Airlines grapple with new rules to allow pets on planes

Regulation changes will now allow pets to travel with their owners on planes, so we asked Australia’s major airlines whether dogs and cats will soon be boarding their flights.

Changes to aviation safety regulations have made it lawful to carry pets in aircraft cabins but Australia’s major airlines are still deciding whether dogs and cats should be allowed out of the cargo hold.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority updated its “carriage of animals” flight operations policy in December 2021, absolving the regulator of responsibility in the matter.

Instead the flight operator and pilot in command can grant permission for animals to board an aircraft, providing all reasonable steps are taken to ensure the safety of the flight.

Prior to the change Virgin Australia revealed it was re-examining its pets policy and polled followers on its social media pages to gauge support for the move.

Of 7400 respondents to the poll on Facebook, more than 6200 gave pets in the cabin the thumbs up, and 1100 were opposed.

On Thursday, an airline spokesman said Virgin Australia “continued to closely consider the regulatory changes”.

“Regardless of the outcome, designated service dogs will continue to be able to travel in the cabin of our aircraft,” said the spokesman.

Rex would not rule out allowing pets on board at some point in the future, provided clear guidelines were established.

The Qantas group, including low fares partner Jetstar was adamant passengers would not be sharing a row with a furry friend anytime soon.

New budget carrier Bonza was keeping the regulation change on its radar although it was unlikely to be adopted upon the commencement of services mid-year.

Chief commercial officer Carly Povey said their position would be “to do it very well or not at all”.

“Once we’ve bedded in Bonza flights, it will be something we welcome feedback on from customers,” said Ms Povey.

It appeared more likely pets might get their first cabin experience in Australia on a charter flight where operators went to significant lengths to meet passengers’ needs.

Alliance Aviation managing director Scott McMillan said there was not much scope in their fly-in, fly-out and wet lease operations for pets in the cabin but charter services were a different matter.

The Qantas group, including low fares partner Jetstar was adamant passengers would not be sharing a row with a furry friend anytime soon.

“The vast majority of our flights are for mining customers and there's no way we’d be carrying animals in and out of a mine site,” said Mr McMillan.

“With a charter flight, the charterer really determines what service they want on a flight, and if someone wants to bring a comfort animal along, providing it was small and controlled, we would have no objection.”

Most US and many European airlines permit certain animals in the cabin, providing they are suitably restrained, such as in a carry bag or container.

In many instances larger dogs must still fly in the cargo hold, but smaller pets can remain with their human at an additional cost of between $60 and $100.

Virgin Australia offered pet owners Velocity frequent flyer points when their animals were freighted on flights and scored extra kudos from animal lovers this week when a baggage handler was videoed talking soothingly to a dog being loaded onto an aircraft in Perth.

The video attracted more than 2 million views on TikTok, elevating baggage handler Chad to “dog whisperer” status.