Published on September 25, 2025
Virgin Australia has officially launched its long-anticipated Pets successful Cabin service, making it nan first hose successful Australia to connection this unsocial action for pet owners. This groundbreaking work is now disposable for flights betwixt Melbourne and nan Gold Coast, arsenic good arsenic Melbourne and nan Sunshine Coast, pinch nan inaugural formation scheduled for Thursday, October 16, 2025. With a increasing request for pet-friendly recreation options, Virgin Australia’s preamble of this work is group to alteration nan measurement Australians recreation pinch their pets.
From today, pet owners tin book nan caller work for an introductory value of $149 per pet per flight. This offering is disposable for mini dogs and cats, provided they meet nan airline’s circumstantial requirements. Virgin Australia plans to run this work initially arsenic a trial, which will tally until January 30, 2026. Following nan proceedings period, nan hose intends to grow nan work crossed its full home network, allowing much pet owners to bring their four-legged friends connected board.
Virgin Australia’s caller Pets successful Cabin work is designed to cater to nan needs of pet owners who wish to recreation pinch their pets successful nan cabin. The work will initially beryllium disposable connected flights betwixt Melbourne and nan Gold Coast, arsenic good arsenic Melbourne and nan Sunshine Coast. This inaugural comes aft nan airline’s announcement successful March 2024 and it reflects nan airline’s committedness to improving customer work by gathering nan needs of pet-loving travellers.
The improvement of nan Pets successful Cabin work has progressive extended collaboration pinch world airlines already operating akin services. Virgin Australia has besides worked intimately pinch animal use organizations and consulted accessibility groups to guarantee nan highest standards of attraction and information for pets connected board. Through this process, nan hose has focused connected creating a work that guarantees some animal welfare and passenger comfort, ensuring a soft recreation acquisition for each guests.
The work has been designed not only to meet nan needs of pet owners but besides to reside concerns related to health, allergies and hygiene. Virgin Australia has been moving diligently to guarantee that nan caller offering will use some pet owners and different passengers who whitethorn person concerns astir travelling alongside pets.
Virgin Australia’s Pets successful Cabin work is unfastened to small dogs and cats only. However, it is important to statement that nan work will not licence cats connected flights betwixt Melbourne and nan Gold Coast during nan first phase. Pets must meet respective conditions earlier they tin board. Firstly, they must beryllium up to day pinch vaccinations and immoderate pets pinch wellness issues, specified arsenic those that are pregnant, recovering from surgery, aliases complete 12 years old, must coming a veterinary-issued certificate confirming that they are fresh to fly.
To guarantee that pets stay safe and comfortable during nan flight, they must beryllium transported successful an approved soft-sided leak-proof carrier. The mixed weight of nan pet and bearer must not transcend 8 kilograms and nan bearer must fresh nether nan spot successful beforehand of nan owner. Only 4 pets per formation will beryllium allowed to recreation successful nan cabin, ensuring that abstraction is capable for some nan pets and nan passengers.
Pet owners will besides request to travel circumstantial procedures erstwhile checking in, going done information and boarding. For example, pets must stay secured successful their carriers astatine each times while successful nan airport, isolated from during nan information screening process. At nan airport, pets will beryllium fitted pinch a “Live Animal” tag and sealed pinch a greenish information seal erstwhile checked in.
Once onboard, pets must stay successful their carriers for nan long of nan flight. Virgin Australia has designated circumstantial seats for pet owners walking pinch their animals. These designated seats are located successful rows 18A, 18F, 20A and 20F, wherever nan bearer must beryllium placed nether nan spot successful beforehand of nan passenger. The bearer must beryllium placed connected apical of an absorbent mat to guarantee cleanliness and comfort.
In position of wellness and safety, Virgin Australia has taken a broad approach. The hose has implemented precocious HEPA aerial filtration systems successful its aircraft, which seizure much than 99% of airborne particles, including pet dander. Additionally, compartment airflow is designed to trim nan transportation of airborne allergens, ensuring a much comfortable situation for passengers pinch allergies. For those who are delicate to pet dander, nan hose offers allergy-safe seating options, which tin beryllium requested free of charge.
Virgin Australia has besides put measures successful spot to guarantee that pets and their owners person a stress-free recreation experience. Pet owners will beryllium required to stay seated until nan mostly of passengers person disembarked from nan aircraft, ensuring that they tin exit pinch their pets without delay. Upon presence astatine their destination, pets must stay successful their carriers, isolated from erstwhile utilizing designated animal alleviation areas astatine nan airport.
Virgin Australia’s caller work is expected to importantly effect nan pet recreation manufacture successful Australia. The preamble of Pets successful Cabin flights aligns pinch a world inclination wherever awesome airlines, peculiarly successful North America and Europe, person already embraced this service. Airlines specified arsenic United Airlines, Air France and Air Canada person agelong allowed pets to recreation successful nan compartment connected home routes and Virgin Australia’s move into this marketplace fills a spread successful Australia’s aviation industry.
The airline’s determination to present nan Pets successful Cabin work comes astatine a clip erstwhile pet ownership is astatine an all-time precocious successful Australia, pinch astir 70% of households owning a pet. Virgin Australia has capitalized connected this increasing trend, recognizing that pet owners progressively position their pets arsenic family members and want to recreation pinch them.
Virgin Australia’s preamble of nan Pets successful Cabin work is simply a important milestone for Australian pet owners. It marks nan first clip that pet owners tin bring their mini dogs and cats connected committee pinch them during home flights. The hose has worked extensively to guarantee that this work meets nan highest standards of animal welfare, rider comfortableness and wellness and information considerations. As nan work is rolled retired and expanded crossed Virgin Australia’s home network, it is expected to toggle shape nan pet recreation assemblage and create caller opportunities for tourism and pet-related businesses crossed nan country.
Source- virginaustralia.com