High with the hog

Don't fence me in: A pig was given first-class treatment

If anyone has ever told you something will happen "when pigs fly", get ready for it to happen.

USAirways is under investigation by American aviation officials for allowing a pig to fly first-class on a six-hour 17 October Philadelphia-to-Seattle flight.

Airline officials allowed the 130-kilo (300lb) pig on the plane when two female passengers produced a doctor's note saying the pig was a "service animal" like a guide dog for the blind.

"We can confirm that the pig travelled, and we can confirm that it will never happen again," a USAirways spokesman said.

The pig apparently slept through most of the flight.

But on arrival in Seattle, it woke and became agitated.

It tried to break into the cockpit while the Boeing 757 was on the runway.

FAA investigation

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials are conducting an investigation to determine if the carrier complied with its own rules in flying the pig in the passenger section.

We can confirm that the pig travelled, and we can confirm that it will never happen again

USAirways spokesman

USAirways has not necessarily violated any FAA regulations.

"We're looking at whether or not the airline complied with its own plan for the transportation of animals", FAA spokesman Jim Peters told the Philadelphia Daily News.

"Each airline has its own policy, approved by the FAA, and we need to determine if it stuck to its own game plan," Mr Peters said.