Nothing beats getting away from it all, but that doesn’t mean we want to leave everything behind. Those of us who own pets would love nothing more than to have them with us while we are gone.
Traveling with our pets will be easier now that a major commercial airline has announced future intentions to allow passengers to bring their pets on board. Virgin Airlines is attempting to accomplish this, and it may begin operations within the next year.
If Virgin Airlines can make this work, they will be the first airline in Australia to allow pets in the cabin during flight. The airline announced this in a press release titled ‘Cats out of the Bag.’
They aspire to be the country’s first airline to offer flights with pets on board. They decided it was a good idea after reviewing a survey from 2021. In that survey, 85% of respondents agreed that pets should be allowed in the cabin.
57% also said that they would be more frequent flyers if it became possible to bring pets along. They would be joining many other major carriers in North America that already offer the service on domestic flights.
Jayne Hrdlicka, the CEO, 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.
“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 stated that having dogs in the cabins will have no effect on the availability of free transportation for assistance animals. Small dogs and cats are welcome, as long as they can fit beneath the passenger seat in front of them.
There is also an approved carrier that will be utilized, so they cannot walk around freely during the journey. Those that qualify will be charged a fee, but the exact amount has yet to be determined.
After being posted, many had questions about the service. These include if someone has an allergy, could they find out if there would be a dog or cat sitting next to them?
Virgin Atlantic replied: “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!”
