Emotional support peacock banned from United flight, even though it had a seat

NEWARK. N.J. — Plenty of people need emotional support animals for all kinds of reasons and they are legally allowed to travel with those animals.

>> Read more trending news

Airlines have allowed dogs, cats, pigs and even miniature horses to accompany owners on planes to various destinations, but United Airlines flat out refused to allow a woman to bring a service bird onto a recent flight.

This wasn't some small canary in a cage, though. The passenger was trying to bring a large peacock in all its glory onto a flight at Newark Liberty International Airport and had even bought a second seat to accommodate the bird's massive, colorful plumage, according to the airline blog Live and Let's Fly earlier this week.

Pictures of the woman and her big bird at the airport popped up on Facebook, and someone even recorded her arrival at the airport.

United told Fox News that the woman knew ahead of time the peacock was not allowed on the flight, but she showed up with the bird anyway.

"This animal did not meet guidelines for a number of reasons, including its weight and size," a United spokesperson said.

"We explained this to the customers on three separate occasions before they arrived at the airport,” airline officials said.

There have been complaints in recent months that some people have been violating the federal law that allows service animals on planes by bringing pets and trying to pass them off as therapy animals to avoid cargo fees.

Cox Media Group