[mmiakisu]

Let me start off by saying that I have NEVER been treated so poorly by someone before in my life. Let me explain; My original flight number 1463 out of RIC on 12/29/09 was cancelled. The reservations agent rebooked me and mother on an earlier flight. I explained at the time that we have a service animal for my mother and she will need wheelchair assistance and we need to sit together. When we arrived at the airport, the ticketing agent said that there were no seats anywhere even near each other and I was placed in an exit row where the dog couldn't be. She checked us in and assured me that the gate agent would be able to fix this problem. When we arrived at the gate, I approached the gate agent and TRIED to explain my situation. The gate agent (Dana McGrath) quickly cut me off and told me that she needed to board the plane and this should have been done by the ticketing agent when we checked in. She then continued to tell me that she needed to board the plane. I was able to get the words out that I'm in an exit row and was told the dog can't be in that row. I also tried to explain my mothers disability and the need to sit together. I even tried to show her documentation stating my requests. She proceeded to speak to me in a tone that I would not speak to my worst enemy in. She looked at my ticket and then started mumbling something about her mother has a service/therapy dog does not have these problems at the gate and that the ticketing agent should have fixed this....Now what her mother has to do with this is beyond me. She then focused on the fact that both of out tickets showed that we were a GOLD member and that it's the same number and we can't get credit for both. I then replied with one was a reward ticket, and the frequent flyer number was on it and assured her that double credit wouldn't be given. Now again, I have no idea what this has to do with my situation of being in an exit row with a dog, my mothers disability and the need for us to sit together. I proceeded to tell her that she is being rude and asked for her name. She said "I don't have a name". I looked at her badge and it said Dana M. I responded with well your badge says Dana, please tell me your last name Dana. She said “I doesn't have a last name either”. I again looked at her badge and saw that her last name was McGrath. So during all this time of her being rude she could have just fixed our seating problem. I'm sure someone would have switched in a heartbeat to sit in an exit row. But to Dana, fixing the problem was not an option. She was trying to find fault and pass blame. It gets worse. As we were boarding, she was pushing my mothers wheel chair and verbally attacked me in front of the flight attendant on the plane we were boarding. She said that I have an attitude and should not be a service/therapy dog handler. My question is, who is she to instigate, pass judgement and make recommendations. Need less to say I was speechless and disgusted by Dana's behavior. I told her I was in the medical field and she shouldn't be in customer service since she doesn't want to help her customers. She then said she was going to count to 3 and if I said a word she was calling security. The flight attendant apologized to me and told me that she was unprofessional and couldn't believe the way she spoke to me. Dana's tone and attitude was beyond disgusting. Also to top it off, when we arrived at PHL for our layover there was no one with a wheelchair or to assist us even though I presented the proper documentation that was given to us from the ticketing agent. We have a choice to use any airline and I expect to be treated at least like a human being. To treat a disabled person the way Dana treated me and my mother is just plain wrong. She should not be in any customer service job with UsAirways or any where else.

[PHXFlyer]

The gate agent wasn't the only rude individual here and that's all I'm going to say.

[bah humbug]

Sounds like she was rude, no excuse for that.

However, I don't understand one thing.....

You said the service animal was for your mom. You said YOU were put in an exit row, where a service animal can not be. If the service animal is for your mom, then why are you complaining about having an exit row where the dog could not be.(othere than not being seated together) The service animal should have been with your mother.

[jimworcs]

Personally, I don't agree with service animals being allowed in the cabin of a plane period. They should be shipped in the hold. However, it is perfectly feasible that an animal would be handled by a support worker or relative, whilst on the actual plane itself. I can find no problem with that.

Dana McGrath should be dealt with by US Air as it is clear that she was unprofessional and discourteous. Phx.. I am mysified by your suggestion as to who else was rude. Perhaps you would like to enlighten us and tell us where the others were rude also?

[bah humbug]

Originally Posted by jimworcs

However, it is perfectly feasible that an animal would be handled by a support worker or relative, whilst on the actual plane itself.

Sure it is, but that is not a reason to complain about being in the exit row. The service animal did not belong with him, therefore that is not a reason to be upset about being placed in an exit row. It seemed that statement was made a couple of times in his complaint and it is irrelevent that he was placed in an exit row because HE did not have a service animal.

