Today, more people than ever are bringing their “emotional support animals” along with them as they travel. It’s becoming more and more common to see pets on board commercial flights. Have you ever gotten to your seat on a plane and realized that there’s a super cute dog in the row behind you? Or perhaps you’ve flown with your own animal companion? Either way, you’ll love this gallery of animals (pets and otherwise) as they fly the friendly skies. Some of them are going to surprise you!
No Monkey Business
The ridiculous scene you see here comes courtesy of a service monkey that was brought on a flight by his quadriplegic owner. Unfortunately, the monkey did not seem to enjoy the flight and completely flipped out. According to KiwiReport, the small primate began eating passengers’ food and throwing it before flight attendants locked it in a bathroom until the flight landed.
Fit For Royalty
Everyone knows that Queen Elizabeth is a huge fan of Corgis, but did you know that she frequently brings her pets along when she flies? Here, we get to see two of the Queen’s pampered pooches as they get ready to board a flight. Those are some lucky dogs!
The Sweetest Rescue
This is a baby elephant and two ostrich chicks that were rescued in Kenya and flown to an animal refuge in Nairobi. The elephant, named Wass, had been separated from his herd and could not be reunited with them. The ostriches were orphans. All three are now safe and sound, thanks to The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
Hawks On A Plane
One Reddit user posted this unusual image in 2017. The photo’s caption read “[m]y captain friend sent me this photo. Saudi prince bought ticket for his 80 hawks.” One of the best responses from the original thread: “DOESNT HE KNOW HAWKS CAN FLY?!?!!” We wonder if the flight’s human passengers were comfortable with this arrangement.
No Fear
We’re not quite sure how this curious cat ended up on the top of a plane’s control panel. But it doesn’t look nearly as terrified as we would be in the same situation! As one Redditor commented, “Does the cat realize he is 15000 ft in the air or is it just a pretty light show?”
When Pigs Fly
Meet Hamlet. He’s a comfort animal for a woman named Megan Peabody, who posted this photo on social media. Apparently, Hamlet gets to fly all over the world. He even has his own Instagram account to document his jet-set lifestyle. That’s one well-traveled pig!
Operation Pets Alive
After the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, people stepped in to help survivors – humans and animals alike. Southwestern Airlines arranged to fly 64 orphaned cats and dogs from hard-hit Texas to the safety of California. Here are three of the airline’s special passengers that day, being cuddled by a volunteer.
First Class, All The Way
Well, this is a sight you certainly don’t see every day. It’s a koala bear sitting comfortably in first class while being served soda by a flight attendant. The real story behind the photo (which was released by Qantas Airways) is that the koala, along with three others, was being transported by the airline from Australia to Singapore. The cute marsupials were a gift to Singapore in honor of the country’s 50th anniversary of independence.
How Do Horses Fly?
If you’ve ever wondered how horses travel to the Olympics and other equestrian events then today is your lucky day. According to WorldOfShowJumping, horses must have passports to fly and are allotted baggage allowances just like humans. They’re also treated to hay and water throughout the flight, which is arguably better than the in-flight snacks we get these days.
Turkey Trot
In a post that ended up going viral, Twitter user “moeshamitchel” put up this photo along with the caption “You get on the plane and sit next to someone with this as their emotional support animal, what do you do?” It doesn’t sound like he was too thrilled about the prospect of sharing a flight with a turkey, but hopefully the bird behaved himself.
Three Captains At Your Service
This super adorable photo shows three pups sitting in the cockpit of a plane. According to Pinterest, their names are Denver, Mac, and Zeppelin, and they’re all training to become assistance dogs! US Airways has a program called “Puppies in Flight” that transports future service dogs to wherever they’re needed in the world.
Boing, Boing
Just about any creature you can think of can qualify as an emotional support animal. In this case it’s a small kangaroo that even gets a seat of his own when he flies. It actually looks like the little roo is drinking a cup of tea as he flies the friendly skies. How civilized.
Minding His Own Business
Many airlines allow companion animals and Delta is no exception. The company’s website does state that animals need to be well-behaved on flights: “In the rare event the animal doesn’t behave, we may ask you additional questions about the training of your animal.” We don’t think they’ll have any problem with this passenger, who is just calmly watching a movie to pass the time.
Happy Feet
Imagine the surprise these passengers felt when they were suddenly treated to a parade of penguins right down the aisle! These adorable little guys were on the way from SeaWorld in Texas to Busch Gardens in Virginia for a special Christmas exhibit when they became curious and decided to explore the plane. So cute!
Bullseye
Target’s mascot is a Bull Terrier dog that has the company’s trademark bullseye logo painted over her eye. Her “stage” name, fittingly, is Bullseye but she’s known as Nikki to her closest people. When Bullseye travels, she goes first class all the way. Here, she is shown getting comfy on a flight.
Seeing Eye Pony
This miniature horse is named Cuddles, and she is a seeing eye pony for her human companion Dan Shaw. They travel everywhere together and even appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2003. According to NorthernLightsEquine, Cuddles was the very first horse to ride in a plane’s passenger cabin.
In Case Of Emergency
Delta’s official statement on sitting in the emergency row on flights is that passengers “must be able to comprehend instructions for operating the emergency exit including locating and operating a window exit or exit door and directing others to the exit. They must not be under 15 years of age.” Which makes this photo from Twitter user Nick Weathers super confusing… how on earth did a dog end up sitting here?
Cats On A Plane
One commercial carrier, Thomas Cook Airlines, has a blog post called “Cats on a Plane” that features a bunch of cute kitties. According to them, this cat is named Quality Ken and his special skill is “[l]ooking grumpy no matter his mood.” Oddly, the airline doesn’t allow cats on its planes but the photos are sweet and funny anyway.
Duck, Duck, Goose
Meet Daniel. He’s an emotional support duck, and he raised a lot of feathers when he boarded a plane with his human companion in 2016. He sure wasn’t looking to blend in, as he was wearing a Captain America diaper and bright red shoes. The passenger who took this photo and posted it on Twitter said that most of Daniel’s fellow passengers were thrilled by him.
Meet Your Crew
How excited would you be if these were your pilot and flight attendants the next time you flew? Well, you would probably be a little more nervous than excited but these Dachshunds look pretty darn cute (and professional) in their little uniforms. Crusoe the “celebrity Dachsund” even has his own website.
