A female traveller was recently banned from taking an “emotional support peacock” on board as it has emerged from United Airlines Flight. The Jet Set, a travel-focused television show based in Washington, posted the photo on its Facebook page of the dazzling blue-and-green bird. Though the peacock had its own plane ticket, it had been denied a seat on a flight at Newark International Airport.

United Airlines confirmed that the bird was barred from the plane because, it did not meet the guidelines for a number of reasons, including its weight and size. One of the spokeswomen for the airline named Andrea Hiller was quoted in a media report saying, “We explained this to the customer on three separate occasions before they arrived at the airport”. She further informed that the airport authorities in such cases require documentation from a medical professional and at least 48 hours advance notice.

The peacock was halted in a lobby. Here is the post of the beautiful feathered peacock who was denied entry on the plane, despite having a valid ticket:

An Emotional Support Animal (ESA) is a companion animal, that a medical professional has determined, which provides benefit for an individual with a disability. This may include improving at least one symptom of the disability. According to the United States Federal Law, the person must have a note from a physician or other medical professional stating that he has that disability and that the emotional support of the animal provides a benefit for the individual.

Airlines have allowed passengers with disabilities to board with trained-services or emotional-support animals. But the number of emotional support animals has been rising in recent years, sparking suggestions that people are abusing the system.

Later on Monday, the traveller Ventiko was in Indianapolis to visit her family who posed for a selfie with Dexter. One of her post included a short video of Dexter grooming his feathers, Ventiko wrote that her bird had been cleared to travel to Los Angeles with her "to make 'Art'."

The peacock is reportedly called Dexter, a rescue pet of Brooklyn-based artist Ventiko who documents the animal's life on social media.

Stop over in #indianapolis to visit the Grandparents. 🐣❤️

A post shared by Dexter The Peacock (@dexterthepeacock) on

 

Few of the airlines have reported that they have no way to verify if the passenger needs an emotional support. American Airlines and United Airlines said they were reviewing their animal policies. So, the next time you are considering bringing along your favorite rare or exotic bird as an emotional therapy, reconsider the guidelines of that particular airlines.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 31, 2018 05:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).