Woman says airline told her to flush hamster down toilet

MIAMI• A Florida woman says an airline told her to flush her hamster down a toilet at the airport because the emotional support rodent wasn’t allowed to fly with her.

The Miami Herald reports before Belen Aldecosea flew home from college to South Florida, she twice called Spirit Airlines to ensure she could bring along Pebbles, her pet dwarf hamster. No problem, the airline told her.

But when Aldecosea arrived at the Baltimore airport, Spirit refused to allow the animal to board.

The 21-year-old told the paper that she flushed Pebbles at an airline employee’s suggestion, after running out of other options.

Panicked and needing to return home promptly to deal with a medical issue, Aldecosea was unable to rent a car and agonized for hours before doing the unthinkable.

“She was scared. I was scared. It was horrifying trying to put her in the toilet,” Aldecosea said. “I was emotional. I was crying. I sat there for a good 10 minutes crying in the stall.”

A spokesman for Spirit acknowledged the airline mistakenly told Aldecosea that Pebbles was allowed.

But he denied that a Spirit employee recommended flushing her pet in an airport restroom.

“To be clear, at no point did any of our agents suggest this guest (or any other for that matter) should flush or otherwise injure an animal,” Derek Dombrowski said.

But Aldecosea said she’s considering suing Spirit over the conflicting instructions that pressured her into making an anguished decision.

She shared her tale with the newspaper after the story of an emotional support peacock — denied entrance to a United Airlines flight — went viral on the internet.

This case is different, said her Florida attorney, Adam Goodman.

“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,” he said.

Animals on flights have become controversial in recent years. Some say travellers are taking advantage of federal law to get household pets on planes.

From 2016 to 2017, American Airlines recorded an increase of more than 40 per cent in customers who flew with a service or support animal.

Several airlines have recently tightened restrictions on such animals.

The U.S. Transportation Safety Administration has no problem with carry-on hamsters.

It’s up to airlines whether they allow hamsters on board. Most major carriers such as American, Delta and United, say no, citing concerns about safety and health.

Aldecosea said she had her doctor’s letter certifying Pebbles.

During her first semester at a school in Pennsylvania, Aldecosea developed a growth in her neck, leading to a cancer scare.

That’s when she bought Pebbles for comfort.

In November, Aldecosea learned the growth was benign, but still painful.

She withdrew from school and booked a flight home on Spirit hoping to have the growth removed.