Woman attempts to fly with ’emotional support’ squirrel, removed from flight

There have been stories about passengers flying with cats and dogs and miniature horses. This time around, comes news of a flying squirrel.

A passenger was removed from a Frontier Airlines flight late Tuesday when she attempted to fly with her squirrel – for emotional support, then refused to get off the plane when she was told no, according to the airline.

A Frontier spokesman said in a statement that the passenger had alerted the airline beforehand that she would be bringing an emotional-support animal on the flight. But she did not mention what it would be.

“Rodents, including squirrels, are not allowed on Frontier flights,” the statement read. “The passenger was advised of the policy and asked to depart the plane”

The passenger resisted, others aboard Flight 1612, which was travelling from Orlando to Cleveland, were then forced to depart to allow the authorities to remove the woman from the plane.

The incident occurred Tuesday night at Orlando International Airport.

The Orlando Police Department said that the squirrel’s owner had boarded the plane, but that when airline personnel noticed she had a cage containing the little critter, they asked her to get off the plane. When she refused, authorities were called to escort her from the plane.

Authorities said that the passenger vacated the plane when officers arrived and that they “did not have to take any action.”

A video posted on Twitter shows a crowd gathered at Gate 15. The post read: “I just want everyone to know that all passengers had to deplane my flight to cleveland because a woman brought a SQUIRREL ON THE PLANE.”

Another video showed a woman being escorted through the airport in a wheelchair as others clapped and cheered.

Earlier this month, Frontier announced a new policy on emotional-support and trained service animals that is set to go into effect November 1. It allows cats and dogs as emotional-support animals and restricts trained service animals to cats, dogs and miniature horses.

Emotional-support animals, or “comfort animals,” are not the same thing as service animals or therapy animals, which are typically trained to assist people with emotional and physical disabilities.

i just want everyone to know that all passengers had to deplane my flight to cleveland because a woman brought a SQUIRREL ON THE PLANE pic.twitter.com/TAdzUuKRWe

— Julia Papesch (@julia_papesch) October 10, 2018