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A woman was forced to deplane after bringing a squirrel as her emotional support animal (ESA) on a flight.
Frontier Airlines allows passengers with mental or emotional conditions to bring ESAs inside its planes. However, the woman failed to comply with the airline’s policy, which states that dogs and cats are allowed, and rodents such as squirrels are prohibited. Despite being informed of the policy, the woman refused to leave, forcing the airline staff to call the police to escort her from the plane.
The other passengers had to leave the plane and wait for two hours for the flight’s resumption.
The incident happened at the Orlando International Airport, Florida, and the flight was headed to Ohio in the United States.
To her defense, the woman claimed that she informed the airline ahead of time that she would be traveling with an ESA. She added that she even got through the airport security without a hitch.
Meanwhile, Frontier Airlines asserted that the woman failed to mention that she would be bringing a squirrel. Nevertheless, the airline refunded the woman’s plane tickets and offered her a travel voucher that she can use in the future.
Incidents like these have forced other airlines to crack down on the types of ESAs allowed on flights. In March, United Airlines, one of the biggest airline companies in the world, changed its policy after a woman brought a peacock to a flight in January. The peacock was barred from the flight because it did not meet United Airlines’ animal size and weight requirements.
The airline’s new policy also requires passengers to provide proof that their ESAs are in good health and have been vaccinated.