A turkey has flown on board an international Delta flight as an emotional support animal, literally ruffling a lot of feathers.
While most people have dogs as emotional support animals, a passenger brought aboard a live turkey on his recent flight, US media reports said without giving details of the flight or its date.
In a statement to USA Today, Delta said by letting the turkey fly, they complied with the Air Carrier Access Act of 1986.
"While we can't always accommodate all pets, Delta employees made a judgment call based in part on extensive documentation from the customer," a Delta spokesperson said.
"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," the spokesperson said.
The turkey was spotted in a photo on a seat and also in a wheelchair being moved around the airport.
Reddit user biggestlittlepickle posted the picture, saying that his neighbour, 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.
Under the Air Carrier Access Act, allowing service animals to fly on planes and ensuring they cannot be removed simply on the grounds that other passengers object.
Turkey or other emotional support animals, requires documentation from a mental health professional.
Commenting on the turkey's travel, travel expert George Hobica, president of the website Airfarewatchdog.Com, says these animals are all well and good until something happens.
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, Hobica was quoted as saying by Fox News.
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 USD 59 to USD 200.
"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."
He said support animals do help for jittery passengers, but when the system gets abused, it's not good for anyone.
But airlines face fines as high as USD 150,000 for refusing requests for legitimate support animals, and as those requests increase, so does the threat of a lawsuit, the report said.
