Virgin Australia is working towards the launch of pet-friendly flights which will let travellers bring a dog or cat into the cabin, rather than consigning them to the cargo hold.
Although first announced in March 2024, with flights “expected to launch within 12 months”, a Virgin Australia spokesperson tells Executive Traveller “we look forward to updating travellers on a launch date for our highly anticipated pets in cabin services soon.”
However, “due to the new nature of this service in Australia, the approval process is taking longer than anticipated.”
The airline is now preparing a Pet Travel Guide containing tips and suggestions for travelling with a pet, ahead of trialling the scheme on selected flights (Sydney-Melbourne is tipped as the launch route) to gather feedback before it is rolled out more broadly.
With the Civil Aviation Safety Authority having approved Virgin’s procedures for pets travelling in the cabin, the airline has also released more details of how the pet-friendly flights will operate.
Here’s what you can expect:
- Two rows in Virgin’s Boeing 737 will be designated for passengers travelling with pets
- Those rows will be in economy – the business class cabin will remain pet-free – and they won’t be exit rows
- Passengers will be allowed to fly with one small dog or cat at least eight weeks old (with a limit of one pet per passenger)
- Bookings for your plus-one pet will need to be made directly through Virgin’s Guest Contact Centre
- Pets will be confined to a soft-sided ventilated airline-approved pet carrier, into which they will need to “fit comfortably”
- That carrier must be stowed under the seat in front of the passenger for the duration of the flight, while also allowing sufficient room and ventilation for the pet – which could prove a tight fit for poodles and pugs, let alone medium-sized mutts
- The total weight of pet and carrier must not exceed 8kg
- The pet carrier will count as one of your two carry-on bags, and attract an additional yet-to-be revealed fee
- As a benchmark, most US carriers charge US$125 (A$200) per pet on one-way domestic flights, while Lufthansa charges €50-€70 (A$82-$115) per pet
Virgin says these high-flying dogs and cats will have to remain in their carrier at all times in the departure and arrival airports, except for security screening and if they need to use the airport’s animal relief areas (which have recently been upgraded at both Sydney and Melbourne).
The airline’s ongoing discussions “with regulators, industry partners and stakeholder groups” includes taking advice from doctors and veterinarians on issues such as dealing with the allergies of other passengers on these flights.
Oh, and this will just be for domestic flights within Australia – so don’t go planning to take your dog on a VA flight to Doha or Denpasar.
Virgin’s dog-friendly flights could soon be trialled on selected domestic routes.
Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus has previously said the airport was looking forward to helping Virgin Australia deliver the Australian-first service.
“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.”
“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.”
Virgin says a poll taken via its Facebook page saw 85% of respondents in favour of the airline allowing pets in the cabin.
The airline has cited additional research claiming nearly 70% of Australian pet owners would travel with their pet in the cabin, while 57% said they would fly more regularly if the service was a reality.
However, public response to Virgin’s announcement remains sharply divided.
Social media comments following the initial announcement appear almost evenly split for and against, while a snap poll conducted by Executive Traveller saw 53% of people against Virgin’s new pet-friendly policy and 47% in favour.
Meanwhile, Qantas and Jetstar say while they will continue to allow service dogs to travel in the cabin with their owners, all other animals must be transported in the cargo hold.
