[krazykal99]

On July 20, I sent the following letter to American Airlines expressing my severe discontent over the treatment I'd received during recent travel with my service dog.
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American Airlines Customer Relations
P.O. Box 619612 MD 2400
DFW Airport, TX 75261-9612

Re: Travel with a Service Animal

To Whom It May Concern:

On Friday, May 18, I flew from San Diego (SAN) to St. Louis (STL) accompanied by my Psychiatric Service Dog. I have flown with my service dog many times over the past several years on many different airlines, all without incident, and I expected this trip to be no different.

Upon check-in at SAN, I expressly stated that my dog was a service animal and asked your representative if he would like to review my documentation, a letter of medical necessity completely in accordance with Section 382.117(e) of the A.C.A.A. He declined. Similarly, at the gate, I boarded without incident or request for documentation. At that point, I reasonably assumed that American Airlines had all of the documentation they needed or had obtained sufficient credible assurance.

You can understand my surprise, then, when I was detained and refused to let board during my transfer at Dallas-Forth Worth (DFW). What should have been a simple explanation of “service animal” when asked by your gate agent to place my dog in a carrier turned into a stressful, time-consuming ordeal where I was berated by American Airlines employees who were clearly unfamiliar with the laws and regulations surrounding airline travel with a service animal. I was told that my letter, dated November 2011, was not “current”. I was told that my service dog did not have a tag and therefore was not legitimate. I was told that my service dog was not wearing a vest and therefore was not appropriately identified. I was told that since my service animal was not noted in the flight manifest, which is clearly the fault of an American Airlines employee and not my own, that I would not be allowed to fly, despite having just stepped off another American Airlines flight from SAN. And I was told that my doctor would personally have to call the airline three days prior to my travel, or I would not be allowed on the plane. Your representative even went so far as to say that I would not be allowed to take my return flight on Delta Airlines if I did not comply.

None of those requirements are stated anywhere in the A.C.A.A. or even, for that matter, in the section of the Americans with Disabilities Act concerning service animals. Nor did I encounter the slightest bit of difficulty with Delta.

This all began with the gate agent, who said she had to call an official during an early boarding call for Flight 1260, and continued long after all of the other passengers, including my girlfriend, had boarded. By the time I was finally allowed to board, I was nearly in tears, my service dog was visibly upset over my condition, and my girlfriend, having been unable to get answers from the flight stewards, was extremely anxious and ready to get off the plane for fear of leaving me. It was a nerve-wracking and wholly unnecessary and unacceptable situation for all of us.

American Airlines has completely lost my confidence. I should not have to worry about being harassed over a properly documented and legally allowable service dog that is necessary for my health and safety. Very clear and concise regulations have surrounded airline travel with a service animal for many years now, so there is no excuse for your employees’ unfamiliarity with them or the treatment I received.

It is my sincere hope that other disabled passengers have not had similar experiences when flying American Airlines. Please make sure your employees are – first and foremost – educated, do their jobs thoroughly and correctly, and handle situations with professionalism and courtesy in the future.

Regards,

Alicia L. Mertz

cc: Arthur W. Pappas, Vice President – Dallas/Fort Worth
Don Langford, Vice President – Customer Care
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Attached is American Airlines' response.

I find it appalling that instead of a true apology, I received an accusation of additional wrongdoing on my part. I am well versed in the A.D.A. and A.C.A.A., as can be reasonably assumed from both my letter and the fact that I travel frequently with my service animal, so the implied allegation that I failed to provide the required documentation prior to my departure date in accordance with airline policies is insulting, asinine, and completely incorrect. Given the egregious mishandling of my reservation and lack of adherence to policy displayed by the American Airlines employees at LAX, it is not too much of a stretch to assume that perhaps the Special Assistance Coordinator with whom I spoke made a mistake as well. If an assumption was to be made by American Airlines, that would have been the correct one.

American Airlines' "apology", if one could even call it that, is not accepted. They cannot even properly acknowledge the difference between an emotional support animal and a Psychiatric Service Dog. I will certainly never be flying with them again.