Tourism Star Flyer to allow pets on all domestic flights

[thomas]

Good news for pet owners: Star Flyer will allow pets on all domestic flights starting January 2024! The offer includes small dogs and cats and won't be cheap. I hope this move will put pressure on other carriers to follow suit.

Photo credit: Kyodo​

After Star Flyer Inc. became the first domestic airline to provide the service in March 2022 on flights between Kitakyushu Airport in Fukuoka Prefecture and Tokyo's Haneda airport, the company has decided to expand it from Jan. 15 due to its popularity. Passengers are permitted one pet per person, with each flight allowing up to two animals. Tickets for pets cost 50,000 yen ($350) per animal, and owners will be assigned seating next to their pet's crate in the last row of the aircraft. Those traveling with their pets are asked not to feed them during the flight, although water is permitted. From 2024, pets will be allowed on flights between Haneda and Kansai airport in Osaka Prefecture, Yamaguchi Ube Airport in Yamaguchi Prefecture and Fukuoka Airport, as well as between Chubu airport in Aichi Prefecture and Fukuoka.

Japanese airline to allow pets on all domestic flights from January

A Japanese airline will allow passengers to bring their small dogs and cats on board all of its domestic flights beginning January in a bid to attract more customers, its website showed Saturday.

english.kyodonews.net

 

[mdchachi]

That's smart. Easy revenue.

 

[Grandpa Frank]

I have a bed & breakfast house across the street from me that makes a big deal about allowing dogs. Almost everyday year round , both apartments are occupied by dog owners. People love their pets and want to travel with them. There are a lot of news stories about pets dying on plane flights though and I would want to know the airline companies safety record on pet travel.

 

[thomas]

I have a bed & breakfast house across the street from me that makes a big deal about allowing dogs. Almost everyday year round , both apartments are occupied by dog owners. People love their pets and want to travel with them. There are a lot of news stories about pets dying on plane flights though and I would want to know the airline companies safety record on pet travel.

In recent years, "pet tourism", travelling with your pets, has increasingly come onto the radar of Japan's tourist industry. Pet ownership has risen during the pandemic, and owners don't want to leave their furballs behind on vacation. Several hotel chains and smaller operators have started to cater to dog owners (at a price). Airlines, like Star Flyer mentioned above, now allow passengers to bring small pets into the cabin. I wouldn't like to expose our dogs to the stress of travelling in the cargo hold.

Edit: pets and cargo holds, horror stories galore.

Is Your Pet Safe Flying In Cargo?

Dozens of animals died flying in cargo on U.S. airlines in 2016. Do we know what's going on when our pets are checked in?

www.cntraveler.com