Southwest Airlines Community

@honduh8 wrote:   Well the rules have changed since 2020. ESA's a no longer allowed.   You certainly have the right to fly with your service dog, and by your description of your situation you do need a service dog.   I hope you find a way to control your seizures, but if not you do have your 130 pound friend there to help out. A very good friend indeed.   All the best to you...   ... View more

I don't care for your tone either.     Anyone with a disability has rights and I am beyond tired of the complaining that someone gets on a plane before them, etc. etc. etc.   The number of posts about everyone bickering about seating is so old I can't describe words for it.   Fly Delta.  I used to when I was in Atlanta.  Get your assigned seat and ride First Class like I did for 20 years ... View more

I lost a significant amount of my hearing from an autoimmune disorder. I can't hear soft noises or any higher pitched sounds such as a SMOKE DETECTOR, CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR, POLICE AND AMBULANCE SIRENS, TORNADO SIRENS, RATTLESNAKES, doorbells, kitchen timers, rattlesnakes, and etc... I am blessed with a hearing alert service dog that alerts me upon hearing such important sounds. I have never experienced a fire or CO2 poisoning in my home, but my service dog alerted me to a timber rattlesnake that was within 2 yards of my feet and a tornado siren (when visiting my elderly mother in Oklahoma).   This is the USA.  There are rights for people with disabilities in the USA.  My hearing alert service dog weighs 4.6 pounds and you may believe it is just a pet, but I depend upon my service dog to save my life.  I hope I never have to meet you or sit anywhere near you on a SW flight with my service dog. @LizF wrote: I lost a significant amount of my hearing from an autoimmune disorder. I can't hear soft noises or any higher pitched sounds such as a SMOKE DETECTOR, CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR, POLICE AND AMBULANCE SIRENS, TORNADO SIRENS, RATTLESNAKES, doorbells, kitchen timers, rattlesnakes, and etc... I am blessed with a hearing alert service dog that alerts me upon hearing such important sounds. I have never experienced a fire or CO2 poisoning in my home, but my service dog alerted me to a timber rattlesnake that was within 2 yards of my feet and a tornado siren (when visiting my elderly mother in Oklahoma).   This is the USA.  There are rights for people with disabilities in the USA.  My hearing alert service dog weighs 4.6 pounds and you may believe it is just a pet, but I depend upon my service dog to save my life.  I hope I never have to meet you or sit anywhere near you on a SW flight with my service dog.   Right, but that's not an emotional support animal. That's a real, legitimate service dog who provides true service that is vital to your health, life, and independence. Also, service animals are highly trained. An awful lot of ESAs are not.  ... View more

I am very disenheartened about SW response to this woman with an allergy.  Do they remove people with peanut allergies from planes?  NO, they do not serve peanuts on that flight and they ask ALL passengers to refrain from eating peanuts or any item with any hint of peanuts!  The fact is that this was not a 'Service Dog' which are trained dogs for a purpose that is required by the owner.  An 'Emotional Support Dog' is a dog that the owner needs/wants to have with them at all times.    Unfortunately, I believe this is just the beginning of what will become an issue in America and I actually predicted this would happen before this event.  It is VERY easy to deem your dog an "Emotional Support Dog" by getting a certificate on the internet...some require a doctor's note but we all know how easy that can be to obtain if you want one.  I have two family members that have recently acquired this certificate for each of their dogs...I am almost embarassed to say.  One did it to get into a condo that doesn't allow pets and the other just because she likes her dog to go everywhere with her like a child.  This ESD certificate does NOT require or ensure that these dogs are trained to be in all kids of environments.  Without training, there is no guarantee that these dogs won't bite, get into a dog fight with another ESD, relieve themselves without warning, follow owner commands or bark.  This is just opening the door to all sorts of "Dog" issues on all pucblic modes of transportation, restaurants, stores and any public establishment where these ESD's are now allowed to accompany their owners.  The certificate is very easy to obtain so I can only imagine how quickly this will spread (like wildfire) and we will have ESD's everywhere we go!    Shame on Southwest for treating this woman that way.  Why does she need to produce evidence of allergy? Should everyone with any kind of allergy carry documentation?  What about scrutinizing the ESD certificate. Why didn't they offer to move the dog & owner to the back of the plane and her to the front? I was recenly on a SW flight and sat one seat away from a woman with a dog on her lap.  The woman behind me told the stewardess that she was extremently allergic and SHE was moved to the back of the plane.  That is wrong..the woman with the dog should have been moved.  What about a "Dog Section" of the plane like they used to have for smoking?  With separate air filtration...like they used to for smoking on planes?   I agree with the above comments...when did dogs become more important than people?  ... View more

I think "sucks" is going too far. In my experience Southwest has been better than other airlines in most respects. They have publicly apologized, but a clearer explanation is needed and so are policy changes. As for the police involved, I'll give them this: they asked for recording devices to be turned off instead attacking those doing the recording as some other cops have done in the past. On the other hand they're piling on charges against the woman, obviously to cover their asses. I'm embarrassed to see any Maryland law enforcement behaving this way. Southwest should protest to them. In addition I wonder if the apparently Middle Eastern appearance (and name, I think) of the woman had anything to do with the way she was treated by police or airline personnel. ... View more