Guide Dog not allowed to board flight

Shame for the woman, but to be honest, I can understand the rules are in place for a reason. Can you imagine that someone with a bit of creativity and a little extra time on their hands making up a harness and trying to get their pet on board? Hey, I wonder if Merlin the wonder poodle could pose as a guide dog?!
 
but just because one said it's okay doesn't mean it was right ;)

Obviously something was amiss. But surely as a blind person with a guide dog, she'd have to have known that paperwork was required? I would have assumed there would be at least a doggy passport?
 
"This certificate they were asking for, we simply are not given one. It's not a document that I or other guide dog owners that I spoke to online have ever heard of."

But yes, certainly some clarification required one way or another!
 
CaveCanem said:
"This certificate they were asking for, we simply are not given one. It's not a document that I or other guide dog owners that I spoke to online have ever heard of."

But yes, certainly some clarification required one way or another!
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ooops, must have skimmed over that bit! :o

But it's just the same with all rules/legislation and what not...all up for interpretation. Perhaps it's something that easyjet should have confirmed was in place at the time of booking? I would imagine that I might, if I were blind, make the carrier aware that I might need some assistance in boarding and let them know that I have a guide dog too!

Interesting. I might ask my brother what AA's policy is on this? Not that he'd necessarily know - he's just the pilot! :D
 
Dobiegirl said:
It does seem to contradict itself though because the transport officer for the Guide Dogs For The Blind did say the airline had adhered to travel guidelines.
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And also
;-

"Those rules are in place to protect passenger safety, and we would remind all our guide dog owners to carry their ID cards with them at all times."

Pets passport would not apply Belfast to Gatwick.
 
hahah S4Sugar - you caught me out - leave it to the dumb yank to not realise that Belfast was actually part of the UK. I do not know my geography enough to know which cities are in Ireland versus NI. Sometimes I'm even convinced that Scotland is an island north of England!

But even still, flying is not like riding a train where you just turn up, present a ticket and go. There are *always* more restrictions, ID to be shown and so on. It would be logical to know that if travelling with a guide dog that you'd let the carrier know ahead of time. If the carrier didn't expressly say to the passenger with guide dog that documentation was required to fly with them, then there WAS a major OOPS!
 
to be fair if I was taking a dog on a plane I'd check to see if I needd documentation-itsn ot exactly rocket science!
 
s4sugar said:
And also
;-

"Those rules are in place to protect passenger safety, and we would remind all our guide dog owners to carry their ID cards with them at all times."

Pets passport would not apply Belfast to Gatwick.
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While travellers going to Ireland or North Ireland don't by law need a passport, in practice, with increased security on airlines, you need to produce a passport or citizens card with photographic ID.
Security requirements change all the time, along with rules for luggage etc, so its always prudent to check with the airline before travelling if passengers have special requirements.
I don't blame the airline in this instance and it seems they did everything they could to help her.
 
Regardless- both the guide dog association and the airline state they were following guidelines. Just because nobody checked the paperwork before doesn't mean it wasn't needed.
 
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