Exclusive: Grandmother stranded with parrot in Puerto Rico now back home in New York City

PUERTO RICO -- A grandmother who was stranded with her parrot "Plucky" in Puerto Rico got her wish to return to New York City.

Earlier this week, she shared her tearful plea after Frontier Airlines wouldn't allow her to bring her parrot back on board.

Maria Fraterrigo is so traumatized, she told our sister station WABC that she would never fly again and plans to stick close to home.

That's where she is right now, getting some much-needed rest.

She was on board Frontier flight 3548 and touched down early Thursday morning with her emotional support animal "Plucky."

WABC was the only camera there as the 81-year-old grandmother passed through security at JFK.

"Plucky" was right there on Maria's lap in her carrier.

Maria had been stranded in Puerto Rico for nearly a week after Frontier refused to allow Plucky to travel in her carrier back to New York.

Maria's husband Richard, an NYPD officer, passed away from 9/11-related cancer in 2019.

She calls her African Grey Parrot her savior and says he got her through some really tough times.

Maria and Richard loved traveling to Puerto Rico, but this was her first solo trip back to the island.

She took off January 4 and had no problems.

But Saturday, when she tried to fly home, a Frontier employee at the gate allegedly told her no -- not with the 10-ounce bird.

That's when Maria's son, Robert, reached out for help.

The airline acknowledged they made a mistake on the flight out of New York, saying the bird was not checked correctly.

It issued a refund and voucher, but initially refused to fly the pair back home together, citing its policy prohibiting large birds in the cabin.

After countless emails and phone calls, Frontier changed its mind.

"I didn't want to live when they told me to get rid of him, that hurt so much, so inhumane," Fraterrigo said.

"You did it all, you did it all, thank you," she told WABC.

Before Maria and "Plucky" could board that flight, Frontier said it needed a certificate of veterinary inspection, which Maria got in San Juan, along with proof that "Plucky" was purchased in the U.S.

Bird Jungle in Scarsdale helped with that.

The team at Senator Charles Schumer's office also played a key role in fixing this problem.