An 81-year-old grandmother from the Bronx flew to Puerto Rico on Frontier Airlines with her emotional support animal. It’s an African Grey parrot (not a Norwegian Blue) and its name is Plucky. However, the airline refused to allow her to fly home with it.
She’d flown New York JFK – San Juan on Frontier’s flight 3548 on January 4. However, on April 5 she made it to the gate in San Juan but a Frontier Airlines agent refused to allow her on the aircraft with the parrot – because it’s not permitted under the carrier’s rules.
- She says she was told to “get rid” of Plucky if she wanted to fly.
- The airline wouldn’t transport her, but they did refund her $190 – and even offered her a $250 voucher.
This was her first time traveling alone since her husband, a retired NYPD court officer and former federal marshal, died of cancer related 9/11 exposures in 2019. She leans on her 10-ounch, 24-year old parrot to get through life without him.
While Frontier was correct about their policy, her son had booked the trip for her and engaged the airline in online chat to confirm she’d be able to travel with the parrot – and he has screen shots showing that they’d affirmed that she would as long as she brought the proper paperwork (e.g. letter from a doctor).
According to the airline’s website, parrots, macaws, cockatoos, and birds of prey are prohibited large birds while “small household birds” are permitted on domestic trips. This parrot is 10 ounces.
Following extensive media coverage, Frontier relented and allowed her to travel with the bird. Senator Chuck Schumer intervened on her behalf. He may be a decades-long impediment to fixing air traffic control, but more akin to his predecessor in the seat Al D’Amato (‘Senator Pothole’) he’s good at aviation constituent service it seems.
- Frontier required a veterinary inspection certificate and proof of U.S. purchase
- Then they gave her a new ticket wtih an extra legroom seat and priority boarding
The woman plans to never travel again. All other emotional support animals will continue to take to the sky, however, in spite of DOT rules that allow airlines to tighten requirements for service animals. In general, passengers just need to fill out paperwork for the animals and provide self-certifications – but the median passenger bringing an emotional support animal onboard isn’t very good at doing advance paperwork. And that’s really the only thing that’s reduced the Noah’s Ark approach to modern air travel. (This is why my Thanksgiving Delta flight turned back and suffered a long delay, before the passenger was allowed to travel with her support dog.)
(HT: @crucker)
Got a bucket of popcorn ready. Gonna love reading the comment section later….
I dont understand why her husband being a being a NYPD officer having died after 9/11 toxic exposures has anything to do with her being denied boarding with the Parrot. Just adds to click baity-ness of this all. Does she have rights other people don’t have because of her dead husband (regardless of the facts of this situation). Reminds me of the timeshare couple locked up in mexico where the dad was former US army as if that means anything.
Frontier Airlines is for the birds.
A lot of people are 9/11 widows. Does this mean she should automatically get her way everywhere she goes?
There are literally less than 3000 9/11 widows. And probably less than 1500 since widow is female (widower is the husband)
Parrots live about a decade so I hope the parrot doesn’t die before she does.
How was the plumage?
@derek – Not African Grey parrots, they’re closer to 50 years and often outlive the average caretaker. They’re impressively long-living! They’re also smart, with one researcher actually noticing that she could get her bird to do math (2 clicks, a wait, then 4 clicks and it would call out “six”). Unfortunately, the day after it started possibly doing basic arithmatic, she came into her research lab to find it had died overnight.
So if I understand correctly she did not bring the proper paperwork which caused the issue?
Every day I try to learn a few random things. After reading this I decided to read the Wikipedia page on grey parrots — interesting.
@derek — If Wikipedia is to be believed they can live 40-60 years, wow
I applaud people who get their pets into the cabins anyway they can. Always have.
Plucky got plucked by Frontier Airlines.
Hopefully, the passenger told Frontier Airlines to “Go pluck yourself.”
@L737 I can go to Wikipedia and change it to 10 years.
There was once an error in a math article. I corrected it but a troublemaker kept changing it back. I gave up after being threatened with being banned if I persisted. I think the error was put there as a joke or to make students get homework or exams wrong. Wikipedia is wacky.
@derek Fair! That’s why I worded it the way I did — after all, I did just learn about African Grey parrots a couple hours ago, what do I know ha.
Emotional Support Animal is another word for Pet.
I was once questioned about my heavily laden support Swallow.
Fairly tame reactions here. Good. It’s a nominal incident. Bird on a plane. Woop.
@Ken A is right. We all need a good ‘pluck’ now and again.
@L737 — Thank you for your services at Wikipedia, one of the all-time greatest websites (other than VFTW, naturally).
@Johhny — Was that an attenuated Pirates of the Caribbean reference? ‘Johhny’ like Johnny Depp who acts as Jack Sparrow who has a swallow (the bird). Or was that a Farcry (the game) reference? ‘A little birdie told me…’ Or, were you just riffing, no particular references. Bah!
@Ron.
You are absolutely correct and this whole thing is out of control.
A grown adult that can’t travel without a bird. She’s 81 years old and she has the emotional level of a three year old. Now the mistake was Frontier telling her she could travel with her bird. She (and others like her) should have been told no. That’s what being an adult entails.
@1990 — Fantastic references!
@1990 none of the above. Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
I applaud people who leave their pets at home as they should. Always have.
@Johhny — Ah! Good one!
Pets don’t belong in a tight economy cabin. I am sure in her 80+ years, she has managed to fly without needing a bird on her lap. Wear some headphones with sounds of birds chirping if she needs support. F9 should have never allowed it.