A Scots woman whose assistance dog was confiscated at an airport was left in tears as she was forced to fork out more than £300 to have him returned.
Emma Carmichael, who has autism, was travelling with her dog from Charles de Galle in Paris to Glasgow Airport last month and had notified the airline beforehand.
The 28-year-old was flying with easyJet and encountered no issues on her first flight but when she tried to return home with her partner and Basset-Beagle Theo, she was stopped by employees.
Emma, from Paisley, developed agoraphobia three years ago after a car accident and relies on Theo's support to leave the house.
As reported in Glasgow Live, she booked a trip with her partner to the Parisian city and emailed the airline to advise them she would be travelling with an assistance dog.
Emma said: "On the way back, easyJet said they weren't told that there was going to be a dog on the flight but I had the email I had sent to them advising that he would be travelling with me.
"We were stuck at check-in for an hour and a half before they eventually let us board the flight and we assumed that was everything sorted and that Glasgow would've been told that we were on our way.
"But when we landed in Glasgow we were told that they didn't have any record of the dog and that a form to confirm him travelling with us hadn't been signed. They mentioned he wasn't trained by a recognised organisation but in Scotland, the law states independent organisations can also be approved.
"He then got confiscated and we were taken into a holding room, I was in bits.
"I didn't want to leave him because I knew he was distressed and I could hear him upset in the room."
Emma had to listen to Theo's distressed crying for an hour before she was informed he would be released if she paid a £315 "import charge".
Her partner was able to pay the charge in full and Theo was eventually returned but they have now been left in the dark about what the issue was.
Emma is now hoping to receive a partial refund and has submitted a complaint to easyJet.
She added: "I've given easyJet the chance to apologise and they've just tried to put the blame on me.
"If I had known there would be issues, I would have made other arrangements for him because the whole experience caused a lot of stress.
"I don't understand why we had to pay an import charge as Theo is from the UK."
easyJet confirmed Emma did in fact provide them with certification so she was able to fly with her dog both to and from Paris.
A spokesperson added: "easyJet welcomes passengers travelling with recognised assistance dogs and carries hundreds every year.
"While Ms Carmichael was able to fly with her assistance dog to and from Paris, we are sorry to hear about her experience in Glasgow Airport after her flight.
"We advise customers travelling with assistance dogs to ensure they check all relevant requirements for the countries they are travelling to and from before they fly.”
The Home Office said Border Force has no powers to levy fines or request payments relating to passengers and their pets. They added that they can't comment on individual cases.
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