A construction worker from Chile is trying to get home from Vancouver with his five-year-old service dog, but says Aeromexico has refused to let them board.
Matias Rodriguez’s Great Dane, Logan, is trained to detect changes in his owner’s blood sugar and alert him to a potential diabetic emergency.
Rodriguez said Logan is a big dog, but told CTV News Aeromexico allowed them to board their flight to Vancouver and showed photos from the flight.
“He flew back here with no problem, so why does it make any issue flying back home? I don’t understand why,” said his friend and translator, Vynka Contreras.
Contreras said the pair went to the airport on Saturday, but Aeromexico told them the flight was full and there was no room for Logan.
“So they had to rebook him again to the next day. The next day, the same thing, all the flight is booked,” she recalled.
Rodriguez offered to buy three seats in a row, similar to the arrangement he said airlines, including Aeromexico, provided on their journey to Vancouver from Chile, via Mexico.
Rodriguez’s temporary work status in Canada has expired, and he wants to return to Chile so he can reapply to come back.
“He’s very depressed, he’s very stressed as well, and when he’s stressed, obviously his animal is also stressed, right?” admitted Contreras.
On Tuesday morning, Rodriguez was told he would have to purchase a business-class ticket costing more than $3,000.
He bought the ticket, but was warned it did not guarantee they would be allowed to board.
Rodriguez insisted that leaving Logan behind is not an option.
CTV News has reached out to Aeromexico for comment.
