Student: Airline led me to flush my hamster

Spirit Airlines disputes account.

Before Belen Alde- MIAMI — cosea flew home from col- lege to South Florida, she twice called Spirit Airlines to ensure she could bring along a special guest: Pebbles, her pet dwarf ham- ster. No problem, the airline told her.

But when Aldecosea arrived at the Baltimore airport, Spirit refused to allow the tiny animal on the flight.

With her o nly fri ends hours away at campus, Aldecosea was stuck. She says an airline representa- tive suggested flushin gP eb- bles down an airpor tto ilet, a step that Spirit denies. Panicked and needing to return home prom ptly to dealwitham edical issue, Aldecosea unsuccessfully tried renting a car and ago- nized for hours before doing the unthinkable.

She flushed Pebbles. “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 sa tthereforago od 10 minutes crying in the stall.”

Aldecosea, 21, of Miami Beach, is now consider- ing filing a lawsuit against Spirit over the conflicting instructions tha twoundup pressuring her intomaking an anguished decision with a pet certified by her doc- tor as an emotional support animal. She shared her story with the Miami Herald weeks after the story of an emotional support pea- cock — denied entrance to a United Airlines flight — went viral on the Internet.

This case is much differ- ent, said her South Florida attorney, Adam Goodman. “This wasn’t a giant peacock that could pose a danger to other passengers. This was a tiny cute harm- less hamster t hatcouldfit in the palm of her hand,” he said.

A spokesman for Spirit acknowledged the airline mistakenly told her that Pebbles was allowed. But he denied t hat a Spirit employee recommended the option of disposing of her pet in an airport rest- room.

“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,” spokesman Derek Dombrowski said.

After the Nov. 21 incident, Aldecosea said that she e mailed to complain and that the airline, a few days later, offered her a voucher for a free flight to certain cities. She declined.

Animals on flights have become a lightning ro dfor controversy in recent years, with some passengers grumbling their fellow travelers are taking advantage of federal law to get humble household pets on planes. From 2016 to 20 17, A merican Airlines recorded an increase of over 40 percent in customers who flew with a service or support animal.

Several airlines have tightened restrictions on service and emotional support animals in recent weeks.

The U.S. Transportation Safety Administration has no problem with carry-on hamsters. “Hamsters are welcome in our checkpoint. Their container would typically go through the X-ray while the owner would hold the hamster as the passenger walks through the metal detector so the creature is not subjected to radiation,” according to TSA spokeswoman Sari Koshetz.

It’s up to airlines whether they allow hamsters on board. Most major carriers such as American, Delta and United, however, don’t allow rodents over concerns about safety and health.

After hectic discussions, an outraged Aldecosea accepted a flight later that da yt o try and figure out what to do with Pebbles. But she had no friends or familyintowntop ick up Pebbles. It was then, Aldecosea insists, that an employee suggested letting Pebbles go free outside or flushing her down the toilet.

For hours, Aldecosea said, she struggled with what to do. She contacted at least six rental car agencies, but no cars were available during the busy holiday seas onandshew asn’t old enough to rent a car anyway. A Greyhound bus would have taken days to gettoSouth Florida.

With her flight boarding soon, she pondered whether to just let Pebbles free outside. She said she considered it more humane to end her life right away, and not let her run around scared in the cold, only to die getting hit by a car.

“I didn’t have any other options,” she said.