A boy who suffers with Dravet syndrome was just kicked off a plane in Charlotte because he has told his service dog was too large.
12 year old Brian Weasel has to have his trained labradoodle Chugg at his side at all times because he suffers from seizures. His family had even called American Airlines two weeks before his flight to let them know the dog would be flying.
“You could tell right away from her demeanor, her attitude, and her body language that she did not like animals. She said I’ve already contacted management and they are coming to speak with you, and the management got on the plane and told me that I needed to exit the aircraft,” commented Brian’s mother.
After the brief conversation on the flight, Brian and his family were removed from the airplane, according to WCNC. American Airlines did end up paying for a hotel room and re-booked them on a flight to St. Louis the next day, after which they had to rent a car to drive the remaining 3 hour trip back to Evansville, Indiana.
A boy and his service dog were kicked off their American Airline plane at Charlotte-Douglas Airport on Thanksgiving. https://t.co/gWVKtVUwPc pic.twitter.com/RYqTYdOntn
— NBC Charlotte (@wcnc) November 29, 2016
American Airlines just released the following statement as a response to the incident:
We are aware of this issue and apologize to the passenger. Our customer relations team is reaching out to the passenger directly. We are looking into the issue with PSA Airlines, the regional carrier who operated that flight.
The boys mother said that she was never contacted by American Airlines, but was offered a $150 voucher when she called them about the incident.