Well, I'll tell you about my trip the other day, because flying in Venezuela is already an adventure, but add to that doing it with my service dog. We were leaving Porlamar; you know, saying goodbye to the warmth of Margarita to return to the chaos of Caracas. The airline was Avior, and most importantly, Luna, my assistance dog, who is my shadow and my calm, was traveling with me. My plan, and my real need, was to take her with me in the cabin, but specifically on my lap, because that's where she works best and where I need her. Anyone who has a service animal knows that it's not a whim, it's your anchor. The trip didn't start that day, of course. It started weeks before, with the paperwork. I was carrying a folder that looked like a thesis: Luna's certificate, her up-to-date vaccination card, the vet's certificate. A real hassle. We arrived at Santiago Mariño Airport with plenty of time to spare. I always get anxious at the check-in counter, because you never know if you're going to get someone who doesn't understand the rules for service animals and wants to give you a thousand excuses. I approached the Avior counter, with Luna calmly by my side, wearing her harness that clearly says “Service.” The girl, to be honest, was really nice. She saw Luna, looked at my papers, made a quick phone call, and that was it! They gave us our boarding passes without any drama. First round won. I breathed a sigh of relief. We went through security, with people looking at Luna fondly as usual, and waited for our flight. They called us to board. We greeted the crew as we entered the plane. “Hi, this is Luna, my service dog,” I said right away, so there would be no surprises. We sat down, and I settled Luna on my lap, ready for takeoff. Then came the only hiccup. The flight attendant approached, very kindly but firmly: “Sir, your dog is beautiful, but due to safety regulations, during takeoff and landing she must be on the floor, at your feet.” Ugh, that's the part I don't like. I explained that she is my support, but she said she understood, that it was only for those two critical moments of the flight. No way. Luna, who is a saint, curled up on the floor, in the little space there was, and stayed still. The flight from Porlamar to Caracas is a joke, it doesn't last long. I mean, as soon as you stabilize in the air, the captain is already saying that we are going to descend. It was about 35 minutes of actual flight time. As soon as they turned off the seatbelt sign, in that brief moment of “cruising flight” (which was about 15 minutes), I didn't waste any time: I lifted Luna onto my lap. What a relief! Feeling her weight and her calm breathing on my lap is what centers me. She settled in happily and fell asleep instantly. To be honest, the Avior crew didn't say anything to me during that time; they were quite understanding. Then came the announcement: “prepare for landing.” Again, Luna to the floor. We landed in Maiquetía, the customary applause from the passengers, and that was it. Mission accomplished. We waited for everyone to get off the plane so we could leave calmly. So, in summary, the experience with Avior was good, no stress with the paperwork, and although the floor rule is strict for takeoff and landing, I was able to have Luna with me on my lap during the flight, which was what I needed. We arrived in Caracas safe, sound, and calm.
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