Tampa, FL - A boa constrictor was discovered in a passenger's carry-on bag at Tampa International Airport by the Transportation Security Administration last month.
The passenger claimed that the snake, named Bartholomew, was her emotional support animal, but the airline did not allow the snake to be brought on the plane in the carry-on.
TSA Spokesperson Lisa Farbstein Tweeted a link to the TSA's Instagram post about the support animal, which read "there’s a danger noodle in that bag. Officers at Tampa International Airport didn’t find this hyssssssterical! Coiled up in a passenger’s carry-on was a 4’ boa constrictor! We really have no adder-ation for discovering any pet going through an x-ray machine.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. Has all this left you wanting to squeeze out more travel answers? You can always mamba on over to our friends at AskTSA! They’ll rattle out responses to your questions 7 days a week, from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. (ET)."
In 2020, the TSA ruled that emotional support animals can be treated as regular pets, but airlines do not allow snakes in plane cabins due to the risk of them getting out and hiding.
However, some airlines do allow snakes in checked luggage.
The TSA has found a variety of strange items in luggage in the past, including live animals such as dogs and cats.