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by jimworcs

Phx.. I am mysified by your suggestion as to who else was rude. Perhaps you would like to enlighten us and tell us where the others were rude also?

Originally Posted by mmiakisu

Need less to say I was speechless and disgusted by Dana's behavior. I told her I was in the medical field and she shouldn't be in customer service since she doesn't want to help her customers. She then said she was going to count to 3 and if I said a word she was calling security.

If you have an issue with a "front line" employee it is acceptable to speak with a supervisor or write a letter to customer service to report the behavior of said employee. It is not acceptable (and, in my himble opinion, downright rude) to tell an employee "you don't belong in this linbe of work." Rude, rude, RUDE! If you find yourself in a situation where you think you are not being treated appropriately then DON'T STOOP TO THEIR LEVEL! This action by the OP demonstrates that she herself was rude and possibly her behavior towards this employee contributed to the situation.

And a note to the OP. So-called "emotional assistance" animals are a **** OF ****! If your poor old mother can't survive the rigors of travel without "fluffy" then she either needs better meds or she should just STAY HOME!

[The_Judge]

The ticket agent completely screwed up this situation and I would blame him/her for all of it. They should have NEVER seated either of them in an exit row. If only exits were left, they should have been sent to the gate so the gate agent could seat them. Problem would have been avoided.

This being said, if it happened the way it's written, the gate agent acted completely out of line bordering on harrassing. Emotional service animals are not something I'd like to get into but to personally attack a customer is unacceptable.

The getting of the last name was always a pet peeve of mine. We were not required to give that out and for you to be proactive in trying to get it then printing it here is a bit too much, imo. Admin allows names here so I can't say much but I disagree with giving out last names whole-heartedly.

PHX......it appears you like to live on the edge......end of the year and maybe you don't have enough points yet, eh??

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by The_Judge

PHX......it appears you like to live on the edge......end of the year and maybe you don't have enough points yet, eh??

Who dies and made you the moderator?

[jimworcs]

Where does it say that it was an "emotional assistance" animal? There are many people with disabilities who use service animals for a lot more than just "emotional assistance". Alerting the owner of danger, detecting an oncoming epileptic fit, picking up things and giving them to the owner, and the classic guide dog for the blind. All perfectly legitimate to travel with.

I am less than enamoured with the concept of service animals which provide companionship and reassurance being treated in the same way. Especially if it is a goose... but that is the crazy world created by the DOT Disabilities rules.

Phx.. there is no evidence in the complaint that the complainant spoke rudely to the gate agent. Indeed, the FA subsequently apologised to the passenger for the behaviour of the gate agent. It is not automatically rude to tell an employee that you find their actions either unhelpful, unprofessional or inappropriate... and this gate agent clearly had a problem. Given the style and approach you take with posters on this website, accusing the OP of being rude is a bit "pot and kettle" don't you think?

Troy... why should agents not be accountable for their behaviour? Why not post the names of people who behave inappropriately? If the OP is lying it gives the agent a perfect remedy to sue in small claims. If it is truthful, it could have 3 benefits. One, it alerts the travelling public to beware of Dana McGrath. Two, it may alert Dana McGrath to the fact that her actions are noted and could have some "chilling" effect on her obnoxious behaviour AND three it could expose a pattern of behaviour where others come out of the woodwork and give their experiences.

The recent incident on AA when a passenger asked for an orange juice, not only exposed the abuse of power of the FA and her totally inappropriate actions, but in internet forums exposed her behaviour at other times. It was not a "one off" but a pattern of inappropriate behaviour was exposed. Without naming and shaming this would not happen.

[The_Judge]

Originally Posted by jimworcs

Where does it say that it was an "emotional assistance" animal? There are many people with disabilities who use service animals for a lot more than just "emotional assistance". Alerting the owner of danger, detecting an oncoming epileptic fit, picking up things and giving them to the owner, and the classic guide dog for the blind. All perfectly legitimate to travel with.

My mistake if it's not. I just saw the term service/therapy animal used twice by the OP and made the conclusion of emotional. Could be wrong.

