Pets in the Cabin - Coming soon on Virgin Australia

[MEL_Traveller]

Helpful comment, thanks a lot.

I guess the question is, what does someone allergic to cat hair *do now* when they travel? Gonna be no difference between now and the new policy.

 

[stm1sydney]

I guess the question is, what does someone allergic to cat hair *do now* when they travel? Gonna be no difference between now and the new policy.

I'm not allergic to cat hair, so I don't know. But I suspect that there is more cat hair on a cat than on a cat person, so more chance of an allergic reaction. My sarcastic reply still stands though: an actual helpful comment might have been "make sure you pack your antihistamines," not "stay at home." This is meant to be a forum for frequent flyers.

 

[MARTINE]

I guess the question is, what does someone allergic to cat hair *do now* when they travel? Gonna be no difference between now and the new policy.

At the risk of getting my head blown off ! (and a retired doctor) I will add — in medicine the poison is in the dose (even in sensitised individuals)

We resume (maybe wrongly) that people wash their clothes - yes they carry dander - but not the same exposure as sitting next to an actual cat (or 2or 3 or more).

E.G Drink a glass of water you wont die — drink 20+ you may due to brain swelling…

For balance
I don't expect a plane to have air quality like an operating theatre.
I have no problems with dedicated pet flights (but will not book).
I understand true allergic response to pets in close proximity (medically and personally) so would not dismiss this in anyone.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

At the risk of getting my head blown off ! (and a retired doctor) I will add — in medicine the poison is in the dose (even in sensitised individuals)

We resume (maybe wrongly) that people wash their clothes - yes they carry dander - but not the same exposure as sitting next to an actual cat (or 2or 3 or more).

E.G Drink a glass of water you wont die — drink 20+ you may due to brain swelling…

For balance
I don't expect a plane to have air quality like an operating theatre.
I have no problems with dedicated pet flights (but will not book).
I understand true allergic response to pets in close proximity (medically and personally) so would not dismiss this in anyone.

Good points. and agree. But with hepa filters and pets only at floor level, will it really be an issue?

Speaking of washing clothes, our cat decided to sleep in the laundry basket. Which is fine except and I needed the shirt right on top to wear on the flight the other night... so it was somewhat full of cat fur!!

 

[hydrabyss]

Helpful comment, thanks a lot.

There's countries where they let cats roam free. End of the day if someone has an allergy they need to avoid it not everyone else has to cater to them. My doctor has told me I need to move house as my neighbours have chickens. Best thing is if I move and a neighbour gets chickens again or a large amount of birds I would need to move again. Makes a cat allergy seem trivial from my perspective.

 

[justinbrett]

I guess the question is, what does someone allergic to cat hair *do now* when they travel? Gonna be no difference between now and the new policy.

You are aware it’s not binary right? There is a concept called dosage.

I’m extremely allergic to dust but as you can imagine dust is everywhere and can’t be completely eradicated, yet I’m fine in most hotels and commercial settings as they have regular cleaning.

It’s common sense having the animal in the cabin is going to be a higher dosage than the remnants carried on pax.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

You are aware it’s not binary right? There is a concept called dosage.

I’m extremely allergic to dust but as you can imagine dust is everywhere and can’t be completely eradicated, yet I’m fine in most hotels and commercial settings as they have regular cleaning.

It’s common sense having the animal in the cabin is going to be a higher dosage than the remnants carried on pax.

I get the dosage concept. But there doesn’t appear to have been major issues elsewhere. Why would australia be the exception?

 

[justinbrett]

I get the dosage concept. But there doesn’t appear to have been major issues elsewhere. Why would australia be the exception?

I'm not sure that pax getting itchy eyes is exactly newsworthy. There's often a delayed effect so many could probably not identify the source of the reaction.

 

[Quickstatus]

Isn't the air replaced constantly in the aluminium tube at 38,000 feet.
They use HEPA filters for the recirculating air and - so that takes care of airborne allergens and aerosols
Ive also heard the air is replaced every 3-5 minutes.
And I believe there are no animal dander floating around outside at 38,000 feet