Virgin Australia is planning to allow pets on some of its flights. In a first for Australia, you will be able to have a small cat or dog travel with you.
While Virgin Australia is still working on the proposal, the expect to launch the ability with 12 months. In the meantime, they will work with regulators and airports to allow it to happen.
The initiative is designed to cater to the growing demand from pet owners who wish to travel with their pets. According to Virgin, surveys have indicated support for allowing pets to travel with their owners.
They say that a poll taken via its Facebook page saw 85% of respondents in favour of pets in cabin flights. In addition, according to other research nearly 70% of Australian pet owners say they would travel with their pet in the cabin. Furthermore, 57% said they would fly more regularly if the service was a reality.
Additional research saw nearly 70% of Australian pet owners saying they would travel with their pet in the cabin, while 57% said they would fly more regularly if the service was a reality.
Conditions
There are a number of things to keep in mind if you wish to travel with your pet. The rules are being put in place to reduce the impact on other passengers on your flight.
- Firstly, you will only be able to take a small cat or dog. The cat or dog will need to remain in a pet carrier under the seat in front of you.
- Secondly, there will only be a small number of rows available for pets.
- Finally, it will only be available on a limited number of routes. Virgin have not said which routes they will be, but it would be limited to airports that allowed pets to be present.
In addition to those rules, Virgin will be charging a fee for this. At moment, they have not said how much that will be.
