I see it a lot like handicap parking passes. I KNOW there are also a lot of disabilities that are nearly impossible to see just by looking at a person, both physical and emotional, but still, I also know how shitty some people can be when it comes to taking advantage of the system.
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

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billvon

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Not wanting to denigrate anyone who truly needs one, but my gut tells me there is rampant abuse.


Definitely. I know at least one person who got the paperwork done for their ill-behaved dog just so they could fly with him.


I'm looking forward to the vertical-video of the "emotional support" dog chasing the "emotional support" cat down the aisle.B|
"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

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A properly trained service animal will not behave in that manner.



That's they key right there...emotional support animals are not service animals. Service animals require training to perform a specific task for their their owners. Emotional support animals simply keep someone company.

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There is a lot of abuse going on in this field, and I know, because I used to activity participate in the deception of people claiming their dogs are service dogs.

Having said that, the dogs I (we) traveled with, were in fact well trained, were trained as service dogs, were not ever a problem, and we were simply not interested in risking/chancing shipping the dogs in crates because of inadequately trained airline staff.

We travelled to Wisconsin, California, Finland, Canada and a dozen other places with zero issues ever. Largely because we were credible dog trainers, the dogs were well behaved, we acted professionally, had some credentials and knew the laws.

There are few standards to 'certifying' a dog as some sort of handicap-trained service dog for whatever ailment you want to make up. You do not even have to have a disability....you only have to have a 'certified service animal'. A well designed laminated homemade tag with some sort of certification rubbish printed and a red vest on the animal will do most of the time.

The Americans with Disabilities Act forbids anyone from questioning your disability, and as a result, obviously, this loophole is being exploited by lots of people. Having said that. I have no issues with well-behaved animals on airplanes, in restaurants or bars, or pretty much wherever. But who gets to determine which is a 'well-behaved' animal?

I also want to bitch-slap several animal owners every day for being complete assholes and incompetent.

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I was not aware of this law being passed, but NPR was talking about it today because it takes effect Jan 1: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/04/02/finally-colorado-is-cracking-down-on-service-dog-fraud.html
"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

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ryoder

***

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Not wanting to denigrate anyone who truly needs one, but my gut tells me there is rampant abuse.


Definitely. I know at least one person who got the paperwork done for their ill-behaved dog just so they could fly with him.


I'm looking forward to the vertical-video of the "emotional support" dog chasing the "emotional support" cat down the aisle.B|

There's been at least one case of a emotional support dog attaching another passenger. It's mostly a scam.

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Iago

Let's take a break from the political circus.

Emotional Support animals and airplanes

What are your thoughts?

I do a lot of flying, but the only animals I've ever seen have been in a carrier tucked under the seat.

I've seen some of these in the terminal, but never had to fly with one.



In Seigfred Hall, the School of Art building, there was a grad student who would bring her three big hairy dogs in and let them run. She claimed they were emotional support dogs and Security wanted nothing to do with it. I was lucky, I had my own set of labs with their own ventilation, but the art students were just screwed.
But she didn't have to make any arrangements for someone to take care of her pets while she was at Seigfred.

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Iago


What are your thoughts?

I do a lot of flying, but the only animals I've ever seen have been in a carrier tucked under the seat.

I've seen some of these in the terminal, but never had to fly with one.



It's getting worse. I fly a lot too and the change from flying being a form of public transport where you're considerate to fellow travellers to being seen as another version of your front room really bugs me.

I've seen / smelt people turn up without taking a shower, people still in their pajamas with bare feet, people bringing every type of inappropriate food possible on to a plane, cats, dogs and a parrot.

I've had overweight people leave their sweat stains on my shirt as they cram a 2-person sized body into a single economy seat, people putting carry-on luggage into the first overhead bin they come to then sitting at the back of the plane (causing a clusterfuck come debarkation) and people causing delays and cancellations because they're incapable of sitting in their seat until the seatbelt light gets turned off during taxiing.

I've seen (Big) kids behaving like animals - screaming and throwing food, and parents behaving like children or drunks at a bar.




So fuck no, you can't take your emotional support animal on a plane.

Can you tell it's getting to me?

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Agree with most of your post, but:

>people putting carry-on luggage into the first overhead bin they come to then
>sitting at the back of the plane (causing a clusterfuck come debarkation)

That's what they are supposed to do, per flight attendants. Why does this cause a clusterfuck on planes you have been on?

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Because if they get on first they take up they bins at the front of the plane. People who get on later (but sit at the front) then need to walk to the back to find space for their luggage and then fight against the flow of oncoming people to get to their seat.
The situations is reversed at the end of the flight - you're in seat 8 and you need to get back to bin 20. You can either wait until everyone has left (negating the point of reserving a seat at the front because you're trying to catch a connection) or fight against traffic coming to the front of the plane.

It's not rocket science. Just use a bin within 1 space of your seat. It's just laziness that causes this behavior.


The only time I've seen flight attendants say take any bin you can find is at the very end of the boarding when there is little space left.

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Ah, got you. So it isn't the people in the back with luggage in the front that's the problem when deplaning - it's the people in the front with luggage in the back.

I've heard flight attendants say several times "overhead space is running out so use the first space you find" when the plane is nearly full - thought that's what you were talking about.

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billvon

Ah, got you. So it isn't the people in the back with luggage in the front that's the problem when deplaning - it's the people in the front with luggage in the back.



