Skip to main content
A Marine and Army veteran who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder is suing Southwest Airlines for $10,000 in Multnomah County Circuit Court after a flight attendant confronted him about his emotional support dog while exiting a plane at the Portland International Airport.
Thomas Bond, who works for Umpqua Bank in Portland but lives in El Paso, Texas, was flying home for two weeks with his yorkie, Moto. His flight was delayed because of a mechanical issue, and as he was getting off the plane, a flight attendant allegedly yelled at him for having his dog's carrier partially unzipped. Bond says the flight attendant bumped his shoulder twice and yelled in his face.
The interaction inflamed Bond's PTSD, he says.
"It still gives me anxiety," Bond told WW. "I came pretty close to losing my cookies."
Bond says he has flown with Southwest for more than 20 years and has flown with Moto for 7 years, without any problems in the past. The airline did not let Bond board another plane that day and refunded his ticket on Monday.
Bond says he will drive home to El Paso instead of flying this week. Southwest Airlines did not immediately return request for comment.
Bond's case is not the only lawsuit filed in Portland involving an emotional support animal this week.
The mother of a five-year-old girl attacked by a dog in the Portland airport is suing the Port of Portland, the dog's owner and Alaska Airlines. As first reported by The Oregonian, the dog bit the girl's face, severing a tear duct and ripping through her upper lip. The mother is suing for $1.1 million.