Samuel L. Jackson probably would have been thrilled to be on this flight. TSA agents in Florida recently stopped a woman from boarding a plane with a 4-foot boa constrictor. According to local news station WFLA 8, the would-be passenger considered the snake to be her “emotional support pet.”
In an Instagram post from Friday (Jan. 6), TSA announced that authorities at the Tampa International Airport found a “danger noodle” inside a woman’s luggage next to a pair of shoes. “There’s a danger noodle in that bag,” the post containing security footage of the snake began. “Our 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.”
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The official government account added, “Do you have aspirations 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 [seven] days a week, from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. (ET).” Although the caption was packed with clever jokes, some in the comment section didn’t find the packed serpent funny.
“Poor TSA agent [because] I would not be the one to open that bag,” one user wrote. Another chimed in, “Dude. This is not humorous. Other passengers can have a coronary if this thing gets loose. Or they could freak and beat it to death. This is inhumane and should be prosecuted, not have cute puns.” In a tweet also from Friday, a TSA spokesperson said, “Snake on a plane? This is a @TSA X-ray of Bartholomew, a boa constrictor who was in a traveler’s carry-on bag at @FlyTPA last month. [The] woman claimed the snake was her emotional support pet. TSA notified the airline, which ruled that there was not going to be a snake on their plane.”
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Snake on a plane? There was definitely a 4-foot boa constrictor in this carry-on bag that was detected by @TSA in @FlyTPA last month. But it did not slither its way onto the flight. TSA details are in this Instagram post: https://t.co/HMqENdPdry
— Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson (@TSA_Northeast) January 6, 2023
Some lady had a snake in her carryon and when TSA saw it she said it’s for emotional support.
Like we’ve all seen snakes on a plane.
😣— Sticki (@NicketaNicola) January 9, 2023
Oh hells naw. I have no problem with snakes but you must be kidding? Emotional support snake??? pic.twitter.com/oZF7gfzhZc
— granny surgeon number 1 (@grannysurgeon) January 9, 2023
Snakes on a Plane (2006) pic.twitter.com/PpEfhlzi5a
— StEvil Dead 🎃💀👻 (@LonestarStevie2) January 7, 2023