All Nippon Airways’ trial run in May was a major success.
All Nippon Airways is one step closer to allowing pets to travel with their owners in the passenger cabin. The Japanese airline did a trial run in May and it was a major success, according to The Japan Times. The package tour had 87 passengers fly with their 44 dogs from Narita airport to Kushiro, Hokkaido for a two-night stay.
The most basic package cost ¥220,000 for two adults and a dog, and the demand was so great that the tickets sold out in under two days. A woman in her 50s traveled with her husband and her 10-year-old dog, and was thrilled about the experience.
“In the past, we couldn’t make long-distance trips together,” she said.
A veterinarian also joined the flight and all pets were kept in cages fastened to window seats. Before this experiment, pets were usually transported in the cargo hold, but owners expressed concerns about the temperature and their pets’ health during flights.
The Japanese airline used to allow pets in the cabin on international flights but discontinued the service in 2005 when passengers expressed discomfort or suffered from allergies.
The tourism industry in Japan has high hopes for this new development in flights with pets. Katsuhiko Shoji, professor of international tourism at Tokyo University and head of a nationwide association that promoted tours with pets, said many customers want to make long-distance trips with their pets.
“If long-distance travel becomes easier for them, Japan’s tourism industry will be revitalized,” Shoji said. He also commented on the importance of the cooperation from hotels and the leisure industry in general. “Enabling pets to board the airplane is not the end goal. The cooperation of entities at the destination is also necessary.”
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