For anyone who’s ever wanted to fly with their small pet (and we mean actually fly with them), this announcement will be highly welcomed. Virgin Australia says it intends to become the first carrier in Australia to allow small dogs and cats in cabins.
Should the move get regulatory approval, Virgin expects to launch the initiative in the next 12 months.
So how would it work?
Virgin says the service will be limited to small cats and dogs on specific domestic routes, and pets will be limited to certain rows.
They won’t be allowed to roam freely or sit on laps and must be carried in a Virgin Australia-approved pet carrier under the seat in front of the owner for the whole flight.
Whilst that sounds restrictive, the alternative on the majority of flights in Australia is still to place animals in the hold underneath the cabin. So as a pet owner, which would you prefer?
The Aussie-first initiative has the support of the majority of Virgin’s flyers, according to research conducted by the airline.
In a recent study, most respondents (70 per cent) said they would travel with their pet in a cabin, with more than half saying they would fly more often if they could. So the move would be a win-win for all concerned.
This study followed a poll of Virgin Australia’s Facebook followers in 2021, in which nearly nine in ten (85 per cent) of respondents supported the idea of having pets in cabins.
While the initiative would be the first in Australia, it wouldn’t be the first globally, with nearly every major North American airline – including United Airlines and Air Canada – allowing pets in cabins for domestic flights.
Virgin Australia Group CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said the carrier was “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,” Hrdlicka said at a press conference at Melbourne Airport today.
“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.”
Hrdlicka said the move was another example of the airline’s innovative approach to flying.
“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,” she remarked.
“It’s this innovation and first-to-market drive that underpins who we are in the market,” she said.
Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus said the hub was looking forward to working with Virgin Australia to make the plan a reality.
“We’ve been investing significant effort into providing relief areas for assistance animals and these facilities have ample capacity to serve Virgin Australia’s new guests,” she said.
“Animals being carried on board Virgin Australia flights will be required to remain in their approved pet carriers at all other times within the terminal.
“We expect the pets in cabin concept will prove a popular offering and we look forward to working with Virgin Australia to make it a reality.”
Further information about the initiative, such as the available routes and costs, will be announced later.
Meanwhile, the airline says there will be no changes to its policy around assistance animals, which will still be able to travel in the cabin of Virgin Australia aircraft at no additional cost.
This week, Virgin Australia reported interim revenue of AU$2.8 billion in the six-month lead-up to 31 December 2023, reflecting an uptick of $300 million on the same period last year.
All images by Alex Coppel