Emotional Support Squirrel Delays Frontier Flight
Jeff Edwards October 11, 2018
When a Frontier Airlines passenger boarded a flight from Orlando to Cleveland with a comfort animal, crew members were surprised to discover that her emotional support companion was a squirrel. When the flyer and her rodent refused to leave the plane after being ordered to disembark, police were called and the flight was delayed by nearly two hours.
A woman who alerted Frontier Airlines she would be requiring the assistance of an emotional support animal on her flight from Orlando International Airport (MCO) to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) on Tuesday, reportedly neglected to inform the carrier that her comfort companion was a squirrel.
Because rodents, even adorable pet squirrels, are prohibited on Frontier flights, the woman and her no-longer-flying-squirrel were ordered off the plane. When she refused to deplane, a rather nutty standoff ensued and the flight was delayed by nearly two hours.
“Rodents, including squirrels, are not allowed on Frontier flights,” Frontier Airlines spokesperson Jonathan Freed told USA Today. “The passenger was advised of the policy and was asked to deplane. When she refused to deplane, Orlando Police were called and everyone was deplaned so police could deal with the passenger. Police eventually escorted the passenger off the aircraft and returned her to the main terminal.”
In recent months, U.S. airlines, including Frontier have clamped down on passengers believed to be abusing policies designed to allow comfort animals to accompany flyers with a legitimate need for emotional support companions.
The carriers have strengthened limits on both the circumstances in which passengers are permitted to board with service animals and the types of animals that are allowed on flights. In the past, passengers have attempted to bring pigs, opossums, snakes, spiders, turkeys and even a peacock named Dexter on flights claiming the animals were emotional support companions.
[Image: pxhere]
Time for zero tolerance. Put this crazy lady on the do not fly list. She crossed a boundary. Her sense of self entitlement, inconvenienced not only all the passengers on her plane, but certainly passengers on subsequent flights of the same aircraft later in the day. It cost the airline thousands of dollars. So make sure she never flies again and sue her for the costs incurred.
Given the photo, I'm glad she wasn't on my flight. With my luck I'd be stuck next to her and I'd have 1/4th of a seat with her largess overflowing into 3/4 of mine. I'm with jrpallante: There is *NO* such thing as an emotional support animal. ALL PETS are for emotional support. There's no logical reason to bring an animal into your house. If you're that mentally unstable that you need Fido to be next to you at all times, you need a human companion to travel with you. If the plane's pressure seal blows, the masks drop, the pilot makes a mad dash for 10,000 ft, and you start having a panic attack, is Fido going to put your mask on for you?
Apparently, Frontier does have some flexibility in allowing rodents on their planes: www.airplane-pictures.net/photo/822031/n232fr-frontier-airlines-airbus-a320/
Where will it end? The silly idea of emotional support animals has simply permitted every nutjob to bring their pets on vacation with them, other passengers be damned. If you are so fragile that you cannot stand to be away from your furry creature for a few days, then your airfare may be better spent on real medical treatment.
Flying squirrel? Rocky? Where is Bullwinkle?