Passenger and Her Pot Belly Pig Ejected from US Airways Flight

A woman and her porcine companion were removed from a US Airways flight after the pot belly pig, reportedly weighing between 50-70 pounds, became disruptive.

Discourteous seat mates can be a problem during the busy Thanksgiving travel period. However, passengers on a recent US Airways flight were nearly forced to share their row with a real pig.

A passenger brought a pot belly pig aboard a US Airways flight as an “emotional support animal,” but the woman and her unusual service animal were asked to deplane when other passengers became uncomfortable with the pig’s demeanor. The woman and pig were removed from the flight shortly before takeoff at Bradley International Airport (BDL) in Connecticut.

“I was terrified, because I was thinking I’m gonna be on the plane with the pig,” Jonathan Skolnik, a passenger on the Thanksgiving Eve flight told ABC News.

Skolnik said he originally thought the woman was boarding the plane with a large duffel bag. “But it turns out it wasn’t a duffel bag,” he said. “We could smell it and it was a pig on a leash. She tethered it to the arm rest next to me and started to deal with her stuff, but the pig was walking back and forth.”

Skolnik estimated that the offending livestock weighed between 50-70 pounds.

A spokesperson for the airline confirmed that a passenger brought the animal aboard the flight as an emotional support animal, telling ABC News, “After the pig became disruptive, she was asked to leave.”

[Photo: iStock]