TSA found a stowaway cat in checked bag at JFK Airport

The stowaway was found when an alarm went off at JFK’s checked baggage screening level on Nov. 16, in line with TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein. Brokers appeared on the X-ray picture and noticed the clear define of an animal.

“The bag was opened by a TSA officer, who was shocked to see a dwell orange cat inside,” Farbstein wrote in an electronic mail.

TSA brokers contacted Delta, the passenger’s airline, who then paged the Orlando-bound passenger, Farbstein mentioned. The passenger mentioned the cat was not his, however belonged to a different particular person in his family.

The cat was safely returned house, however because of the feline fiasco, the passenger missed his flight. He was capable of rebook for the next day, “with out the cat!” Farbstein added.

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On Tuesday, Farbstein tweeted a photograph from the incident, which exhibits a black suitcase, barely unzipped, with orange fur clearly seen inside.

This was not the primary time in recent times {that a} pet almost discovered its approach onto a flight, unknown to its homeowners. In October 2021, Kristi and Jared Owens have been checking their baggage at Lubbock Preston Smith Worldwide Airport in Texas when the Southwest Airways ticket agent knowledgeable them the bag was obese.

When the couple opened the bag to repack and keep away from a price, they have been shocked to discover Icky, their 5-pound chihuahua, tucked into considered one of Jared’s cowboy boots.

Couple finds their luggage is overweight because of stowaway dog

“It was simply surreal,” Kristi informed The Washington Submit on the time. “Are we actually seeing our canine in our suitcase proper now? Is that this occurring?”

With the assistance of Southwest workers, the Owenses referred to as a relative to select up Icky and scrambled to make their flight to Las Vegas.

Each Icky and the Orlando-bound cat are fortunate to have been discovered earlier than being positioned on a aircraft with the remainder of the checked baggage, which may have been deadly. Baggage holds on passenger flights are pressurized, however they will drop to chilly temperatures, in line with Air Canada.

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On Delta, small canines, cats and family birds can journey in a carrier in the cabin, however for bigger pets that have to journey within the maintain, special arrangements have to be made by means of Delta Cargo.

On the safety checkpoint, pets must be taken out of their carriers and carried by means of the screening machine, in line with the TSA’s ideas web page, “Taking your human on a plane: what every pet needs to know.”

“Don’t put me into the X-ray tunnel. Severely, that’s not enjoyable for me,” the company says. “Take me out, place my EMPTY journey service on the belt, and go away my X-rays to the vet.”