Katy O’Reilly & Pat Pound
Assisting Travelers with Vision Loss & the ‘Ins and Outs’ of Service Animals in Air Travel
There are a number of changes to the air travel experience for passengers with vision loss, from socially distant assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic to the new regulatory change for service animals traveling by air. In this session, a guide dog user and frequent traveler will share best practices for assisting passengers with vision loss in the “new norm” of Covid-19 restrictions. This session will also discuss the new rule on Service Animals in Air Transportation and inform inflight crew of the different types of service animals and safe, and unsafe, service animal behaviors. This session will also include a brief overview of a service animal training program from Alaska Airlines’ Director of Customer Advocacy, Ray Prentice.
