Cardiff Airport Chaos as Passenger Attempts to Check in!
Cardiff Airport Chaos as Passenger Attempts to Check in! Emotional Support Sheep
“Sir, for the last time, your sheep cannot have a window seat.”
Cardiff Airport security was thrown into mild confusion and temporary hysteria yesterday after a Welsh farmer attempted to check in his “emotional support sheep” for a flight to Spain.
The passenger, identified as 52-year-old Gareth Evans of Caerphilly, arrived at the check-in desk. With his full-grown, very fluffy companion named Baa-rbara, insisting that she had a right to fly in the cabin with him due to “medical reasons.”
“She Helps with My Anxiety!”
According to airport officials, Evans was booked on a budget airline flight to Malaga, where he planned to spend a week avoiding his in-laws. However, when asked to place his carry-on luggage on the scale, he instead hoisted up Baa-rbara, who bleated in protest.
“I get very stressed when I fly, and Baa-rbara is my certified emotional support animal,” Evans explained. “She’s been with me through thick and thin. If dogs and miniature horses can fly, why not a sheep?”
Evans then produced a handwritten letter from “Dr. Jenkins, Veterinarian & Anxiety Consultant,” claiming that the sheep had been prescribed for stress relief, social anxiety, and “general companionship in difficult times.”
Airport staff struggled to maintain professionalism, especially when Evans produced a tiny wool-lined seatbelt harness and an airline-approved pet carrier tag stuck haphazardly to Baa-rbara’s back.
Security Checks Lead to Further Chaos
After a heated discussion at the check-in desk, security reluctantly agreed to put Baa-rbara through normal screening procedures, leading to what witnesses described as “the most Welsh thing ever seen at an airport.”
- The X-ray machine beeped repeatedly as Baa-rbara refused to step onto the conveyor belt.
- Security staff attempted to frisk the sheep, leading to accusations of “inappropriate touching of a support animal.”
- Evans himself triggered an alarm due to having an excessive amount of loose sheep feed in his pockets.
Despite the chaos, Evans stood his ground, demanding that the airline accommodate his companion or face a lawsuit for “emotional discrimination against farm animals.”
Budget Airline Policy: “We Accept Some Animals—But Not Woolly Ones”
Ryanair, the airline in question, was quick to release a statement, clarifying their stance on livestock in the cabin.
“While we fully support emotional support animals, our policy currently extends only to dogs, cats, and other domesticated animals of a reasonable size,” said a company spokesperson. “Sheep, unfortunately, fall outside of this category—mostly due to their tendency to wander mid-flight and chew on in-flight magazines.”
When asked whether Baa-rbara could at least fly in the cargo hold, the spokesperson replied:
“Absolutely not. She is neither a suitcase nor a sports bag.”
The Aftermath: A Compromise—Sort Of
After a lengthy back-and-forth argument, a compromise was finally reached—Evans would board the plane alone, while Baa-rbara was offered free parking at the airport for the week.
Despite Evans’ frustration, airport staff report that Baa-rbara appeared entirely unbothered by the situation, contentedly munching on a discarded pasty near the luggage carousel.
As of this morning, reports indicate that Baa-rbara has somehow been unofficially adopted by Cardiff Airport staff, now serving as the honorary “Airport Emotional Support Sheep,” greeting passengers in the terminal.
Meanwhile, Evans, now stranded in Malaga without his support animal, has taken to Twitter (X) to demand official legislation allowing sheep on flights, under the hashtag #LetBaaFly.
Whether airlines will reconsider their policies on woolly passengers remains to be seen, but one thing is certain—Baa-rbara is having a better holiday than Gareth.