I have. I was coming home for the summer after my freshman year in college. I had bought a pet garter snake, Boots, and had to get him home. So I packed him in a cloth camera case, sans camera, and slung the case over my shoulder like it was, you know, a camera. This was years ago and I don’t remember if Boots got sent through an x-ray machine or if I walked through the metal detector holding the case or what. However it worked out, I made it safely aboard as did Boots. During the flight I opened the case every few minutes to allow for fresh air inside. We arrived safely and deplaned without incident.
Unfortunately and unbeknownst to me, Boots was very ill with pneumonia and, sadly, he died the next day.
We took our 3 foot iguana, Attila, a on a plane once when we couldn’t find a pet sitter over Christmas. The security people at Logan wanted to check the pet carrier bag even though I didn’t mention what was in it and, when I opened it, he leapt out onto one of the screeners and started running down the terminal. I had to skip security and run and catch him because no one else was going to. That was in 1999. I don’t think that would go over as well now. Everyone there had a big laugh at the time although I thought one heavy lady was going to have a heart attack on the spot.
A family friend took his five foot long corn snake, Baby, on the plane from Kansas City to Miami. He put Baby in a pillowcase and she went through the x-ray machine, no problem. This was before September 11, of course.
I just saw the movie, and if I ever manage to get on a plane again, I think I will take a rubber snake with me on every flight. Far as a real one goes, no, I haven’t owned one yet.
I took a small snake in a sock that was closed with a rubber band. I put the sock in the inside jacket pocket, and everything was fine. They don’t pat you down, which is what it would have taken.