The elderly woman was told to ‘get rid’ of her feathered friend.
An 81-year-old woman has been left stranded in Puerto Rico, after an airline told her she could not bring her “support parrot” on the flight.
Maria Fraterrigo is currently stuck on the Caribbean island after she refused to part with her African Gray Parrot, Plucky.
Talking to ABC7, she said: “I got no more tears. My mind is blank. Just want to go home. That’s all; I don’t ask for much.”
Plucky, who weighs just 10 ounces, was safely transported to Puerto Rico from JFK International on January 4.
However, when Maria was departing the island on April 5, she was told to “get rid” of the bird despite it being approved as a service animal.
Robert Fraterrigo, Maria’s son, said that his mother was told: “You won’t be able to make the flight. Get rid of your bird and give it to somebody.”
He added: “My mother did nothing wrong and she just needs to be taken care of and sent home.
“She didn’t want anything else but to go home and no one wants to help.”
Frontier Airlines have offered little to no help, giving Robert a $190 refund and no solution for getting his mother home.
A spokesperson for the airline said: “We are currently investigating the matter and are in contact with her family to assist her in returning home.”
Maria has become increasingly attached to Plucky since the passing of her husband, an NYPD court officer, who died due to a 9/11-related cancer.
