travel
Cats and dogs take to the skies
More than two thirds of people don’t want pets in the cabin on flights, an sa move poll has revealed.
The poll results come after Virgin Australia announced plans to introduce a domestic, in-cabin flight service for pets within the next 12 months if approved by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
Animals currently travel in the cargo hold unless they’re authorised assistance dogs, which can accompany their owners during flights.
The service will only be available to small cats and dogs, which must be carried in a Virgin Australia approved container and placed under the seat in front of their owner.
Pets will not be allowed to sit on passengers’ laps or roam free on the plane. Other types of animals, like birds, Guinea pigs and reptiles, won’t be permitted to travel in the plane’s cabin.
Only a quarter of sa move poll respondents said cats and dogs should be allowed in the cabin, while seven per cent said they agreed if certain conditions were met. Many people said it should only be on nominated flights, while others voiced concerns about people’s allergies.
Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka says in-cabin service for pets is something that commonly happens overseas and is proven to work well.
“Overwhelmingly, our guests tell us they want to travel with their pets, and we are now on a journey to make that a reality,” Jayne says.
“It’s also a great thing for pet-friendly accommodation providers who will benefit greatly from increased connectivity and the ease for travellers to fly with their pets.”
The service will only be available on specific domestic routes and is restricted to a limited number of rows. The airline will continue to offer transportation of pets in the cargo area.
3 fabulous Mediterranean cruises
AZAMARA CROATIA INTENSIVE VOYAGE
Experience Azamara’s small ship charm, sailing from Venice on an eight-night cruise along the Adriatic coast. Visit medieval Sibenik and the elegant walled city of Dubrovnik (pictured above).
PRINCESS GRAND MEDITERRANEAN
Enjoy a 10-night round trip from Rome aboard Princess’ newest ship Sun Princess, visiting postcard-perfect destinations such as Marseille, Genoa, Montenegro and Corfu (pictured above).
MSC EASTERN & WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN
This 14-night cruise features two ships on one great holiday. The first week’s itinerary includes Brindisi, Mykonos, Athens, and Split, then board your second ship bound for Naples, Barcelona (pictured above) and Marseille.
AZAMARA CROATIA INTENSIVE VOYAGE
Experience Azamara’s small ship charm, sailing from Venice on an eight-night cruise along the Adriatic coast. Visit medieval Sibenik and the elegant walled city of Dubrovnik (pictured above).
PRINCESS GRAND MEDITERRANEAN
Enjoy a 10-night round trip from Rome aboard Princess’ newest ship Sun Princess, visiting postcard-perfect destinations such as Marseille, Genoa, Montenegro and Corfu (pictured above).
EASTERN AND WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN WITH MSC
This 14-night cruise features two ships on one great holiday. The first week’s itinerary includes Brindisi, Mykonos, Athens, and Split, then board your second ship bound for Naples, Barcelona (pictured above) and Marseille.
Book your next cruise with RAA Travel. Visit travel.raa.com.au for details.
More direct flights from Adelaide
Emirates returns to Adelaide
Emirates airline will recommence direct daily flights to and from Adelaide from 28 October this year. The airline stopped flying to South Australia in March 2020, shortly after the global COVID-19 pandemic was declared.
Emirates will operate a Boeing 777-200LR for the Adelaide to Dubai route, with 38 business class seats and 264 seats in economy.
Flights will depart Adelaide at 10.35pm and arrive in Dubai at 5.15am, local time, connecting with many European and US destinations. The return flight leaves Dubai at 2am local time, and lands in Adelaide at 8.50pm.
RAA General Manager of Travel and Distribution Gina Norman says the return of Emirates shows how much travel has recovered since the pandemic.
“It opens up more opportunity for international visitors to experience SA and grow our visitor economy at the same time,” Gina says.
The South Australian Tourism Commission estimates the daily flights will generate more than $62 million per year in tourism expenditure and create in excess of 315 full-time equivalent tourism-related jobs for South Australians.
Direct flights to Whitsundays
Jetstar will be the first airline to operate a direct service from Adelaide to the Whitsundays, starting in September. Travellers will fly from Adelaide to Whitsunday Coast Airport in Proserpine, a 30-minute drive from the coastal resort town of Airlie Beach, which offers several transport options to the Whitsunday Islands.
Gina says travellers will be able to reach this iconic part of Queensland in just a few hours, rather than the full day it currently takes via two flights.
“It’s a popular destination thanks to its perfect weather, gorgeous island beaches, water sports, and of course, proximity to the Great Barrier Reef.”
The service will operate three times a week, and Jetstar says there’ll be 58,000 seats available each year.
Great flight deals are available with RAA Travel. Visit travel.raa.com.au or call 8202 4589.
Local business wins national award
Beach Huts Middleton on the Fleurieu Peninsula took home gold in the 4-4.5 Star Deluxe Accommodation category at the prestigious 2023 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards. The awards’ judging panel comprises 32 industry experts from each state and territory.
Adelaide Fringe, which received gold in the inaugural Excellence in Accessible Tourism category, was another local winner. The award recognises the festival’s focus on the accessibility needs of attendees. Silver winners included Seppeltsfield Wines and ibis Adelaide.
South Australia will be in the spotlight for the 40th anniversary of the awards, which will be held in Adelaide from 20–21 March next year. The event is expected to attract up to 800 tourism industry leaders and business owners to the state.
Alarming number of travellers are uninsured
A 2023 survey of 1000 Australian travellers found that 16 per cent went overseas without buying travel insurance.
The survey was conducted by Quantum Market Research on behalf of the Insurance Council of Australia and the Australian Government travel advisory website Smartraveller.
The survey also found that 60 per cent of participants aged under 30 would consider travelling without insurance in the future, while a third of all travellers said saving money influenced their decision about buying insurance.
The Smartraveller website warns that people travelling without insurance may suffer financially if something goes wrong, largely due to the high cost of medical care overseas.
The survey also revealed that even insured travellers may be overconfident about the extent of their cover, with only 19 per cent of respondents having fully read their policy’s product disclosure statement.
Smartraveller advises it’s essential to understand what an insurance policy does and doesn’t cover, and that add-ons may be needed to cover all planned activities, particularly anything adventurous.
Get an RAA Travel Insurance quote.
IMAGES: Emirates; Getty; SATC/Beach Huts Middleton.
