Passengers, guide dogs removed from flight

Two visually-impaired passengers and their guide dogs were escorted off a Jet Airways flight at Pearson International Airport on July 1, after the flight’s crew complained about the animals’ lack of muzzles.

According to the Toronto Star, the two Toronto women, one of whom brought her 11-year-old daughter, were escorted off the Sweden-bound plane after they refused to muzzle the dogs. The women, who said they never encountered such problems on other airlines, were rebooked on an Austrian Airlines flight; however, when it was determined that the aircraft was too small to accommodate the dogs, a flight with Air Canada was booked, the report said.

One of the passengers said that she checked the airline’s animal policy prior to booking the flight, and found no mention of the muzzle requirement.