No fly zone for guide-dog

It was reported that Willem van Deventer and his wife Claire almost missed a wedding in Cape Town, when an official at OR Tambo International said they did not have the right documentation with them to fly with their dog, Tonto.

Van Deventer said when he booked the flight in October last year, the SAA travel agent did not inform him of any additional rules regarding the taking of guide-dogs on flights.

However, on boarding his flight to Cape Town, an official insisted that Van Deventer needed a vaccination certificate for Tonto, and a letter from the SA Guide-Dogs Association for the Blind. Fortunately, Gail Glover executive director of the SA Guide-Dogs intervened by calling Acsa representatives and an SAA duty manager, and the Van Deventer’s and Tonto were accommodated on a later flight.

Acsa spokesperson Unathi Batyashe-Fillis said the company had a policy that airlines should notify Acsa of the departure of animals two days before the flight.

According to Glover, Acsa had always had a rule about vaccination certificates and verification from the SA Guide-Dogs when trainers were travelling with guide-dogs, however the organisation was unaware that this policy had been extended to include guide-dog owners.

“I think when someone books a ticket it’s important for the airline to tell you what documentation you are required to have when flying with a guide-dog,” she said. “The Acsa requirements for guide-dog owners are relatively new, but going forward we now know what documentation each owner needs when travelling. Either way, it is always useful to be able to prove that your dog is in fact a guide-dog.”

Glover mentioned that while the Van Deventer’s were stopped at OR Tambo, they walked past all checkpoints at Cape Town International on their way back home, with no hitches and no documentation was asked for.