There are a couple of pilots, crew members, trays upon trays of food, a selection of beverages, a fair few fellow travellers AND probably an animal or two.
It seems as though every time travellers board a plan they’re actually flying with at least one furry friend.
According to Qantas, Aussies love their pets so much that they’re unwilling to leave them at home over the holidays, and are more than ever before, opting to take them on short and long breaks.
Over the last 12 months alone, Qantas alone has transported some 80,000 animals – 20,000 of which were flown over the peak holiday period of December and January.
As well as pets travelling to be with their owners when relocating or on holidays, the carrier also found that breeders and pet show participants were also frequent users of the airline’s services.
Dogs were the most transported animal with the airline in 2016 (58,600), followed by cats (11,700), crocodiles (64) and Tasmanian Devils (47).
The Flying Kangaroo also had 21 ‘Skippys’ on board along with 10 lemurs, five platypus, one orangutan and one rhino.
Most furry friends were taken to Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane as well as Auckland and London.
Qantas’ Freight Customer Service Manager, Cassandra Keogh, said the airline has teams specially trained to handle pets to provide quick and safe travel.
“Our teams are specially trained in handling pets and provide them with the best care throughout their journey.”
Cassandra Keogh, Qantas’ Freight Customer Service Manager
“We even make sure they are first to disembark the aircraft.”