New York woman's peacock flies economy class

A woman in New York recently tried to board a flight to Los Angeles with her peacock, Dexter. Despite the woman's offer to pay for a ticket for the large colourful bird, the airline could not allow the animal to board.

"This animal did not meet guidelines for a number of reasons, including its weight and size. We explained this to the customer on three separate occasions before they arrived at the airport," said representatives of the airline. 

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A bemused bystander recorded the woman entering Newark Liberty International Airport with the bird in tow:

Reportedly, the woman brought the peacock along as an emotional support animal. This is a habit that has spiked in recent years, with many passengers who have emotional or psychiatric problems needing extra companionship from animals during flights.

Everyone's emotional needs are sensitive and unique, but this incident does raise a number of questions.

Would the peacock have started to fly in the cabin during the flight? And why couldn't the woman choose a different support animal, one that was less flashy?

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We may never know the answer to these questions, but this woman's behaviour does make you think that perhaps enduring a flight with a newborn baby onboard is not the worst thing that could happen!