Adelaide Airport baggage handler praised after video of him comforting pets goes viral

A video of a baggage handler at Adelaide Airport taking time to comfort waiting pets on the tarmac has gone viral. Watch the heartwarming moment here.

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A baggage handler has melted thousands of hearts after a video of him comforting pets at Adelaide Airport went viral on Instagram.

The Virgin Australia employee can be seen on the tarmac patting and talking to the animals through travel crates, in an Instagram reel shared by Melbourne 7NEWS journalist Jacqueline Felgate on Friday.

Social media user @casarval identified the baggage handler as Theo (@tebogomokolo_), tagging him in the post.

“@tebogomokolo_ is looks like you’re famous,” the comment said.

Theo replied to the comment and said “one of the perks of the job.”

A Virgin Australia spokesperson responded to the viral video.

“We love our furry guests and our pit crew team are known for going above and beyond to make sure all pets travelling with Virgin Australia are handled with absolute care and are as comfortable as possible for their journey,” the spokesperson said.

The airline is in the process of getting in touch with Theo to recognise him for his service.

Earlier this year, Virgin Australia praised team member Chad after a video of him talking to pets while loading them on an aircraft was uploaded to TikTok.

The video, also posted by Ms Felgate, was viewed more than 3.4 million times.

The airline’s chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka and Ms Felgate flew to Perth to thank Chad for his act of kindness, gifting him with two return business class flights on the Virgin Australia network.