Emotional support pig thrown off US Airways plane
- Written by George Sensalis
A woman travelling with a pig as emotional support animal got thrown off a US Airways airplane at Bradley airport after crew deemed the animal disruptive.
Sometime pigs don’t fly. The one brought onboard the US Airways plane last Wednesday at Bradley International airport in Connecticut certainly didn’t.
According to witnesses, the 50 to 70 pound swine started giving signs of unrest as soon as her owner tied it to armrest of her seat. "I was terrified, because I was thinking I'm going be on the plane with the pig," Jonathan Skolnik, a professor at the University of Massachusetts, told ABC News.
The Air Carrier Access Act allows hogs and other animals to be carried in the cabin as emotional support animals as long as they do not pose a danger to other people onboard the airplane.
Hobie is the name of the unfortunate grunter. Hobie is not the first porcine to cause havoc on a US Airways flight.
In October 2000, a 300-pounds hog travelling in first class from Philadelphia to Seattle became disruptive after landing. After becoming loose, the swine started running up and down the cabin, and even tried to enter the cockpit.
“We can confirm that the pig travelled, and we can confirm that it will never happen again,” US Airways spokesperson said. “Let me stress that. It will never happen again.”
Hogs have been flying for over one hundred years. The first flight of a pig on record took place in Kent on November 4th, 1909. The pig was carried by Lord Brabazon of Tara in his personal plane.
Most countries allow cats and dogs only as emotional support animals to be carried on an airplane.