Woman Gets Kicked Off Airplane For Traveling With Emotional Support Squirrel

The fact that her emotional support animal is a squirrel became evident when she boarded Cleveland-bound flight 1612 with the critter in tow.

October 10, 2018
Deplaned passenger [screenshot/USA Today]

Deplaned passenger [screenshot/USA Today]

Deplaned passenger [screenshot/USA Today]

By: Aaron Rasmussen

ORLANDO, FL — A woman delayed a flight for over two hours after she brought a squirrel onto the plane and then refused to leave.

According to USA Today, the passenger notified Frontier Airlines during the reservation process that she had an “emotional support animal” — but she failed to let them know exactly which kind.

The fact that her emotional support animal is a squirrel became evident when she showed up at the airport on October 9 and boarded Cleveland-bound flight 1612 with the critter in tow.

"We all got on the plane, and then we were sitting there for a while. All of a sudden someone came over the intercom and said that we all had to deplane,” passenger Julia Papesch, 22, recalled of the bizarre incident.

While at first she “thought something was wrong with the engine,” Papesch learned there was a different cause for all the confusion. “I kept hearing things about a squirrel, so I was asking people around me, and someone said we did have to deplane because of a squirrel."

"Rodents, including squirrels, are not allowed on Frontier flights,” said the airline’s director of corporate communications, Jonathan Freed. "When she refused to deplane, Orlando Police were called and everyone was deplaned so police could deal with the passenger.”

Cops forcibly removed the woman — and her furry friend — from the aircraft. She flipped applauding onlookers the middle finger and told them “shut up” and “thank you.”

"I think everyone was really confused," Papesch said, adding, "For the most part, people found it funny."

Read more: USA Today

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