A college student is considering taking legal action against Spirit Airlines, alleging the airline misinformed her before an employee later pressured her to flush her emotional support hamster down a toilet or let it go free since it wasn't allowed on the plane.
According to the Miami Herald, 21-year-old Belen Aldecosea of Miami Beach, Florida was traveling home from Baltimore to Fort Lauderdale on November 21, 2017, when she was informed she wouldn't be able to fly with her pet dwarf hamster, Pebbles.
Aldecosea said she pushed her flight back and even tried to rent a car, but none were available. Running out of options, she claims she flushed Pebbles at the advice of a Spirit employee.
"She was scared. I was scared. It was horrifying trying to put her in the toilet," Aldecosea told the Herald. "I was emotional. I was crying. I sat there for a good 10 minutes crying in the stall."
The airline denied the allegations in a statement but acknowledged that a representative incorrectly assured her days ahead of time that Pebbles was cleared to fly.
"Our reservation representative, unfortunately, did misinform the guest that a hamster was permitted to fly as an emotional support animal on Spirit Airlines," said Spirit spokesman Derek Dombrowski.
Aldecosea said she emailed the airline after the incident and was offered a voucher for a free flight but she declined.
The Transportation Security Administration has no rules against carry-on hamsters. However, airlines have the final say in whether passengers can travel with rodents and most prohibit it.
[READMORE]READ MORE: Delta to Get Tough on Emotional Support Dogs[/READMORE]
While the polarizing debate over what actually constitutes an emotional support animal has been raging of late, Aldecosea-who had a recent cancer scare stemming from a growth in her neck-said she had a doctor's note certifying Pebbles as an emotional support animal.
The Herald report comes just days after a viral story involving United Airlines and a woman's emotional support peacock.
"This wasn't a giant peacock that could pose a danger to other passengers. This was a tiny cute harmless hamster that could fit in the palm of her hand," Aldecosea's attorney, Adam Goodman, told the Herald.
Spirit is no stranger to negative headlines. In recent months, the airline has come under fire for launching plane parts into yards, removing a breastfeeding mother from a flight and a delay stemming from a naked passenger.
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