The hero dog and wounded Marine who were denied seats on a flight back from winning the Service Dog of the Year award will be attending a charity event hosted by the airline that kept him and his owner from boarding.
After lobbying Congress on Wednesday, Axel and Capt. Jason Haag flew on an American Airlines flight to Dallas so they could attend the Skyball XIII in order to help raise money for projects benefiting veterans. Haag said he has been in contact with the airline since he and Axel were unable to board a flight last month. He is hopeful something good can come out of the situation.
"We're talking to American Airlines," Haag said. "American Airlines does a lot of great things for veterans. The situation, obviously, was unfortunate, but we're hoping a very big silver lining comes out of it."
Axel and Haag were on their way back to Virginia after receiving the Service Dog of the Year from the American Humane Association's Hero Dog Award when Haag was asked probing personal questions by an American Airlines employee who questioned whether Axel was a real service dog.
Though Haag tried to explain that Axel was a service dog that is important to treating his PTSD and traumatic brain injury, the employee would not allow Axel to board. Axel, Haag, Haag's wife ended up stranded in Los Angeles without their luggage. The American Human Association covered the cost of putting them in a hotel for the night and rebooking their flight the next day.
Since then, American Airlines has apologized to Haag and extended an invitation to the SkyBall, which he accepted.
"Capt. Haag and Axel are headed to American Airlines SkyBall XIII, which is hosted by the Airpower Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit foundation," American Airlines spokesperson Andrea Huguely said. "American Airlines SkyBall has raised over $10 million over the past 10 years."
The money raised by SkyBall benefits a number of veteran-focused initiatives. It will be used to help the children of fallen military heroes, build homes for wounded vets, and develop treatments for PTSD, among other things.
Haag said he plans to speak with American Airlines officials at the event.
"We're going to sit down and talk with them and see how, hopefully, some great things can come out of that," Haag said. "They are working with us."