JetBlue Passenger Sues Claiming Dog Snub Led to Cancer Resurgence
She'd previously been in remission for stage 4 cancer.
If you have a service animal, being able to travel with them is essential. One woman who wasn't able to have her dog with her on a JetBlue flight last year is suing the airline after an alleged major impact on her health.
In a lawsuit filed in California court, Oksana and Peter Kiritchenko claimed that JetBlue refused to allow her dog to fly with them in first class. The stress of having to figure something out, they claim, led to a resurgence in Oksana's stage 4 cancer. They alleged that the airline violated the Americans with Disabilities Act for failing to accommodate her needs.
The couple said they submitted the necessary U.S. Department of Transportation Service Animal Air Transportation Form to the airline, allowing them to fly to Fort Lauderdale with no problems. But when it was time to return home to Los Angeles, the first-class passengers were told that their French Bulldog, Pier, would only be allowed in the cabin if one of them moved to economy.
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Initially, they were okay with the change. "Plaintiffs had a pressing need to get back home [Mrs. Kiritchenko being a cancer patient had to be locally available in Los Angeles for her checkups], so they agreed," the suit said. But they ran into another obstacle when a flight attendant asked her to put Pier in a "much smaller" bag. He didn't fit, prompting the plane to turn around and return to the gate. They were luckily able to get a flight on Delta out of Miami the next day with Pier in tow.
"The acts and omissions to act by the defendants caused the plaintiffs serious personal injury and emotional distress. Both plaintiffs were subjected to an unexplainable level of cruel humiliation and ridicule," the suit read.
"Mrs. Kiritchenko, although a stage-4 cancer patient, had been in remission prior the events described hereinabove. Those events caused Mrs. Kiritchenko an extreme amount of stress," it continued. "Upon arrival home, she checked in to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center hospital in Los Angeles. The test results had shown the mean tumor molecules levels ('MTM/ml') had risen to 0.59. Several prior tests were showing test results at 0.00."
The lawsuit's text alternates between naming Pier as Kiritchenko's emotional support dog and her service animal. JetBlue, like most major airlines, doesn't accept emotional support animals and only permits trained service animals to fly. In addition, JetBlue's website points out that small dogs and cats are only allowed to fly in their Core cabin and not in first class.
If you plan on traveling with Fido, make sure you check all your airline's requirements and regulations before booking your ticket, and again before heading to the airport.