It’s a heartwarming insurrection: Albert Rizzi, who is legally blind, was removed from a U.S. Airways flight from Philadelphia to Long Island after his service dog got restless during a delay. “Mr. Rizzi became disruptive and refused to comply with crew member instructions when the flight attendant asked him to secure his service dog at his feet,” according to the company. “As a result of his disruptive behavior, the crew returned to the gate and removed Mr. Rizzi and his service dog from the flight.” But in a show of solidarity, other passengers got off, too.
“When we, the passengers, realized what was going on, we were, like, ‘Why is this happening? He’s not a problem. What is going on?’” a witness told ABC 6. “And we all kind of raised our voices and said, ‘This is a real problem.’ The captain came out of the cockpit and he basically asked us all to leave the aircraft.”
The flight was eventually canceled, and the airline offered a bus ride for the rebels with a cause. “These people, all of them, got on a bus and drove 3 and a half hours from Philadelphia,” said Rizzi. “They could have stayed on the plane, but they chose not to. I’m so humbled.” U.S. Airways, meanwhile, comes off looking like monsters, as if people didn’t hate airlines enough already. There’s no way this thing doesn’t end with some free first-class tickets for the dog.
