Qantas has refused to let an acclaimed writer travel to the Northern Territory Writers’ Festival on Friday aboard a Sydney flight bound for Alice Springs, claiming evidence that her disability support dog is properly qualified was insufficient.
Acclaimed Sydney writer and critic Fiona Wright completed paperwork so her support dog Virginia who helps her with mental health conditions including anxiety, showing the dog followed an educational syllabus under properly qualified dog trainers and passed a public test.
However a Qantas spokesperson responded saying they could not be satisfied the dog’s trainers and training standards met their obligations under the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and that the dog was properly trained to travel in the aircraft cabin.
A spokesperson for mindDog organisation where the dog was trained at say Qantas’ decision was unfair considering all other airlines are willing to carry dogs they have trained.