81-year-old NYC woman stranded in Puerto Rico as airline denies her emotional support parrot from boarding: report
An 81-year-old Bronx woman is stuck in Puerto Rico after an airline forbade her from boarding her flight home with her emotional support parrot, according to a report.
Maria Fraterrigo is in the midst of a travel nightmare — stranded with her African Gray Parrot named Plucky on the Caribbean island after Frontier Airlines was unwilling to ship the feathered traveler back to the States, ABC7 reported.
'I got no more tears. My mind is blank. Just want to go home. That's all; I don't ask for much,' Fraterrigo told the outlet.
The 10-ounce bird was not an issue for the grandmother on her Jan. 4 flight from JFK International Airport to Puerto Rico. She successfully boarded the Frontier flight with Plucky in a TSA-approved carrier, according to the station.
But, Fraterrigo was turned away at her gate on April 5 after she already passed through security at Luis Manoz Marin International Airport in San Jose.
A worker reportedly told her to 'get rid' of her beloved bird — which she had approved as a service animal — to board the plane.
'You won't be able to make the flight. Get rid of your bird and give it to somebody,' her son Robert Fraterrigo told ABC7, recounting the instructions his mother was given by an airport employee.
Robert said he contacted Frontier Airlines and spoke to a representative in an online chat, but they provided no help — only offering a refund of about $190 for the ticket, according to the station.
'My mother did nothing wrong and she just needs to be taken care of and sent home,' the frustrated son said. 'She didn't want anything else but to go home and no one wants to help.'
The stranded octogenarian became increasingly attached to her feathered friend, which she described as an emotional support animal, after the death of her husband Richard, a retired NYPD court officer who died of a 9/11-related cancer.
The couple frequently traveled to Puerto Rico with Plucky in tow before Richard's death.
'He kept me going, talking to me, making me laugh when I was down,' the elder Fraterrigo told the outlet about the African Gray Parrot, which has an average lifespan of 50 years and is capable of learning to talk.
Fraterrigo could not be reached for comment.
Frontier Airlines, meanwhile, said it's trying to bring her back to New York.
'We are currently investigating the matter and are in contact with her family to assist her in returning home,' a spokesperson for the airline said.
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