Traveling with a ADA Service Animal
Yesterday, my mom and her service dog, were trying to fly back from California to Washington, D.C. dog had already flown on three United flights as a service dog, all with his documents successfully uploaded to United’s system. The previous gate agents had no issues; they reviewed the forms and allowed him to board every time.
But last night, on the red-eye from San Francisco to Washington Dulles, a gate agent stopped them. This agent insisted that my mom produce physical, hard copies of the forms she had already uploaded. My mom is 71, and this was her fourth flight on the same reservation, all previously hassle-free. She explained she didn’t have hard copies on her—she’d flown without issue before—and the dog was fully licensed. The agent then claimed she’d have to pay to fly him as a pet, even though he’s too big for that category.
It was an overbooked flight, tensions ran high, and the gate agent was on the verge of denying my mom and her service dog entirely. My mom reiterated that Bentley was a legal service dog. She had his vaccination record, his certification, and her handler ID. None of this swayed the gate agent. My mom asked if she could print and fill out the form right there. The agent refused. She asked for a supervisor. The supervisor arrived and told my mother they wouldn’t delay the flight. They even began closing the doors.
Only at the last, begrudging moment did they finally allow her on. There was no apology, no acknowledgment of the ordeal. In that moment, both the gate agent and supervisor nearly violated ADA protections by almost denying a disabled person and her service dog their right to fly.
Has anyone else had issues with this? Is it worth complaining to United for points or something?