Originally Posted by jimworcs

Troy... why should agents not be accountable for their behaviour? Why not post the names of people who behave inappropriately? If the OP is lying it gives the agent a perfect remedy to sue in small claims. If it is truthful, it could have 3 benefits. One, it alerts the travelling public to beware of Dana McGrath. Two, it may alert Dana McGrath to the fact that her actions are noted and could have some "chilling" effect on her obnoxious behaviour AND three it could expose a pattern of behaviour where others come out of the woodwork and give their experience.

Nowhere did I say they shouldn't be held accountable. Giving your first name or employee number is sufficient for the company to easily locate the person being named in a complaint. For a poster to come online and give a full name of an airline employee while also saying who they work for and it what city could be dangerous. I know I wouldn't want my personal information given out over the internet.
To comment on your reasons you gave, if I may, if the agent wants to defend him/herself in court, it would be done so by the company. A court could easily conclude by first name that his was the same person the OP was talking about by work records and documents the OP wrote online.
The other end of it saying if it's truthful.....1. The traveling public, believe it or not, doesn't come on websites and look for complaints that have happened in the cities they will be traveling from, to and through. So having the last name won't help them steer clear. Even if they did, what would they do if they enountered such agent, ask for a different one because they read about the "bad" agent?? 2. It will have little effect on the agent as the airlines had very little discipline (when I was there) to offending employees. May have changed but there is no "chilling" effect that I experienced. 3...This one I agree with but a last name is not necessary to do this. First name, city you're in and date traveled is more than enough to identify someone.

[jimworcs]

It will have little effect on the agent as the airlines had very little discipline (when I was there) to offending employees.

This is my point. I think public naming is more likely to have a chilling effect on the person. You can be sure that the AA FA is now on notice that her behaviour is noted and she can be publicly shamed.

[mmiakisu]

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer

If you have an issue with a "front line" employee it is acceptable to speak with a supervisor or write a letter to customer service to report the behavior of said employee. It is not acceptable (and, in my himble opinion, downright rude) to tell an employee "you don't belong in this linbe of work." Rude, rude, RUDE! If you find yourself in a situation where you think you are not being treated appropriately then DON'T STOOP TO THEIR LEVEL! This action by the OP demonstrates that she herself was rude and possibly her behavior towards this employee contributed to the situation.

And a note to the OP. So-called "emotional assistance" animals are a **** OF ****! If your poor old mother can't survive the rigors of travel without "fluffy" then she either needs better meds or she should just STAY HOME!

I told her that she shouldn't be in customer service after she verbally attacked me telling me that I had an attitude and a person with my attitude shouldn't be handling a dog.... at that point, I had had enough and told her that she shouldn't be in customer service for the way we were treated by her.... Also, agree that I shouldn't have posted her name due to safety issues. I will edit that out. I am still beside myself and have written UsAirways and US Department of Transportation.

[mmiakisu]

Originally Posted by bah humbug

Sounds like she was rude, no excuse for that.

However, I don't understand one thing.....

You said the service animal was for your mom. You said YOU were put in an exit row, where a service animal can not be. If the service animal is for your mom, then why are you complaining about having an exit row where the dog could not be.(othere than not being seated together) The service animal should have been with your mother.

I should have clarified. The dog is a service/therapy dog. With a service/ therapy dog, the dog is to stay with the handler. This is what is stated on the the back of his dog tag license "Therapy Dog refers to a dog trained to provide affection and comfort to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, mental institutions, schools and stressful situations. Therapy animals provide animal contact to numerous people who may or may not have disabilities. A therapy animal works in animal-assisted activities and animal-assisted therapy. It is usually the personal pet of its handler, and typically works with its handler in attendance during sessions. Visiting animal-handler teams are the most common source of therapy animals."
My mother is hearing impaired and needs a wheelchair to get around due to hip replacement. She also had a stroke. The dog does help her with her therapy emotionally for she is a very nervous person. The dog also alerts her of any noises. Additionally, being that the dog hadn't flown since he was trained as a puppy, I wasn't sure how he would respond with me not in his presence. Since we always work as a team.

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by mmiakisu

I told her that she shouldn't be in customer service after she verbally attacked me telling me that I had an attitude and a person with my attitude shouldn't be handling a dog.... at that point, I had had enough and told her that she shouldn't be in customer service for the way we were treated by her.... Also, agree that I shouldn't have posted her name due to safety issues. I will edit that out. I am still beside myself and have written UsAirways and US Department of Transportation.

