Planning to fly with your service animal? Here’s what you need to know

Two groups of passengers say Air Canada and Porter refused to allow their service dogs to board a plane with them due to only providing online certificates.

Service animals are trained to help people with all different types of aid, from people with visual impairment to those with mental health issues.

However, travelling with them is not always easy and requires special training from accredited organizations.

Two viewers told CTV News their service dogs were not allowed to go on flights with them, despite both owners completing online training courses.

“I need Simon,” said Ian Holland of Bobcaygeon, Ont.

Holland has been with his service dog, Simon, for the past seven years and said his dog helps him with several mental health issues he deals with on a daily basis.

“He helps me function. He means everything to me, not just on an emotional level, but on a practical level. He helps me navigate the day,” he said.

Holland said he and his wife, Jeannie, were planning a dream trip to France. To make sure Simon could go on the trip with them, they took online service dog training courses and got a note from their doctor stating Simon was required for a medical condition.

However, the couple said they were surprised when Air Canada said the online certification wasn’t recognized and Simon could not join them.

“It’s going to be difficult because he hasn’t been without Simon in seven years,” said Jeannie. “Not one day, not one night, of being without Simon.”

When CTV News reached out to Air Canada on the Holland’s behalf, a spokesperson said in a statement, “The customer used an online training company to certify his service dog and in keeping with many Canadian jurisdictions, we do not recognize owner-trained dogs as properly certified.”

“These courses guide the owner on how to train the dog themselves to perform certain tasks, whereas for safety and other reasons, we require that the dog itself to be trained directly by an approved organization. Our website is clear on this.”

Air Canada further explained that the website the Holland’s used to certify Simon specifically states their airline does not accept the certification.

Despite that, Air Canada said they reached out to the Hollands to offer them a full refund.

The couple told CTV News they declined the refund as costs for a trip to France had since increased considerably, and they decided to move forward with their trip without Simon. But, they have concerns about how it will go.

“It brings me to tears to know they can’t be together. It breaks my heart,” Jeannie said.

‘I can’t travel without my service dog’

Patrick Nguyen, of Mississauga, has undergone several serious operations and also has mental health issues.

Nguyen told CTV News he has a trip planned for Vancouver this September and was going to bring his service dog, Noodle, with him.

“He has been with me since day one,” said Nguyen. “He reminds me to take my medications every day, he’s everything to me. Basically my baby, my son.”

Similarly to the Hollands, Nguyen took online courses to train his dog to become an official service dog. However, the airline he booked his flight with, Porter Airlines, informed him the internet training was not recognized.

In a statement sent to CTV News, Porter Airlines said, “Porter complies with the regulations set forth by the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), which define a service dog as one that has been “individually trained by an organization or person specializing in service dog training to perform a task to assist you with a need related to your disability”.”

“While we prefer certification from a trainer accredited by Assistance Dogs International (ADI), we will also consider documentation from non-ADI-accredited trainers on a case-by-case basis. This documentation should clearly include the trainer’s name, their dog training credentials, and the name and website of the training organization for verification.”

Nguyen feels the online training was good enough for other airlines, which allowed him to fly with Noodle as his service dog in the past.

He said without Noodle by his side, he’ll cancel his trip.

“I would definitely not go because I cannot travel without (him). I cannot.”