Virgin Australia has officially become the first airline in the country to welcome furry loved ones onboard with their Pets in Cabin service commencing Thursday.
The Aussie-first service will begin its trial with flights scheduled to jet off from Melbourne to the Gold Coast, and to the Sunshine Coast.
Tickets for furry loved ones are on sale for an introductory price of $149 per animal, per flight.
The cabin service will only permit small dogs or cats, with a weight limit of up to eight kilos in a carry bag allowed.
One flight service will allow a maximum of four pets on the aircraft.
Virgin travellers can use points to book their pet on one of the designated routes, with members offered to use an introductory offer or 18,600 Velocity Points.
However veterinarian Dr Katrina Warren admitted her reservations with the initiative, telling Sky News’ First Edition the biggest issue she has with the service is if people haven’t trained their pets to be comfortable in a carrier.
“If you’re at home and you’re thinking this is going to be amazing for my pet, you need to train them from a very early age to be comfortable, to be contained. That’s the biggest issue for me,” Dr Warren told Peter Stefanovic.
“If you have a puppy or a kitten and you think this is going to be great for me, just start getting it used to that carrier.
“Go on small trips in the car, gradually increase the time that the pet is in the carrier because you want it to be comfortable and relaxed.”
Dr Warren stressed there will be no issues with the public seating near pets as they will be secure.
“The carrier is really just like a sort of a large handbag and they will be placed under the seat. So, it’s not going to be very disruptive for anybody,” she added.
“So, you will be able to soothe your pet, you will be able to comfort your pet. So hopefully again if people have their pets comfortable in that crate, they should chill out and relax. And that is the whole benefit of crate training a puppy or a kitten from an early age.”
Virgin Chief Marketing Officer Libby Minogue told Sky News the trail will run until January with other animals not likely to be included down the track.
Ms Minogue added Virgin’s aim is to roll out the initiative nationally within the next twelve months.
“There will hopefully be no barking on board, but when you book you are able to see if there are pets on the flight and really cause the pets are underneath the seats, you really will not know that there are pets on board,” she said.
Designated seating will be across two rows in seats 18A, 18F, 20A, and 20F.
Virgin will have advanced air filtration systems, which it claims will remove 99 percent of airborne particles including pet dander to provide “peace of mind for guests with allergies, even when seated near pets”.
The airline will allow customers with allergies to choose alternative seating in the same cabin class, free of charge.
Virgin Australia Group Chief Executive Officer, Dave Emerson, said Virgin is thrilled to be the first airline in leading the way in innovation by launching Pets in Cabin.
“Our guests have been telling us for years how much they want to travel alongside their pets and now they finally can. It’s a model that’s proven successful in the US and Europe and we’re thrilled to bring it to Australia,” Mr Emerson said in a statement.
“With almost 70 per cent of households owning a pet, we expect the service to be embraced by pet lovers all around the country. Beyond convenience for pet owners, the service is also set to boost the pet-friendly travel sector, including hotels and tourism operators.
“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, baggage tracking, and globally, we were the first airline to reward guests for sitting in the middle seat (through our Middle Seat Lottery promotion). It’s this innovation and relentless focus on our customer that’s at the core of who we are in the market.”
