SAS 24 NEWS

Paris / France – – Private jet companies are seeing an increase in the number of animals flying alongside their owners on planes over the past two years, according to a report by CNN Travel.

Global aviation company VistaJet told CNN it had reported an 86 percent increase in the number of animals it’s flown over the last two years.

Matteo Atti, executive vice president of marketing and innovation for VistaJet, said one in four of its members now flies with a four – legged companion, while the amount of birds being taken on board are also on the rise.

‘Rabbits are a recent new breed of pet flown by VistaJet, and while dogs continue to make up the majority of animal passengers, the number of cats spiked 357 percent from 2019 to 2020’, Atti told CNN.

Daniel Hirschhorn, co – founder of boutique private jet character company Luxury Aircraft Solutions and monthly membership program JetMembership.com, told CNN that he thinks the trend of passengers takin their furry friends along with them on journeys is mainly because of lifestyle changes that many have taken place due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘We’re seeing an increase in the level of leisure trips versus business trips’, Hirschhorn told CNN Travel. ‘You’re not going to take your dog into your meeting, but you’ll certainly take it to your other house, if that’s convenient for you.