Which was my point. Be the better person and don't stoop to their level. No matter how poorly you are or think you are being treated to tell someone that they don't belong in the job they are doing is insulting, demeaning and rude. Even though they may have been insulting, demeaning and rude to you returning it in kind will never improve a situation. Tell a supervisor, manager, or write a letter. It's not your job to discipline the employee. Let their own chain of command handle that.

Originally Posted by mmiakisu

I should have clarified. The dog is a service/therapy dog.

Ding, score one for The_Judge and I.

Originally Posted by mmiakisu

With a service/ therapy dog, the dog is to stay with the handler.

Wrong. And this is was probably the catalyst for everything that happened. Unless a service animal is being trained then it should be traveling with the person for whom it is providing "assistance." If the dog wasn't going to sit with your mother then it wasn't being utilized as a service animal on the flight and therefore should have been classified as a pet traveling in the cabin for which you should have paid the pet fee.

Originally Posted by mmiakisu

This is what is stated on the the back of his dog tag license "Therapy Dog refers to a dog trained to provide affection and comfort to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, mental institutions, schools and stressful situations. Therapy animals provide animal contact to numerous people who may or may not have disabilities. A therapy animal works in animal-assisted activities and animal-assisted therapy. It is usually the personal pet of its handler, and typically works with its handler in attendance during sessions. Visiting animal-handler teams are the most common source of therapy animals."

My mother's dog is a therapy animal and she takes her to the local hospital and nursing home to perform that function. She does not, however, expect special status when traveling with her dog since while on the plane the dog is not "in service."

Originally Posted by mmiakisu

My mother is hearing impaired and needs a wheelchair to get around due to hip replacement. She also had a stroke. The dog does help her with her therapy emotionally for she is a very nervous person. The dog also alerts her of any noises. Additionally, being that the dog hadn't flown since he was trained as a puppy, I wasn't sure how he would respond with me not in his presence. Since we always work as a team.

Most dogs will alert their owner, hearing impaired or not, of unusual noises. Nothing special there. You were on the same plane. After reaching cruise altitude you could have periodically checked on your mom and the dog. Even if that wasn't possible the flight from Richmond to Charlotte is just over an hour long. I'm sure she would have been fine for that amount of time and the FA sounded friendly and would have kept an eye out for her.

[mmiakisu]

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer

Which was my point. Be the better person and don't stoop to their level. No matter how poorly you are or think you are being treated to tell someone that they don't belong in the job they are doing is insulting, demeaning and rude. Even though they may have been insulting, demeaning and rude to you returning it in kind will never improve a situation. Tell a supervisor, manager, or write a letter. It's not your job to discipline the employee. Let their own chain of command handle that.



Ding, score one for The_Judge and I.



Wrong. And this is was probably the catalyst for everything that happened. Unless a service animal is being trained then it should be traveling with the person for whom it is providing "assistance." If the dog wasn't going to sit with your mother then it wasn't being utilized as a service animal on the flight and therefore should have been classified as a pet traveling in the cabin for which you should have paid the pet fee.



My mother's dog is a therapy animal and she takes her to the local hospital and nursing home to perform that function. She does not, however, expect special status when traveling with her dog since while on the plane the dog is not "in service."



Most dogs will alert their owner, hearing impaired or not, of unusual noises. Nothing special there. You were on the same plane. After reaching cruise altitude you could have periodically checked on your mom and the dog. Even if that wasn't possible the flight from Richmond to Charlotte is just over an hour long. I'm sure she would have been fine for that amount of time and the FA sounded friendly and would have kept an eye out for her.

The animal was being used for my mother on the plane, but as I stated the dog stays with the handler and works as a team and this is stated on his tags and documents. I agree with you that stooping to her level may have been wrong, but I had just about had enough. If the gate attendant would have listened to my concern (mind you the ticketing agent assured me that the gate agent would be able to seat us together) and not have been rude and cut me off in the first the place it never would have escalated to this level. I'm a reasonable person and if she would have listened and had been nice and sincere and said something along the lines of I'm sorry you're in this situation but at this time we just can't help you, I would have thanked her for trying and made the best of it. Side note: The arrangements were made way of ahead of time when I booked but our original flight was cancelled and they rebooked us on an earlier flight and I was told by the booking agent that we were sitting together. I'm on sometimes 6 different planes a week for work and never had these problems and always plan accordingly so that I don't run into problems at the airport. Bottom line is, I was not treated properly and the FA agreed and apologized for GA actions. I even had other travelers offer their help. One even gave me her contact info to use as a witness if I needed it for documentation when filing a complaint.
Looking back, I'm sure all could have been handled in a better manner but sometimes you need someone from the outside looking in to point this out. Happy New Year.

