Disabled Veteran Kicked Off U.S. Airways Flight . Published on Sep 3, 2013 This Vietnam War Veteran was removed from this U.S. Airways flight on 31 Aug 13. This man was 100% disabled and was accompanied by a Golden Retriever service dog. The reason this man was removed was because the airline wanted the dog to lay on the floorboard by the mans feet for takeoff and landing and the dog was sitting in the seat. The man's protest was understandable because being a small CRJ aircraft and the dog being full size it was hard for the dog to fit on the floor between the seats. The dog was behaving beautifully while seated in the seat and not bothering anyone. After the man was escorted off of the airplane the police officer came on board and said to the people on board the aircraft "Folks we are going to see how you feel the situation was handled. Do you think it was right for this man to be escorted off of this aircraft?" The individuals on the airplane replied with a thunderous NO!!!Arguments.... 1) Parents are allowed to hold their children unbuckled in their lap for takeoff so why shouldn't this man be allowed to hold on to his working dog for takeoff? (The Government gives veterans with PTSD service dogs that are trained to help calm the veterans in stressful situations). 2) The airlines policies should be written to act as a guide and not a hard and fast rule.The FARs do not prohibit an animal from sitting in a passengers seat.(Ref: FAR 135.85).This man stands up and apologizes to the passengers on board while waiting for the police to arrive. My opinion is that U.S. Airways needs to re-visit their "policies" and reimburse this man his money at the minimum. The attendant should be terminated.

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