The Weasel family – Amy, her husband, her 12-year-old son with disabilities, and his service dog, Chugg – were set to arrive back at home in Evansville, Indiana right on Thanksgiving Day, just in time for their family meal. They’d gone on a vacation to Mrytle Beach and were eager to return home to reunite with the rest of their family.
Not long after the family boarded their flight, however, complications arose.
A flight attendant on their American Airlines flight walked up to them where they were already sitting in their assigned seats – and said that Chugg was too large to fly.
Chugg, a 110-pound golden doodle, had traveled in airplanes before, and Amy had even contacted the airline beforehand to make sure that it was okay for him to be onboard.
In spite of all this, the flight attendant maintained her stance. Either Chugg had to fit under the seat, like carry-on baggage, or he had to leave.
According to Amy, the attendant was snide and even said, “[Chugg] should be trained to go under the seat.”
“You could tell right away from her demeanor, her attitude, and her body language that she did not like animals,” Weasel added. "She said I've already contacted management and they're coming to speak with you, and the management got on the plane and told me that I needed to exit the aircraft.”
There was little else the family could do but exit the aircraft and make alternative plans to get back home.
They ended up flying to St. Louis, where they then rented a car and drove three hours home to Evansville.
By the time they arrived, Thanksgiving dinner was long over – and Weasel had to drive back out to return their rented car to St. Louis.
American Airlines has issued an apology to the family and offered a $150 travel voucher in compensation, but Amy insists she doesn’t want the money.
"Hopefully they will hire people that have some compassion for the disabled folks in the community," Weasel expressed. "And my hope is that nobody else will have to go through this."
You can watch a news clip of the entire incident here:
