Virgin Australia has introduced its intention to be the nation’s first airline to function flights with pets onboard underneath a plan unveiled as we speak.
The Virgin Australia service, which can have pet lovers rejoicing however shall be met with horror by others, is topic to regulatory approval and is anticipated to launch inside 12 months.
The airline says that in a social media survey of Virgin Australia’s Facebook followers in 2021, 85 per cent of respondents voted in favour of the airline launching pets in cabin flights. It provides that In extra recent analysis performed by Virgin Australia with Australian pet homeowners, almost 70 per cent of respondents suggested they’d journey with their pet within the cabin, with 57 per cent saying they’d fly extra frequently if the service was a actuality.
Almost all main carriers in North America supply pets onboard service for home flights, together with United Airlines and Air Canada.
READ: Why I used to hate Virgin BUT not anymore.
Proposed pets in cabin in-flight expertise
For the consolation of all company, Virgin Australia has as we speak introduced a number of parameters for pets in cabin flights:
- The service shall be restricted to small cats and dogs on particular home routes;
- Pets shall be restricted to a restricted variety of designated rows and won’t be allowed to roam freely or sit on laps;
- Pets should even be carried in a Virgin Australia-approved pet provider underneath the seat in entrance of the proprietor at some stage in the flight.
Speaking at a press convention at Melbourne Airport, Virgin Australia Group CEO, Jayne Hrdlicka, mentioned Virgin Australia is thrilled to lastly reveal its plans to be the primary Australian airline to supply pets onboard flights.
“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,” mentioned 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.
“Almost 70 per cent of Australian households have a pet, so this announcement is really significant for a large proportion of the country. It’s also a great thing for pet-friendly accommodation providers who will benefit greatly from increased connectivity and the ease for travellers to fly with their pets. It really will be a whole new economy for pet travel in Australia.
“Pets on flights is another example of Virgin Australia leading the way with new and improved service offerings and first-to-market experiences for our guests.
“Innovation has always been a hallmark of Virgin Australia. We were the first airline in the country to offer online check-in. This year we were the first Australian airline to launch baggage tracking and a fully integrated self-service disruption management tool. It’s this innovation and first-to-market drive that underpins who we are in the market,” she mentioned.
The airline mentioned that the proposed pets in cabin flights won’t end in any change to permitted help animals having the ability to journey within the cabin of Virgin Australia plane at no extra cost. The current process for assessing the eligibility of those help animals to journey onboard won’t change. Additionally, Virgin Australia will proceed to supply pets to be transported as cargo by means of permitted pet provider companies, as this stays an necessary a part of the Virgin Australia pet providing.
