Pets in the Cabin - Coming soon on Virgin Australia

[Happy Dude]

And they say reward availability has gone to the dogs!

Yep. that redeem rate has fleas. Very paw value.

 

[prozac]

Yep. that redeem rate has fleas. Very paw value.

Some like the idea, lots of ticks.

 

[flydoc]

Todays the day….

 

[Brissy1]

Todays the day….

The sky is falling, the sky is falling. Yawn.

 

[flydoc]

Sounds like all went well

Pets on planes trial takes first flight

Pets under 8 kilograms can now travel inside the passenger cabin on selected flights between Melbourne and the Gold and Sunshine Coasts.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Daver6]

Sounds like all went well

Pets on planes trial takes first flight

Pets under 8 kilograms can now travel inside the passenger cabin on selected flights between Melbourne and the Gold and Sunshine Coasts.

www.abc.net.au

You mean no one died from some animal hair and the aisles weren't filled with dog excrement? Who would have thought!

 

[paulmoore]

Not next to me please, what are thinking!

 

[MooTime]

Not next to me please, what are thinking!

Virgin certainly pleasing the minority of late at expense of majority.

Seems the way of society in general of late.

 

[RooFlyer]

Not next to me please, what are thinking!

They’ll only be next to you if you choose it.

 

[Daver6]

They’ll only be next to you if you choose it.

That's no fun. You're educating folks who would rather make hysteric comments than actually spend a few minutes understanding how things work. Next you'll be telling us that the dogs won't be flying the plane

 

[RooFlyer]

I would prefer that Virgin did not have dogs and cats in the cabin. At some stage it will go wrong, but fortunately, I won’t be anywhere near those seats, so it won’t affect me.

And anyone else who also minds can also get away from them, so it’s not a big thing overall.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I would prefer that Virgin did not have dogs and cats in the cabin. At some stage it will go wrong, but fortunately, I won’t be anywhere near those seats, so it won’t affect me.

And anyone else who also minds can also get away from them, so it’s not a big thing overall.

Same same with humans! Drunks, screaming toddlers with parents who don’t care, pax taking up more than their allocated space! Unfortunately we can’t pre-select to avoid those!

 

[Happy Dude]

SMH Traveller puff-piece on the topic (probably paywalled).

Doing what I do, I found this statement most interesting:

"At least Bambi’s position on the floor muffles his cries and I doubt his little noises carry much further than our row."

My neighbour two doors up, no less than 30m away, has chihuahuas that bark constantly and I can often hear them when inside my house. When outside, the barks are highly noticeable and, being reasonable, perceive them to be annoying.

I am skeptical that the statement is accurate, realistic even, and even more skeptical that a reasonable person within, say, five rows would find similar barking to be acceptable.

 

[Daver6]

Pet-friendly flights are taking off in Australia. Here's what to know

The first pet-friendly commercial flights have taken off in Australia this week. Here's what you need to know about the new service.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Harrison_133]

Trial extended until 30 June 2026.

Still just on MEL-OOL and MEL-MCY routes only.

Source: https://www.virginaustralia.com/au/...rgin-australia-extends-pets-in-cabin-flights/

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Trial extended until 30 June 2026.

Still just on MEL-OOL and MEL-MCY routes only.

Source: https://www.virginaustralia.com/au/...rgin-australia-extends-pets-in-cabin-flights/

But the same article says that from Jan 31, cats will be able to travel on all flights. So the trial must be applicable to dogs only!

 

[Harrison_133]

But the same article says that from Jan 31, cats will be able to travel on all flights. So the trial must be applicable to dogs only!

It's not all flights...not yet at least.

"From 31 January 2026, cats will be permitted to travel on all Pets in Cabin flight services, having previously been limited to flights between Melbourne and the Sunshine Coast."

Pets in Cabin flight services being the key part here. I.e. MEL-OOL & MEL-MCY only.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

It's not all flights...not yet at least.

"From 31 January 2026, cats will be permitted to travel on all Pets in Cabin flight services, having previously been limited to flights between Melbourne and the Sunshine Coast."

Pets in Cabin flight services being the key part here. I.e. MEL-OOL & MEL-MCY only.

Fair point. Although why not just list those two routes instead of saying ‘all’?

Extending the trial smells fishy to me. Sounds like they haven’t got the necessary approvals or procedures in place or something.

 

[henrus]

Sounds like they haven’t got the necessary approvals or procedures in place or something.

They need to get approval from the airports. My guess is the Gold Coast airport initially said no to cats but have now said yes hence both routes become cats and dogs.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

They need to get approval from the airports. My guess is the Gold Coast airport initially said no to cats but have now said yes hence both routes become cats and dogs.

Yes, but in terms of the rest of the network. Can’t be that hard… if MEL and two other airports have approved, what’s the hold-up with the others? It’s not like VA is a minor player, they're spending significant $$ at these airports for services.