Caused by people in the back taking space from the front. Or taking on too many carry-on items as well... I've seen people unpack 1 carry-on into 3 once they're on board before now.

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I fly a lot, both domestically and internationally. US domestic flights, especially in First, are getting ridiculous. My last flight, Delta PDX-ATL, had two cats meowing in the seats in front of me and a dog with a ribbon hair-do wanting attention in the seat next to me.

If you are allergic to the damn things it's your tough luck: take the next flight. More importantly, what the holy hell would happen in an emergency?

Let's not forget for a single second that the people doing this just to take their pet are taking advantage of a law that was intended to protect the disabled who truly need their animals and deserve to have them aboard.

Anyone playing the game to get their pets on board are being selfish, inconsiderate and would be putting others at risk in an emergency and, so consequently, could not care less that they are doing so.

If you know someone who does it do the right thing and call them out.

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JoeWeber

I fly a lot, both domestically and internationally. US domestic flights, especially in First, are getting ridiculous. My last flight, Delta PDX-ATL, had two cats meowing in the seats in front of me and a dog with a ribbon hair-do wanting attention in the seat next to me.

If you are allergic to the damn things it's your tough luck: take the next flight. More importantly, what the holy hell would happen in an emergency?

Let's not forget for a single second that the people doing this just to take their pet are taking advantage of a law that was intended to protect the disabled who truly need their animals and deserve to have them aboard.

Anyone playing the game to get their pets on board are being selfish, inconsiderate and would be putting others at risk in an emergency and, so consequently, could not care less that they are doing so.

If you know someone who does it do the right thing and call them out.



So if you have a sick orangutan don't pay to ship it to a vet across the country, just call it Fred and have it hold your hand.

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One flight some fucker stuffed his guitar in a big hard case in the overhead (sideways, of course, that's the only way it would fit) and then put his fucking suitcase in the bin on the other side of the aisle. No room in the spaces occupied by the big fucking guitar, so naturally he then poaches the space across the aisle for his suitcase. So basically he fucked 4 of the six seated in the row. I was hoping he would choke on the peanuts.

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Easy. Take it out of your overhead, set it in the aisle making a show of trying to find space for it, and put your bag in your space. Let the flight attendants (who have already taken some other poor bastards space with their carry on) sort it out.

If it was someone just putting it in your space on their way back to their seat then just be a decent fellow traveler and check it for them.

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dpreguy

One flight some fucker stuffed his guitar in a big hard case in the overhead (sideways, of course, that's the only way it would fit) and then put his fucking suitcase in the bin on the other side of the aisle. No room in the spaces occupied by the big fucking guitar, so naturally he then poaches the space across the aisle for his suitcase. So basically he fucked 4 of the six seated in the row. I was hoping he would choke on the peanuts.



The gate attendants and the stewardess should have been advised of the regulations.

3-3547. CARRY-ON BAGGAGE. As a result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the U.S. Congress passed The Aviation and Transportation Security Act. Section 122 of the Act, entitled “Sense of Congress,” clearly states its desire for the FAA to maintain its current restriction on carry-on baggage of one bag and one personal item. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) web site has information as to items that are permitted and prohibited in carry-on baggage as well as provides examples of what constitutes a personal item. The TSA web site is www.tsa.gov.
A. Title 14 CFR part 121 prohibits an air carrier from closing the passenger entry door in preparation for taxi or pushback, takeoff, or landing an airplane unless each article of carry-on baggage is stowed in a suitable baggage or storage compartment under a passenger seat.
B. An air carrier may not allow the following:
1) The boarding of carry-on baggage unless each passenger’s baggage has been scanned to control the size and amount carried on board in accordance with an approved carry-on baggage program. Additionally, no passenger may board an airplane if his/her carry-on baggage exceeds the baggage allowance prescribed in the air carrier’s approved program.

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This is what you get when you have the price war for cheap flights. Gone are the days where flying was expensive such that the vast majority of people were business people or the well to do. Now Joe Blow from any shithole county can afford a flight and because they bought the ticket, they deserve to act or bring whatever they choose onto the flight.

This is progress, ladies & gentlemen. Progress I tell you.

Luckily I haven't seen any out of control animals, but have seen my fair share of out of control children and adults who board the plane so sick they belong in a hospital. I've got a co-worker who told me about her sister that wanted to come visit but the only reason they didn't is because they were too ill to drive. If they could have made it into the car, they would have got on the plane.

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CygnusX-1

This is what you get when you have the price war for cheap flights. Gone are the days where flying was expensive such that the vast majority of people were business people or the well to do. Now Joe Blow from any shithole county can afford a flight and because they bought the ticket, they deserve to act or bring whatever they choose onto the flight.

This is progress, ladies & gentlemen. Progress I tell you.

Luckily I haven't seen any out of control animals, but have seen my fair share of out of control children and adults who board the plane so sick they belong in a hospital. I've got a co-worker who told me about her sister that wanted to come visit but the only reason they didn't is because they were too ill to drive. If they could have made it into the car, they would have got on the plane.



Bus Riders in the Sky

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Hi Joe,

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Take it out of your overhead, set it in the aisle making a show of trying to find space for it, and put your bag in your space.



I did that once many years ago. It wasn't a guitar but something that took up all of the space, not allowing anything else up there.

I sat his 'package' in the aisle, put my carry-on in properly, put my folded suit coat on top, sat down & started reading a magazine. He did give me a strange look. :o

Jerry Baumchen

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