Star Flyer to conduct second verification flight to bring pets on board
November 26, 2021
Yomiuri Shimbun
Aviation news website Response reported Japanese LCC Star Flyer will conduct a second verification flight for in-flight pet service.
Star Flyer (https://www.starflyer.jp/en/）has announced that it will conduct its second verification flight with the aim of introducing an "In-flight Pet Accompaniment Service" (tentative name) that will allow passengers to spend time with their pets (small dogs and cats) on board at its scheduled domestic flights.
The company conducted the first verification test in October with the aim of introducing a service that would allow passengers to travel with their pets in the future, to offer more diversified services.
In this verification flight, as a countermeasure against allergies of other passengers, a pet crate (cage) was used to suppress the scattering of animal hair, utilizing the findings of research under the guidance of veterinarians. The airline will also use a high-performance particulate filter to ventilate the cabin and verify the thorough allergy countermeasures.
In addition, with the cooperation of each of the partner companies, verification will be conducted on the environment for traveling with pets to and from airports, planes, and lodgings, as well as the customer experience during the lodging process.
The test will take on December 5 and 6. There will be two flights a day, one from Tokyo Haneda to Kitakyushu and the other from Kitakyushu to Haneda, using row 27, the last row. Passengers with pets on board will be given priority boarding, and will disembark after other passengers.
Pets will not be allowed to be taken out of their cages or fed inside the airport or on board. The animals that can be brought on board are limited to small dogs and cats that can fit in a pet cage of the size specified by the company (about 50 x 40 x 40 cm). The company selects the monitors and does not accept applications.
