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Cluckin’ hell: Turkey taken on flight to give passenger ’emotional support’

Festive bird ruffled feathers on US plane

If you think that air travel has gone to the birds, it has – literally.

We’re talkin’ turkey, as in that big festive bird, one of which recently was
spotted aboard a Delta flight acting as a “support animal,” and
that’s causing a flap over how passengers are using, and abusing, comfort
animal rules.

So how can a turkey get on a plane? Simple.

The passenger provided proper documentation proving the fowl was indeed their
emotional support animal, so Delta let the bird on board, and even gave it
its own seat.

Reddit user biggestlittlepickle posted the picture, saying that his neighbor,
a flight attendant, took this snapshot of the poultry on a plane.

Unclelimpy, another Reddit user who is friends with the Delta pilot on that
flight, followed with another shot of the turkey receiving VIP treatment as
it was rolled through the airport on a wheelchair.

It even looks like it was enjoying the ride.

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Turkeys aren’t the only animals used as emotional support animals on flights.
Horses, pigs and – yes, dogs are regularly used.

In 1986, Congress passed the Air Carrier Access Act, allowing service animals
to fly on planes and ensuring they can’t be removed simply on the grounds
that other passengers object.

That turkey, or other emotional support animals, requires documentation from a
mental health professional.

It can’t walk about the cabin and can’t do their business during the flight
(after 8 hours the animal’s owner must plan for the clean disposal of
waste), something that must be a written guarantee from the human passenger.



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They also can’t block aisles or take up seats near the emergency doors.

It’s good to know that Delta and other US-based carriers prohibit unusual
service animals, such as snakes and other reptiles, ferrets, rodents, and
spiders, as written in the federal guidelines of The Air Carrier Access Act.
While Delta prohibits farm poultry, it allows domestic birds, and the
turkey, well – apparently is a domestic bird.

In a statement to USA Today, Delta said by letting the turkey fly, they
complied with the Air Carrier Access Act.

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“While we can’t always accommodate all pets, Delta employees made a
judgment call based in part on extensive documentation from the customer. We
review each case and make every effort to accommodate our customers’s travel
needs while also taking into consideration the health and safety of other
passengers.”

Travel expert George Hobica, president of the website Airfarewatchdog.com,
 says these animals are all well and good until something happens.

“The problem with animals of any kind on planes, of course, is possible
allergic reactions by other passengers and the possibility that an animal
will bite a crew member or another passenger (there have been instances of
this happening) or have an accident on the plane, perhaps even forcing an
emergency landing if it’s bad enough and passengers become ill as a result.”

More of a concern is the growing trend of passengers faking emotional support
needs and gaming the system to get around paying exorbitant pet fees.
Service animals are free, while shipping pets can cost hundreds of dollars.

SOAR president Captain Tom Bunn, a former commercial pilot who now helps
people manage their fear of flying, says it’s all too easy to get a
therapist to write a note.

And websites are popping up that provide emotional support vests and necessary
letters for fees ranging from £40 to £140.

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“Any therapist can sign off on any kind of animal,” he said.

“Science has proven that when dogs look at you with total devotion, it
produces oxytocin, a hormone that shuts down the fear mechanism. The turkey,
I don’t think so.”

Bunn rarely uses dogs or other support animals in his therapy, opting instead
for visualization techniques that would bring on the flow of oxytocin.

He says support animals do help for jittery fliers, but when the system gets
abused, it’s not good for anyone.

“When I saw that turkey on Twitter, I thought here we go,” he said. “Some
people are going to very annoyed that they paid several hundred dollars to
fly with a turkey.”

It’s likely airline executives feel the same way. But airlines face fines as
high as £105,000 for refusing requests for legitimate support animals, and
as those requests increase, so does the threat of a lawsuit.

According to Bunn, until the Department of Transportation changes guidelines,
there’s only one solution.

“The airlines and everyone on board will have to live with it,” says
Bunn.