She was catching a flight in Florida. Then TSA noticed her ‘emotional support’ snake
Snake on a plane? Almost.
This isn’t the plot of a sequel to the action flick. Last month, a woman traveling through Tampa International Airport attempted to stow her boa constrictor in her carry-on luggage, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
A TSA tweet shows the X-ray of the four-foot creature that passed through the screening machine passengers must navigate before getting to the gate.
The reptile is lit up in orange, coiled up into a figure eight. Nearby are images of a laptop and two pairs of shoes.
Snake on a plane? This is a @TSA X-ray of Bartholomew, a boa constrictor who was in a traveler's carry-on bag at @FlyTPA last month. Woman claimed the snake was her emotional support pet. TSA notified the airline, which ruled that there was not going to be a snake on their plane! pic.twitter.com/kSg6YeRluU
— Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson (@TSA_Northeast) January 6, 2023
The agency said that after the snake was discovered, the pet owner was called out of the line. She reportedly told guards that the boa constrictor, named Barthomolew, was “her emotional support pet.”
READ MORE: Florida woman finds snake in her bathroom
“Our officers at Tampa International Airport didn’t find this hyssssssterical!” said the post, which explained that her airline was notified and neither she nor Bartholomew was allowed to fly.
In a more lengthy Instagram post, the TSA included even more images of the critter, which it affectionately calls a “danger noodle.”
“Wait for it,” read the text over screen, with a scared-eye emoji.
“We really have no adder-ation for discovering any pet going through an x-ray machine,” read the pun-filled post. “Do you have asp-irations of taking a snake on a plane? Don’t get upsetti spaghetti by not understanding your airline’s rules. For instance, airlines don’t allow nope ropes in carry-on bags and only a few allow them to slither around in checked bags, if packaged correctly.”
READ MORE: A snake was discovered on a flight from Florida. It was flying business class
The agency said the incident happened on Dec. 15.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, airlines can choose whether to allow emotional support animals to fly in the cabin with their owners free of charge.
Some carriers such as Alaska Airlines, Delta, Southwest, United Airlines, and JetBlue have banned emotional support animals. But they still allow carry-on pets if the size and kennel specifications are met.
For example, AA allows a pet if it can fit under the seat and it remains in the carrier through the journey. A pet fee of about $100 is required, and reservations for the animal must be made in advance.
In the travel tips section, the TSA says your furballs should not pass through the X-ray but be put it in a carrier and be held in your arms.
