[Blindtlk] NewAssistance Dog Air Routes to UK from Canada

[Peter Donahue]

Good afternoon everyone,

	Below is information concerning new air routes operated by Air
Transit, and British Airways for the carriage of assistance dogs in the
passenger cabin in to the UK along with new and existing route
information concerning similar routes to London Heathrow operated by
British Airways. Note too that Air Transit operates routes to both
London Gatwick, and London Heathrow from Toronto. They are the first
Canadian Airline to begin transporting guide and other assistance dogs
on their routes in to the UK. Congratulations to the Canadians whose
efforts brought this about, and like us here in the states continue to
press all of our airlines to do the right thing by establishing the
necessary RMOPS to comply with new regulations of the Air Carrier Access
Act, that will mong other things make it mandatory for airlines to
transport guide and other assistance in the cabin on all of their routes
to all destinations including the UK. Here is the information:


Service animals

A service animal is defined as a certified working animal wearing a
harness and trained to assist a permanent or long-term disabled person.
Passengers will
be asked to present the training certificate prior to travel. At
pre-boarding, passengers with service animals will board the aircraft in
priority. Service
animals will not be carried unless proper permits are obtained for entry
into the countries of transit or final destination, and such permits are
presented
prior to commencement of travel. 

Please contact us in advance of travel, to discuss the best
arrangements, and seating for you and your service animal. Some
countries have very specific
entry requirements or restrictions for entry. For example, the United
Kingdom will only allow entry through certain airports. Feel free to 
contact us
 for details.

To ensure a seat with sufficient floor space for the animal, we
recommend that you pre-select your seat at time of booking with your
travel agent or by
calling us at 1-877-872-6728 (1-877-TRANSAT (872-6728)) or locally in
the Montreal region 514-636-3630. People who are hearing impaired can
call 1-866-234-5136
(TTY) toll free within North America or 514-906-5196 in the local
Montreal area.

An Air Transat Agent can help with: 

Registration at check-in counter 

Moving to the boarding area 

Pre-boarding

Once on board, your service animal must stay under your supervision and
wear its harness at all times. 

An Air Transat Agent can also help with: 

Deplaning 

Retrieving checked baggage 

Moving to the general public area 

Getting to a representative of another airline within the same terminal
for a flight connection

It's also a good idea to see the section on service animals on the
Transport Canada web site at: 
http://www.catsa-acsta.gc.ca/english/travel_voyage/special.shtml#a9.

Routes

	Assistance dogs can travel in the cabin on the following Air
transit and British Airways Routes in to the UK:

Calgary: London Gatwick, Air Transit
Calgary: London Heathrow, British Airways
Edmonton: London Gatwick, Air Transit
Montreal (Mirabel): London Heathrow, British Airways
Montreal (Trudeau International): London Gatwick, Air Transit
Toronto: London Gatwick, Air Transit
Toronto: London Heathrow, Air Transit, British Airways
Vancouver: London Gatwick, Air Transit
Vancouver: LondonHeathrow, British Airways

Peter Donahue