Soldier with PTSD service dog missed Grandma's funeral because of Air Canada

UPDATE
WestJet allowed soldier's service dog, Snoopy, to fly for free after Air Canada mishap

"I never thought I would be treated like a third-class citizen like I was with them. It was a slap in the face," Jew said Monday after taking a different flight from Edmonton to Toronto on WestJet.

She said WestJet let Snoopy fly for free.

Air Canada refunded Jew's ticket and, in a statement, apologized, calling the matter a "misunderstanding."

Air Canada apologizes for telling soldier with PTSD her service dog not welcome
CTV News
January 13, 2014

Air Canada is apologizing to a soldier for a “misunderstanding” after she was told her service dog, which helps her cope with her symptoms of PTSD, was not allowed on board a flight she had booked to attend her grandmother’s funeral over the weekend.

In a statement sent to CTV News Monday afternoon, Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick said the airline has a policy to accept service animals for passengers with a number of disabilities that are not limited to physical impairments. Once passengers submit a form filled out by their doctor, “professionally trained and harnessed” service animals are allowed on board.

“In fact, we provide extra space to accommodate them,” Fitzpatrick said.

“In this particular case, we have invited the customer to provide us with more complete information to allow the customer to travel on Air Canada with her service animal. We apologize for this misunderstanding.”

Shirley Jew’s ordeal began on Saturday, when she contacted Air Canada to inform the airline that she would be travelling with her service dog, Snoopy, from Edmonton to Toronto. In one of several posts she made to the airline’s Facebook page, Jew says she and Snoopy had flown on Air Canada as recently as December without incident.

On this occasion, however, Jew says her call was passed around from employee to employee. All of them told her that Snoopy did not qualify because Transport Canada did not recognize her PTSD as a disability requiring a service dog.
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