Pets in the Cabin - Coming soon on Virgin Australia

[simmomelb]

Well… they reckon only 2 pets per flight, and only on ‘selected’ flights. But let’s assume 100 one ways a day across the entire network.

That works out to around $11 million a year @$150 per pet.

For absolutely zero outlay. Pretty smart.

Yep, this is smart. It's very restricted, only small pooches with their owners in dedicated seats. I see this being quite a windfall for them.
I suspect in the real world, they will lose close to zero customers doing this and gain many new pax, because, as others have said, they will have a monopoly on this, being a net gain in customers.
In the USA, from the times I've observed it, it's by far the wealthier types of passengers who take their pooches & pets on planes, and other passengers sitting next to them quite enjoyed it.
Passengers booking on VA will know they may be sitting next to a pooch, so there won't be any surprises.

 

[ANstar]

We used to tkae our dog on flights in Europe. Its very regulated, needs to be booked in advance, under 6kg, certain dimensions for the bag etc. No way anyone around us would even known we had a dog. Flew on Lufthansa, KLM, Air France, Iberia, Air Europe - was only the LCC's that didn't permit it.

 

[flyingfan]

Now expected late 2025

Virgin to allow pets on board before end of year after Food Standards clearance

The airline has now received the green light from Food Standards Australia New Zealand, a major regulatory hurdle that stalled the rollout after Virgin first announced the plan last year.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Hayley.campbell24]

This would be amazing

 

[MooTime]

This would be amazing

It would be cough....cough on the floor, seats, aisle you name it.

 

[Chicken]

It would be cough....cough on the floor, seats, aisle you name it.

This is impossible. From the article:
That change was quietly approved last month by FSANZ, which accepted Virgin's application to amend the Food Standards Code, clearing the way for small pets like cats and dogs to travel in airline-approved carriers stowed under the seat in front of their owner.
Under the new policy, pets must remain contained in an airline-approved carrier that fits under the seat and weighs no more than 8 kilograms, including the animal.

Also if:
Travellers with pets will be seated in designated rows, separate from general seating
then it's not different from going to the pub or cafe. You sit inside if you don't want pets around you; you can sit outside if you don't mind pets around you.

 

[prozac]

This is impossible. From the article:
That change was quietly approved last month by FSANZ, which accepted Virgin's application to amend the Food Standards Code, clearing the way for small pets like cats and dogs to travel in airline-approved carriers stowed under the seat in front of their owner.

Oh I can see some fabulous arguments as owners declare that little Fifi should not have to remain in the box for the entire trip.

 

[Chicken]

Oh I can see some fabuolous arguments as owners declare that little Fifi should not have to remain in the box for the entire trip.

1: This could be handled like how you handle oversize / weight bags (Jetstar), or drunken passengers. You deal with them before boarding.
2: The pilot still has the final say as to who is or isn't flying.

So this is not even a problem which is created by pets, but a problem with how to deal with DYKWIMs.

 

[prozac]

1: This could be handled like how you handle oversize / weight bags (Jetstar), or drunken passengers. You deal with them before boarding.
2: The pilot still has the final say as to who is or isn't flying.

So this is not even a problem which is created by pets, but a problem with how to deal with DYKWIMs.

I think you missed the point. When some Karen whips out her little fluffy Muffin mid-flight and declares it needs "fresh air, just look at the poor thing" then some might object.

 

[Chicken]

I think you missed the point. When some Karen whips out her little fluffy Muffin mid-flight and declares it needs "fresh air, just look at the poor thing" then some might object.

How is this different from some Karen who cries about [insert anything here]? I don't see any difference. A Karen will be a Karen, regardless at the airport, or restaurant, or at a servo

When you go into a pub or cafe, you already have to walk thru the front door which is full of people with pets. Hence I don't see what the fuss is specifically on this topic, I think this is much ado about nothing. People giving way too much attention to this.

If one has a problem with pets locked inside a box 10 rows up, how do they walk into a cafe, when there are like 5 dogs running around and sniffing each other's bun-ho at the front door?

 

[MooTime]

S h i t can squirt, therefore s h i t can land on floor, seat, aisle you name it.

 

[Chicken]

S h i t can squirt, therefore s h i t can land on floor, seat, aisle you name it.

Actually, dogs and cats don't cough everywhere. Dogs only cough outside, and cats only cough in cat toilets. When they do cough inside the house, it's generally because there is something wrong, like behaviour problems.

And an owner is not going to bring a pet with behaviour problems onto the plane, because they probably won't be able to get them into the car to start with

 

[AuSammy]

And an owner is not going to bring a pet with behaviour problems onto the plane, because they probably won't be able to get them into the car to start with

I doubt owners can converse with their pet to determine that I consumed something that disagreed with me and in an hour or twos time I will have ballistic diarrhoea.

 

[AuSammy]

I noticed signs up in BNEd last week pointing out where pet toilets are located

 

[Chicken]

I doubt owners can converse with their pet to determine that I consumed something that disagreed with me and in an hour or twos time I will have ballistic diarrhoea.

A pet owner is not supposed to allow their pets, well, usually dogs, to eat anything random. For example, chocolates are toxic to dogs, but dogs often eat them. Also, small dogs eating things with big bones.

Hence you see sometimes people sitting at cafes trying to pull the mouth of their pets opened, to see what did the dog eat off the ground.

A pet owner would have to put their pet into a box from the time they leave home anyway, so I don't see any opportunity for the dog to eat anything they are not supposed to eat.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

S h i t can squirt, therefore s h i t can land on floor, seat, aisle you name it.

No doubt there are isolated incidents of pet owners behaving badly.

But from the tens of thousands of pets travelling in the EU and USA, thankfully incidents seem to be rare.

Yes, a pet could be a biohazard, but probably no more so than the parent using a tray table at their seat to change their baby’s nappy.

Food standards has completed their approvals. I’m not sure a pet in a box poses any more threat than two toilets which these days can literally be located *in* the galley?

 

[AuSammy]

If nothing else there is now a clear differentiation in Airlines and clear choices available depending on your opinion on the subject.

Cuts down on time and effort in searching for flights (at least domestically).

 

[PERLHR]

I presume this is mostly for flights within the states of Australia? Hell.i can't even bring a jar of honey bought from Adelaide airport into Perth....so I assume I can't bring a dog either! Or a cat....or...well...anything. List is endless.

 

[ramboflyer]

How is this different from some Karen who cries about [insert anything here]? I don't see any difference. A Karen will be a Karen, regardless at the airport, or restaurant, or at a servo

When you go into a pub or cafe, you already have to walk thru the front door which is full of people with pets. Hence I don't see what the fuss is specifically on this topic, I think this is much ado about nothing. People giving way too much attention to this.

If one has a problem with pets locked inside a box 10 rows up, how do they walk into a cafe, when there are like 5 dogs running around and sniffing each other's bun-ho at the front door?

You can walk out of the Café and go to another - you cant walk off the plane mid-air, your trapped with people who cant leave their little furry darlings at home. The smells that dogs make wont be confined to the last few rows.

 

[jase05]

On our recent MS J flight from CAI-FRA the couple across and back from us had a cat in a container and had the container resting up on the centre console for the whole time even during takeoff and landing. Maybe it was hungry but for the first hour it didn’t shut up. When meals were served the lady let it out to sit on her lap and was eating off her meal tray at the same time she was eating. I think the passer behind her complained as cabin crew came down and there was a heated conversation before the cat was put back in its cage