Dubai: A visiting blind woman cries foul after a Dubai-based airline allegedly refused to allow her guide dog on board a flight she took from Dubai to Barcelona earlier this month.
Guide dogs are assistance dogs that lead blind and visually impaired people around obstacles. In many countries, they are exempted from regulations against the presence of animals in public transport or places like parks and restaurants.
Daniela Rubio T, a digital media accessibility consultant who flew to Dubai on December 8 for an accessibility and engagement conference, said she was forced to leave her guide dog Kara, a four-year-old Labrador, behind because the airline she flew with agreed to fly the dog back only as cargo.
Transportation laws
She said transportation laws in the European Union clearly state that all flights to and from their member states must take on board guide dogs for the blind, as long as they can be accommodated within the cabin without obstructing aisles or emergency exits. She claimed that although the airline’s pet policy does not allow animals in cabins, an exception is made with guide dogs for the blind.
She said she confirmed with the airline’s customer care and obtained the necessary veterinary certificates and dog permit. “However, two days before flying, I was told that I could bring my dog from Barcelona on board with no problem, but when coming back from Dubai, my dog had to fly as cargo. It makes no sense to allow a service dog to go on board, but not to come back with the blind user. As you must know, a guide dog can never be separated from his or her user,” she said, adding, “The wrong information and expenses around this has caused serious inconveniences for my person in terms of mobility.”
Daniela said: “As I stayed in a very big hotel, I had to depend on somebody to help me find places like the restaurant, lifts, etc. It was difficult to get around, because the white cane will not help to locate stairs, doors, chairs, etc, or help you to walk long distances without losing your track. In the university where the conference was held, the same thing happened. And some time back, I had a surgery in my right arm, so it was difficult to use the cane as it hurt a lot.”
She said: “I left Kara in Barcelona at home, but I had to make special arrangements so she could stay there as she is always with me.”
An immediate comment was not available from the airline. However, its website states that all animals must enter the UAE as manifested cargo and that an exception is made for seeing-eye dogs (guide dogs for the blind) which may travel free of charge in the aircraft cabin on direct flights from European Union member states, or to or from the USA and Canada.
Designated space
A guide dog is usually seated with the passenger in the aircraft cabin if the animal can be accommodated without obstructing the aisle or emergency exit.
