Airline Catches Marine’s Beloved Service Dog

[xUT]

Airline Catches Marine’s Beloved Service Dog

The gate agent for American Airlines called Haag to the counter and asked, “Is that a real service dog?”
After proving that Axel was a real service dog with at least two methods of identification, the agent still hassled the decorated Marine and eventually prevented them from boarding the flight.
Haag not only explained that he’d already checked Axel in days before, but that he’d flown on the airline recently with Axel, without issue. He also offered to have a representative from the K9s for Warriors foundation and the AHA verify Axel’s status.
 
“He’s like, ‘Well, what’s your disability?’ and I was like, ‘Excuse me?’ because that’s not a question you’re allowed to ask under the rules and regulations,” Haag said of the agent, who was breaking his employer’s own policy by ignoring Haag’s service dog ID card.
 

 

American Airlines eventually apologized to the family after it was all straightened out the next day.
But, anyone would agree that the actions of the agent who interrogated the former Marine — who has a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder after serving two tours in the Middle East — were absolutely unacceptable.
 

 
Read the rest...
Where do these 'Sky Nazis" come from?
It is not endemic to AA, IMHO, Regional's are the worst!
I have had some pretty crappy service from UA regional services as well.
 
B) xUT
 

 

[jimntx]

The agent should be terminated.  Once a service dog's owner/handler has presented the id card, the discussion is over.  And, the serious violation of the ADA when the agent questioned the nature of the Marine's disability--as if the agent could judge one way or another--is beyond the Pale.
 
Questioning a person's handicap/disability and their service dog is despicable.  Questioning the handicap/disability and service dog of a military veteran is unforgivable.

 

[FWAAA]

I agree with Jim.
 
A couple of twerps over at Flyertalk posted that "they felt sorry for the gate agents who face these fake service dogs all the time" which caused more sensible posters to respond with "what business is it of the gate agent if the service dog is real or fake?"   It's not as though the airline charges the gate agents with fees when they permit someone to board with a service dog, so they really should get over themselves and simply say "that's a nice looking service dog you have there, sir.  I hope his assistance makes your life easier, and thanks for your valiant service to our country."   

How EFFING hard would it be for gate agents, flight attendants and every other employee to commit that sentence to memory?   That is the type of appropriate response when someone sees a veteran with their service dog.   Or basically anyone with a service dog.  But instead this dumbass pos agent gave this disabled Marine the third degree, completely going off-script (and violating federal law).   
 
The perfect ending for this would have been for the pilots to have been notified of the worthless piece of garbage agent's behaviour and have the pilots walk down the jetbridge, ask the agent if there was a problem, and then escort the veteran and their award-winning service dog to their seat, after ripping the agent a new one for their utter uselessness to American Airlines and to society in general.  What a complete EFFING moron.

 

[Glenn Quagmire]

I agree with Jim.
 
A couple of twerps over at Flyertalk posted that "they felt sorry for the gate agents who face these fake service dogs all the time" which caused more sensible posters to respond with "what business is it of the gate agent if the service dog is real or fake?"   It's not as though the airline charges the gate agents with fees when they permit someone to board with a service dog, so they really should get over themselves and simply say "that's a nice looking service dog you have there, sir.  I hope his assistance makes your life easier, and thanks for your valiant service to our country."   
How EFFING hard would it be for gate agents, flight attendants and every other employee to commit that sentence to memory?   That is the type of appropriate response when someone sees a veteran with their service dog.   Or basically anyone with a service dog.  But instead this dumbass pos agent gave this disabled Marine the third degree, completely going off-script (and violating federal law).   
 
The perfect ending for this would have been for the pilots to have been notified of the worthless piece of garbage agent's behaviour and have the pilots walk down the jetbridge, ask the agent if there was a problem, and then escort the veteran and their award-winning service dog to their seat, after ripping the agent a new one for their utter uselessness to American Airlines and to society in general.  What a complete EFFING moron.

Yeah, well I was going to say something a little more harsh, but ... What he said ... ^^^^