United Airlines Denys Emotional Support Peacock At NJ Airport
Going to the zoo as a kid you'd always wonder, "can peacocks fly?" The answer, is no. No they cannot.
Apparently, they don't classify as an appropriate "emotional support animal" either! United Airlines turned away a peacock in the lobby of the Newark Liberty International Airport this past weekend. The incident occurred as airlines have been considering new guidelines for what constitutes a service or comfort animal.
The Airline said in a statement to NBC News:
[the peacock] did not meet guidelines for a number of reasons, including its weight and size...We explained this to the customer on three separate occasions before they arrived at the airport.
The Department of Transportation's guidelines for air travel with service animals states that "unusual animals" are a case by case situation and are evaluated as needed. They also say that airlines are allowed to exclude animals that are too large to accommodate in the flight and risk the safety of the human passengers, cause a disruption/ distraction, or are prohibited from entering foreign country. Airlines DO NOT have to accept snakes, rodents, spiders, reptiles, or ferrets.