Darren YeohDog on flight alert! If you’re feeling the Monday Blues, here’s your weekly dose of “awww” to cheer you up. Recently, a senior Greyhound flew from Sydney to Italy on board a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight as his owner relocated from Australia. The catch? The lovely doggo got upgraded to Business Class!
Also read: Why This Emirates Flight Attendant Was Spotted Standing Atop Burj Khalifa
Doggo in the sky
Image credit: Greyt Greys Rescue
According to a viral Facebook post shared by Greyt Greys Rescue, a charity rescue organisation in Victoria, Lewis, the lucky Greyhound in question was initially supposed to fly separately from his owner. According to SIA’s policy on pets, Lewis would have been kept in the cargo hold or in the storage deck.
However, because the flight was practically empty, this lucky canine was allowed to fly with his owner in the cabin! According to staff on the flight, Lewis immediately made himself comfortable and behaved like a proper good boi throughout the entire flight.
Image credit: Greyt Greys Rescue
To make this story even more wholesome, it turns out that Lewis was actually celebrating his birthday that day! As you might expect, the staff utterly spoiled Lewis, giving him a makeshift birthday cake (made of cupcakes), a yummy croissant, and even strawberry yogurt to round it all up!
This story just makes our hearts feel so full. Just look at Lewis enjoying his best life!
In other news
However, Lewis’s story isn’t the only in-flight fairytale this past week.
Have you ever dreamt about being the only passenger on board a flight? Not having to tussle for an armrest and having basically the entire plane to yourself? For Alex Svanevik, that dream became a reality on 29 September 2021 as he flew from Abu Dhabi to Singapore!
I'm alone on my flight to Singapore.
The pilot makes all announcements starting with "Mr. Alexander".
— Alex Svanevik ✨ (@ASvanevik) September 28, 2021
Taking to Twitter to express his bewilderment, