Blind woman says she and guide dog were kicked off airplane

A blind woman from Maine says she and her service dog were kicked off an American Airlines flight after she requested a different seat.

Sue Martin, of Franklin, says she, her husband and her guide dog boarded a plane bound for Dallas at Reagan National Airport near Washington on March 1. It was part of a journey they planned to take from Maine to California.

Martin requested a different seat on the aircraft after she saw her service dog wouldn’t fit in the row. "There was not enough room for a 75-pound dog and three adult humans," Martin told WBLZ-TV. A flight attendant refused the move; so did a ticket agent in the terminal, reported the Portland Press-Herald.

When she got back on the plane, a man in first class offered her his seat, Martin said. After she accepted the offer and sat down, another American Airlines employee told her she would have to leave, she told the Press-Herald.

"The man said, 'You have to leave the plane.' I asked him why and he said the crew had decided I was a danger to the flight," Martin said. "I've never had anything happen like this before."

An American Airlines spokeswoman said the airline is investigating the allegations.

American Airlines’ website says that “Service animals are welcome on all flights” and that the animal “must fit on your lap, at your feet or under your seat.”

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

This story was originally published March 14, 2017 at 8:05 PM with the headline "Blind woman says she and guide dog were kicked off airplane."