After announcing plans to allow small cats and dogs in cabins on domestic routes in March last year, the airline is now working towards trialing pet-friendly rows on select flights.
Virgin initially said it would take 12 months to get regulatory approval for pet-friendly flights following a change in the Civil Aviation Safety Authority regulations.
However approval is taking longer than expected, a spokesperson for Virgin Australia told 9news.com.au.
“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,” the spokesperson said.
“Due to the new nature of this service in Australia, the approval process is taking longer than anticipated.
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“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.”
The airline will assign two rows on select domestic flights as “pet-friendly” when it welcomes canine and feline passengers.
Only small dogs and cats travelling in Virgin-approved soft carriers weighing under 8kg which can fit under the seat will be allowed.
The pets must also be older than eight weeks to be allowed on flights.
Pets will not be allowed to roam freely or sit on laps during the flights and animal companions will be limited to one per person.
It will also cost passengers an extra $100 to $150 per ticket to bring along a furry companion and bookings will be made via the Guest Contact Centre.
Some airports, including Melbourne and Sydney Airport, already have pet relief areas for cats and dogs.
Originally built for assistance animals, the airports have since upgraded the facilities for the influx of cats and dogs once Virgin’s pet flights go ahead.
“Overwhelmingly, our guests tell us they want to travel with their pets, and we are now on a journey to make that a reality,” Virgin chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka said when the program was first announced.
“It’s something that commonly happens overseas and is proven to work well.”
“Almost 70 per cent of Australian households have a pet, so this announcement is really significant for a large proportion of the country.”
