Virgin Airlines’ Australia-first pets in cabins plan still not cleared for take-off

Aussie pet owners hoping for an upgrade from the cargo hold to the plane cabin for their furry friends will just have to keep on waiting.

In an update, Virgin Australia— which is hoping to become the first airline in the country to offer the service — has revealed that its plans have been hit with delays.

The practice is already widespread in the US, where flyers can take animals in the plane cabin as carry-on or as “support animals”. For example, United Airlines allows you to bring on board up to two pets per person, as long as you buy two seats.

But pet owners waiting for Australia to get on board have been dealt a blow with Virgin confirming that getting approvals is taking longer than anticipated.

When it was announced in March last year, Virgin said it would have pets flying cabin-class by this month but has now confirmed its plans have hit turbulence.

“Since (the announcement), we have been working hard alongside regulators, industry partners and stakeholder groups to ensure we can offer a compliant, safe and comfortable experience for guests travelling with or without a pet,“ a spokesperson for Virgin Australia said.

“Due to the new nature of this service in Australia, the approval process is taking longer than anticipated.

“Innovation is at the heart of everything we do at Virgin Australia and we look forward to updating travellers on a launch date for our highly anticipated pets in cabin services soon.”

While the wait continues for Virgin’s plans to be cleared for take-off, details about how it will work have been revealed.

For an undisclosed fee, passengers will be allowed to travel with one small dog or cat over eight-weeks-old, but they won’t be allowed to sit in their owners’ laps, instead, they will have to fit within a Virgin Australia-approved soft-sided pet carrier, with the total weight under 8kgs.

The carrier will then need to fit under a seat and allow for enough room and ventilation for the pet. They will also have to stay in the carrier at all times in the airport, except for security screening and if using an animal relief area.

It is understood that while Virgin has received approval from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority for its plans, and positive feedback from several stakeholders including airports, additional approvals are still required.

Last week, Food Standards Australia New Zealand called for comment on a request to amend the food standards code to allow companion dogs and cats in aircraft cabins where food is being served.

FSANZ’s safety assessment found the risk of foodborne transmission of pathogens from pets was low, so long as risk management controls were in place.

FSANZ CEO Dr Sandra Cuthbert said passenger safety was the priority.

“Our assessment identified appropriate food safety controls to manage food safety risks if airlines choose to allow companion animals in cabins,” Dr Cuthbert said.

“This proposed change would provide choice for travellers who have a small companion animal while maintaining in-flight food safety standards.”

Submissions on the proposed amendment close on April 30.

When it was first announced, then-Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said a love for animals “has always been in the Virgin Australia DNA”.

“Overwhelmingly, our guests tell us they want to travel with their pets, and we are now on a journey to make that a reality. It’s something that commonly happens overseas and is proven to work well,” she said.

“Almost 70 per cent of Australian households have a pet, so this announcement is really significant for a large proportion of the country.

“It’s also a great thing for pet-friendly accommodation providers who will benefit greatly from increased connectivity and the ease for travellers to fly with their pets. It really will be a whole new economy for pet travel in Australia.”

Australia’s other major airline, Qantas, said it was not planning any changes to its pet policy. Currently only service dogs can be carried in the cabin with their owners. All other animals and pets must travel in a special area in the hold.