Flying with a service dog..help

[disneynewman]

I just got my travel dates to fly to Oregon and get my son's Autism service dog. So the dpg will not be with me on my flight out there, only on my return. My question is this...all of the bulk head/exit row seating was taken. Will the airline change someone elses seat so we can sit there? This is a big 60lbs dog that needs the room to lay down. Not to mention we are flying from Oregon to NH with a change in Chicago.

TIA!

 

[DevilDuckie]

Call the airline and explain the situation and ask what they will/can do to accomodate you. If your son is with you it should be a non-issue. ADA requires that they accomodate him. If it's just you and the dog it stops being an ADA issue and you may have to pay for a second seat.

 

[kaytieeldr]

You won't be able to sit in an exit row.

Chances are fairly good that the bulkhead seats aren't 'taken', but rather that they're not assigned until you arrive at the airport.

But DevilDuckie is right - CALL the airline, for help/advice.

 

[SueM in MN]

congratulations on getting the dog

You won't be able to sit in an exit row.

Chances are fairly good that the bulkhead seats aren't 'taken', but rather that they're not assigned until you arrive at the airport.

But DevilDuckie is right - CALL the airline, for help/advice.

bulkheads seats are often saved for assignment at check in so they can be given to someone who needs them.
Exit rows are often not assigned until check in so they can make sure the people assigned to those seats are capable of performing the exit row tasks in case of emergency. And, kaytieeldr is right that you would not be able to sit there with the dog.

 

[LauraVV]

Hi,

We've flown several times with service dogs. One flight we were on had four or five service dogs. Most of the time we get bulkhead but not all the time. You just have to use the dog as a nice soft foot stool.

Is your son coming with you? The dog itself doesn't have an access rights. Only a disabled person who is using a dog to mitigate a disability has access rights. I assume that you're going to go thru a boot camp to train you and your son care for the dog? Boot camp can be brutal due to all the work but, boy, service dogs can help so much!

 

[dclfun]

I would check with the airline to be sure the dog is allowed in the cabin if your son isn't with you, due to the above issue of the disabled person having the right to have their SD with them in case of need during the flight, but if your son isn't with you they may not allow this. I would hope they'd help out with seating but the dog has probably been trained to curl up and "go under" so will go under a seat. My 60 lb. lab went under the seat easily as I travel with a ventilator that could not go in bulkhead due to safety issues, meaning we had to be seated in a regular row. Congratulations on the new addition to your family!---Kathy

 

[ducklite]

I've met Kathy and seen Skye curled up at her feet in a restaurant. When Skye stood up I couldn't believe how that large dog managed to curl herself into such a small space!

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

If your son won't be with you (though I would hope he would be, since he needs to be trained in the use of the dog, too): Some airlines allow trainers who are delivering SDs to their new owners to fly with the dog in cabin, so you might want to check with those airlines first, since they may be more lenient on giving you a seat if your son is not with you.

For when your son flies with his SD: After you make your airline reservations, call up the airline (reservation desk) and tell them your son needs the bulkhead because he travels with his SD. If there are already ppl in those seats, they will move them. Ppl who purchase bulkhead seats know of this possibility before they buy the tickets (it is told to them), so don't feel bad about somebody having their seat changed on them. Disabled ppl with SDs and disabled ppl with prosthetic legs that don't bend have legal priority on the bulkhead seats (unless they are exit rows - disabled ppl [as well as SDs] cannot sit in exit rows for safety reasons).

 

[disneynewman]

Thanks everyone. I have spoken with United and the service dog organization and I think I will be fine. Just a little nervous about doing this for the first time

My DS will not be with me. The way this will work is that I will spend 5 days in intensive training since I am the primary caregiver for my DS and will be considered the 'handler' for the dog. My DS is only 5 and has autism. Aftrer the dog has been in our home for a 2 week adjustment period. A trainer will fly to my home and spend several more days with us and my son at home/school/community to get them working as a team.

I knew we would have the dog before our trip to WDW in April so our reservation with Southwest is noted as such and since there is no assigned seating I'm sure we won't have difficulty getting the bulkhead on those flights.

Thanks for everyones info!