Airline to allow cats and dogs to fly in cabins alongside owners

Window or aisle seat Buster?

Virgin Airlines announced the move back in March of this year, and said it would launch within the next twelve months.

The scheme would make them the first airline in Australia to fly with pets in the cabin of the plane.

In a press release titled 'Cat's Out The Bag', the airline declared it's intention to be the country's 'first airline to operate flights with pets onboard'.

In a survey conducted on social media in 2021, Virgin Australia found that 85 per cent of followers voted in favour of the airline launching pets in cabin flights.

A further 57 per cent said that they would fly more regularly if the service was a reality.

The majority of major carriers in North America already offer a pets onboard service for domestic flights.

At the official launch in Melbourne, Virgin Australia Group CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said: “Our love for animals has always been in the Virgin Australia DNA and we are excited at the prospect of taking off with Australia’s first-ever pets in cabin flights,” said Ms Hrdlicka.

“Overwhelmingly, our guests tell us they want to travel with their pets, and we are now on a journey to make that a reality. It’s something that commonly happens overseas and is proven to work well."

She also clarified that the proposed pets in cabin flights will not result in any change to approved assistance animals being able to travel in the cabin of Virgin Australia aircraft at no additional cost.

The new initiative will only apply to small dogs and small cats and that the animal must fit into a predefined space underneath the seat in front of the passenger.

She also said they must fit into a Virgin Australia approved carrier and will not be allowed to roam freely or sit on laps.

Those eligible to bring pets on board with them will be charged a fee, the amount of which still hasn't been revealed.

The announcement led to a lot of questions on social media, with people looking for specific details on the new measures.

One person referenced their own medical concerns and asked: "Will you have designated pet free flights too? I am not interested in having an asthma attack that potentially requires hospitalisation mid flight."

Virgin Australia replied: "Pets will be limited to a small number of designated rows and will not be allowed to roam freely or sit on laps."

Another X user by the name of Heidi asked: "What happens if you have an allergy? How can you find out if you’ll have a dog/cat sitting beside you?"

Virgin Australia responded: "It’s really important to us that there is minimal impact to guests who are not carrying a pet, and for this reason we will be using the next few months to design a safe proposition with strict rules. Rest assured; all of this is being taken care of!"

Other people were much more positive about the news.

One user named Brody wrote: "This is such great news! Thanks for making travel with pets easier - can't wait to fly Virgin with our puppy in the near future!"

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