When pigs fly

Recently, a scandal erupted due to the fact that a Frontier Airlines passenger was asked to leave the plane – along with a hand squirrel. Representatives of the airline said that the passenger did indicate when booking the ticket that he was taking an animal with him for “psychological support”. However, it was not mentioned that we are talking about a protein. And Frontier Airlines bans rodents, including squirrels, on board.

Pictured: A squirrel that could have been the first squirrel to fly in the cabin if not for Frontier Airlines regulations. Photo: theguardian.com

Airlines decide for themselves which animals are allowed on board so that they provide psychological support to people. And animals on board the plane are not uncommon.

The rule that help animals and animals to provide psychological assistance to the owners are allowed in the cabin free of charge was adopted in 1986, but there is still no clear regulation on which animals are allowed to fly.

Meanwhile, each airline is guided by its own rules. Frontier Airlines has adopted a new policy that only dogs or cats can be used as psychological support animals. And American Airlines this summer removed amphibians, snakes, hamsters, wild birds, as well as those with tusks, horns and hooves from the long list of animals allowed on the cabin – with the exception of miniature horses. The fact is that, according to US law, miniature helper horses weighing up to 100 pounds are equated with specially trained help dogs for people with special needs.

The problem is that the concept of “psychological support animals”, in contrast to helper animals that perform specific functions (for example, guides for the blind), does not have a clear definition. And until recently, it could be any animal, if the passenger presented a certificate from a doctor that the pet would help to cope with stress or anxiety.

Naturally, many travelers, hoping to avoid the need to check in animals as baggage, tried to use this rule. The results ranged from the comical and funny to the horrifying.

Here is a list of the most unusual passengers they tried to carry on board the plane for moral support:

Pavlin. One of the reasons airlines have decided to limit the types of animals allowed on board is the case of Dexter the peacock. The peacock was the occasion for a serious controversy between its owner, an artist from New York, and the airline. According to an airline spokesman, the bird was denied the right to fly in the cabin due to its size and weight.
Hamster. In February, a Florida student was denied the right to take Pebbles the hamster on a plane. The girl complained that she was offered to either release the hamster free or flush it down the toilet. Representatives of the airline admitted that they had given the owner of the hamster false information about whether she could take the pet with her, but denied that they had advised her to kill the unfortunate animal.
Pigs. In 2014, a woman was seen holding a pig while checking in for a flight from Connecticut to Washington. But after the pig (not surprisingly) defecated on the floor of the plane, its owner was asked to leave the cabin. However, another pig behaved better and even visited the cockpit while traveling on an American Airlines plane.
Turkey. In 2016, a passenger brought a turkey on board, probably the first time such a bird had ever been on board as a psychological support animal.
Monkey. In 2016, a four-year-old monkey named Gizmo spent a weekend in Las Vegas thanks to the fact that her owner, Jason Ellis, was allowed to take her on a plane. On social networks, Ellis wrote that this really had a calming effect on him, because he needs a pet as much as a monkey needs him.
Duck. A mental health drake named Daniel was photographed aboard a plane flying from Charlotte to Asheville in 2016. The bird was dressed in stylish red boots and a diaper with a picture of Captain America. This photo made Daniel famous. “It’s amazing that a 6-pound duck could make so much noise,” Daniel’s owner Carla Fitzgerald said.

Photo: cbsnews1.cbsistatic.com