Woman's pet squirrel causes chaos at Florida airport

More and more nervous flyers are taking the opportunity to bring their animal companions with them on flights. Airline companies overseas are allowing people to bring small dogs and cats and even miniature horses onboard as emotional support animals to help them remain calm during the flight. 

But there are some animals which are deemed to be dangerous for fellow passengers, such as snakes and hamsters, and will therefore not be allowed on planes. This did not stop one woman in Orlando, Florida from trying her luck and attempting to cart a squirrel onboard with her. 

Frontier Airlines knew that the woman, who was bound for Cleveland, Ohio, would be travelling with an emotional support animal, but they claim they were unaware that it would be a squirrel.  

Squirrels, which are not allowed in Frontier Airlines's guidelines, are considered dangerous as they can be quite aggressive, and would put other passengers on the flight in an uncomfortable situation. 

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When the woman's squirrel was discovered, she was asked to leave. When she refused police were called in to escort the woman off the plane. In the chaos, the remaining passengers were also asked to deplane and had to wait two hours while the situation was de-escalated. 

The woman, for her part, was defiant even as she was being rolled out of the plane in a wheelchair. Her story has raised concerns about people exploiting the right to bring support animals on flights.

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What do you think of the growing trend of travelling with emotional support animals?

Image: Brandon Nixon