B737 Next Generation Undifferentiated
Flight Attendant Current
Troubleshooting; Situational Awareness; Communication Breakdown; Distraction
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Passenger Misconduct
Flight Crew FLC complied w / Automation / Advisory; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action; General Flight Cancelled / Delayed
Procedure; Human Factors
I write this report to bring awareness to the continued issues flight crews are experiencing with service/assistance animals. I was working in A position on the aircraft; a sold out flight with two jump seats occupied. A pre-boarding Customer was listed on my specials report as having a vision impairment and having a working assistance animal. I met the Customer in the jetbridge and offered my assistance; to which he refused. The Customer's service animal appeared to be a full sized golden lab.The Customer proceeded to sit in a bulkhead row aisle seat on this aircraft. I informed the Customer that he would need to sit in the window seat so that his service animal would not hinder the egress of Customers sitting outboard of him. The Customer informed me that he was not going to move to the window seat; that he knew his rights and that he had every right to sit in the aisle seat and that he didn't have to occupy the window seat if he didn't want too. He informed me that his dog was not going to be in the aisle and would not obstruct the aisle. I explained to him that the aisle was not my greatest concern; that the animal was in fact obstructing access to the aisle for the two yet to be occupied seats. The Customer still refused to move. Sensing that the customer was going to be difficult to deal with; I simply replied with; 'Ok' and continued with the boarding process.I pulled out my EFAM (Flight Attendant Manual) and conducted a search to make sure that I was in-line with [Company] policies and procedures. I also asked assistance from my B to help with the search so I could face my customers as they boarded the aircraft. Our search quickly found what we were looking for. [In the FAM] it stipulates that an assistance animal 'May not obstruct an aisle or access to an aisle.'  I informed a ramp agent in the jetbridge that I would need a representative to address the situation and they informed my Ops Agent. I informed my Captain of the situation.Boarding was complete and I still didn't have a representative. Ops Agent again called and Ops Supervisor came to assist. I explained the situation to Ops Sup and Captain and showed them the aforementioned FAM requirements for assistance animals. Captain reviewed the FAM for several minutes to ensure there was no grey area around the policies and procedures. We as a team; all 4 Flight Attendants; our Captain; our Ops Agent and our Ops Supervisor all found ourselves in agreement that the Customer with the assistance animal would need to sit in the window seat in order to meet our safety regulations. Ops Sup was tasked with engaging the Customer with the assistance animal and asking him to swap seats to the window seat. Ops Sup explained everything to the Customer and was rejected just as I was; but this time with all the seats full of Customers; Ops Sup found himself at the end of the stick. Customers who had no reason to be engaged in the conversation with Ops Sup found themselves yelling at Ops Sup; telling him that the disabled Customer had rights and that he didn't have to move if he didn't want too. Ops Sup left the aircraft and made a call to Customer Service to get their stance on the conflict. They backed the direction of the FAM and crew and directed Ops Sup to again ask the Customer with the assistance animal to move one last time or to remove him from the flight for non-compliance with safety regulations. Again; Ops Sup engaged the Customer and the Customer refused to move. He even said that he wasn't getting off the aircraft; period. With that Ops Sup was left with only one option; to call the police and have the Customer physical removed from the aircraft for his refusal to comply with the required safety regulations. After 10 minutes of waiting for the police; Ops Sup called the police again as they still hadn't shown up. The Customers in the row tried repeatedly to get the Customer with the assistance animal to move to the window seat but he refused. Everyonejust wanted to get the flight under way.After nearly 30 minutes the Customer with the assistance animal finally agreed to take the window seat; at the convincing of the Customers in his row. He was angry and told everyone that this was going to be their last day on the job. He stated that he wasn't going to leave the [arrival] airport until he had received justice for the injustices against him. The police never showed up. During the flight the Customer showed no aggression and other than using the forward lavatory three times; stayed in the window seat. He had a Jack and Coke which I comped. Upon arrival; the Ops Agent approached me regarding a known difficult Customer. I gave him the rundown of what happened so that he could alert his leadership team. The Customer and his supporters did in fact give the Customer Service and Ops team a difficult time in the gate area. Leadership informed the Customer that he needed to get in touch with Customer Service.Customers need to abide by the required safety regulations; including Customers with disabilities. Maybe the ACAA (Air Carrier Access Act) could assist the airlines and their members by informing their members of what they can do to avoid conflict on an aircraft and how follow the safety regulations that airlines must enforce. As for flight crews; everyone must be on the same page in enforcing the safety regulations. When one crew lets safety slide; the rest of us hear about it from the Customers.
B737 Flight Attendant reported an encounter with a visually handicapped; dog-assisted passenger who refused a window seat thus failing to comply with company aisle obstruction regulations. The passenger voluntarily moved to a window seat after a threatened removal from the flight.