Veteran Suing Southwest Airlines for Triggering PTSD

A military veteran has filed a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines after a flight attendant allegedly confronted the man about his emotional support dog, triggering his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

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According to the Willamette Week, Thomas Bond was on a Southwest flight that had just landed at Portland International Airport when the passengers began gathering their bags. A flight attendant then reportedly “bumped his shoulder twice” and “yelled in his face” after seeing the travel bag carrying his emotional support dog partially unzipped.

Bond and his Yorkie, Moto, were flying for the seventh time together with Southwest, but the flight had been delayed due to a mechanical issue. The veteran claims the incident triggered his PTSD and is suing for $10,000 in damages from the airline.

“It still gives me anxiety,” Bond told the Willamette Week. “I came pretty close to losing my cookies.”

The topic of emotional support animals in the aviation industry has been heavily discussed in recent years, which has led to several high-profile mid-flight incidents, complaints from flight attendants and the majority of airlines in the United States changing their policies.

Last year, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) even worked with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to crack down on the "rampant abuse" of the emotional support animal designation.