A passenger on an American Airlines flight to Omaha brought along her hoofed service animal Flirty, much to the delight and curiosity of onlookers.
Flirty the miniature horse and her owner boarded the short flight from Chicago O’Hare airport to Omaha on Friday, sparking interest across the spectrum of social media. “Flirty and I took to the skies, yesterday!” said a tweet from an account associated with the animal.
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“It was a great experience and I learned a lot,” the Twitter post also said. “Flirty was FANTASTIC and handled it all like a pro. That being said, I’m going to keep traveling by car, it’s just easier on Flirty. Flying will be reserved for emergencies and such.”
Video of Flirty and her owner taken by another curious passenger emerged a short time later.
Miniature horses, with typically stand between 24 and 36 inches tall and weigh approximately 100 to 200 pounds, are approved by the federal government as service animals that must be recognized as such when traveling.
A statement in August by the U.S. Department of Transportation reiterated the policy of recognizing the small equines as legitimate service animals. “The Enforcement Office intends to exercise its enforcement discretion by focusing its resources on ensuring that U.S. carriers continue to accept the most commonly used service animals (i.e., dogs, cats, and miniature horses) for travel,” a statement said.
The statement further indicated that an airline could be prosecuted for prohibiting a service animal from boarding their flight. “Airlines will not be subject to enforcement action if they continue to deny transport to snakes, other reptiles, ferrets, rodents, and spiders,” the statement read.
“However, airlines will remain subject to potential enforcement action if they categorically refuse to transport other animals or species of animals.”
A passenger takes a small horse on an American Airlines flight to #Omaha Airport ? pic.twitter.com/Psw65Tq6FF
— Aviationdaily✈️الطيران يوميآ (@Aviationdailyy) August 30, 2019
Flirty and I took to the skies, yesterday! It was a great experience and I learned a lot. Flirty was FANTASTIC and handled it all like a pro. That being said, I’m going to keep traveling by car, it’s just easier on Flirty. Flying will be reserved for emergencies and such. https://t.co/AHfHXpoU2V
— Flirty The Mini Service Horse (@FlirtyTheSH) August 30, 2019
