ORLANDO, FLORIDA — All passengers on a flight from Orlando to Cleveland were forced to deplane Tuesday night after a woman brought a squirrel on board and refused to get off, according to Frontier Airlines.
Flight 1612 was stopped at the gate for about 2 hours while Orlando Police dealt with the passenger who claimed the squirrel was her emotional support animal.
“The passenger noted in their reservation that they were bringing an emotional support animal but it was not indicated that it was a squirrel,” Frontier said in a statement. “Rodents, including squirrels, are not allowed on Frontier flights. The passenger was advised of the policy and asked to deplane. When she refused to deplane Orlando Police were called.”
**WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE**
Julia Papesch was on the flight and posted video of the incident to Twitter.
“I just want everyone to know that all passengers had to deplane my flight to Cleveland because a woman brought a SQUIRREL ON THE PLANE.”
The crowd cheered as police eventually escorted the woman back to the main terminal.
(tweet)
No word on if that passenger will face charges.
In the last year, most major airlines have changed their policies for bringing animals into the cabin and now require a doctor’s note and vaccination records.
