[jimworcs]

So, here is my take:

The ADA itself doesn't really pertain to air travel as this is generally covered by the ACAA (Air Carriers Access Act). However, I too have concerns about the current policies relating to dogs in the cabin.

Farmer John appears to take the position, to paraphrase 'I don't like dogs, and so I would therefore like to have the choice not to fly with them in the cabin'. If dogs posed no threat to other passengers, but fulfilled a vital role in providing equal access to disabled people, then that would not be reasonable... because having 'dog free' flights would exclude people with disabilities for no legitimate reason, other than Farmer John's distaste for labradors, etc.

However, I think the more fundamental question is this. To what extent does the right of disabled people to have a protected, legal right to equal access to flights impact on the rights and safety of other passengers.

I have two fundamental concerns about the right to have an unrestrained dog in the cabin of an aircraft.

First, in the event of a crash, even a survivable one, the forces are such that the dogs are likely to become missiles and could potentially kill people. An example of this type of crash would be the United crash in Sioux City.

In the second scenario, the dog could become an impediment to the rapid evacuation of an airplane, blocking egress when seconds are critical. An example would be the BA disaster in Manchester, where the cabin rapidly filled with dense, black smoke and passengers became disoriented and panicked. Imagine the chaos with a dog tripping passengers over and possible biting and attacking people out of fear.

I do not accept that dogs have a place in the cabin. I consider it to pose an unacceptable safety risk. It is clearly discriminatory not to allow disabled people to sit in the exit aisle, but it is also entirely justified. I would argue that it is equally justified to ban animals in the cabin. In many European countries animals are banned in the cabin and people with disabilities continue to travel. What task can an animal do that a human support worker couldn't do? There are some, for example service dogs which detect an oncoming seizure. However, the confines and restrictions of an aircraft cabin would not allow the disabled person to do anything about that information anyway. In reality this needs to be addressed by permitting, in strictly limited and managed circumstances, a human support worker to accompany the person with a disability, at no additional cost.