[jimworcs]

Also, agree that I shouldn't have posted her name due to safety issues. I will edit that out

Can someone please tell me what exactly is unsafe about naming someone publicly? Does the Captain expose himself to danger when he welcomes the customers aboard and says "My name is Captain Sensible"? How does publicly using someones names become "unsafe".

We are becoming hyper-sensitive, and I cannot understand what the safety issue is.

For the record, my name is Jim Weir. Should I be quaking in my boots?

[The_Judge]

Jim (if that's your real name) you know very well there are crazies out there. Especially in an airport setting when someone is ticked off, who knows what they will do. People trying to blow up planes, bringing loaded weapons to the airport, passengers physically assaulting airport employees, smuggling drugs or other illegal things past security. You should see what gets confiscated by TSA. I'd rather not produce my last name for neither a complaint or compliment letter. Just my personal preference and this was one of the rare times I liked my company for actually backing me up for not giving it.

[jimworcs]

Troy,
I cannot see how knowing the name of a person increases the danger. You know the name of thousands of other people... your Doctor, Nurse, Plumber etc. Policemen give their names to people when they are ticketing them. The name debate is a red herring... do you really feel that if an airport crazy knew your last name you are more likely to be physically assaulted? It is a smokescreen Troy.. the reason airline and airport employees don't want to give their name is because they know that their behaviour is outrageous. Dana McGrath didn't want the OP to know her name for one reason only...
and yes, my name is Jim... and it is not an internet name!
Jim

[The_Judge]

Red herring.......that'll be the new phrase here after the posts on the other thread.

"do you really feel that if an airport crazy knew your last name you are more likely to be physically assaulted?"

Not in the airport but this person could find info on an employee they had a disagreement with and cause harm to them, not just physically. If I want to give out my full name to someone, I will. I shouldn't have to worry if a customer gets my last name if I'll be defamed online without knowing about it or have it used to harm my financial records or to be located in my home. That is a choice I want to make and I choose not to give it out.
I said it before and I'll say it again, first names, employee numbers along with dates, times and cities are more than enough to identify an employee. Having the last name is of no more help and is un-needed.

Edit.....I agree with you that Dana didn't want her first or last name taken and that is wrong. She is hiding something but could have been easily be identified with date, time of flight, city and gate number. Not that hard.

[mmiakisu]

I can't seem to edit any my threads....the edit button does not appear

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

The_Judge wrote...

first names, employee numbers along with dates, times and cities are more than enough

The argument The Judge cited, for NOT providing full names, certainly applies to police officers. Which is why they have badge numbers. Indeed it is only the cops who are doing something wrong are the ones who try to hide their badge number. Yet there have been posts, in other threads, indicating a willingness on the part of some airline employees to, almost, fight to the death against any mechinism that would expedite the identification of misfit staff, or even forcing an accounting for misbehavior. In today's environment customers are, very much, accountable for THEIR actions. Airline staff do not seem to be subject to the same scruitny. Only when there are multiple witnesses, who come forward, is there even an inkling of contrition from the airline.

[mmiakisu]

If anyone cares, my original flight that was cancelled was flight number 3422, not 1463... I posted the wrong flight number

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by mmiakisu

I can't seem to edit any my threads....the edit button does not appear

There is a time limit of 5 minutes to edit a post.

[The_Judge]

Originally Posted by mmiakisu

If anyone cares, my original flight that was cancelled was flight number 3422, not 1463... I posted the wrong flight number

US Air will care when you write the complaint to them. Make sure it's correct then or you'll just confuse the employee trying to figure out the complaint.

[mmiakisu]

UsAirways customer relations just called to personally apologize and said they will send reports out to both RIC and PHL gate counters and Dana's supervisors and provide coaching for Dana. I was told to expect a follow up email. I would be satisfied if Dana did receive some sort of coaching and my mother and I received an apology from her. I will keep you posted on the progress.