American airlines denies boarding to veteran with brain trauma and his ptsd service dog

We&rsquo-ve already told you the story of Jason Haag, an American veteran who served several tours overseas and suffers from not only a brain injury but also severe PTSD. Upon returning to the states and to his home after his injury, he often slept by himself with a gun under his pillow. He withdrew from his son and his wife and he often contemplated killing himself. That&rsquo-s when his wife urged him to reach out to an organization called K9s for Warriors, which places therapy dogs with vets that need them. That&rsquo-s when Haag met Axel, a German Shepherd who as only a week away from his own death by euthanasia. The two fell instantly in love and saved one another&rsquo-s life. It&rsquo-s a happy ending all the way around.

Well, for everyone but American Airlines. The flight company allows service dogs on board their flights provided that each dog can be verified as a service dog. So when the airline decided that Axel and Captain Haag could not board a flight recently, it was bad news for the airline. The airline was given credible documentation when the captain&rsquo-s boarding pass was purchased, but a representative for the airline decided that the captain and his dog could not board. She began asking for additional information that he did not happen to have on him, and refused him entry onto a flight. When contacted, the airline attempted to say that their rep did everything correctly and that Captain Haag needed to have a medical alert card on him, which he did not.

However, if you visit the American Airlines website, there is no mention whatsoever of a medical alert card being required for a service dog to board a flight. Axel was wearing his service jacket and met all the requirements on the airline&rsquo-s website. After his story was made public, a representative for American Airlines issued a public apology and thanked Captain Haag for his service to this country. The airline then offered to fly him, his dog and his family anywhere. This story is just a sad reminder that many airlines make very little effort to uphold many of their policies, and it&rsquo-s become a bit of a problem.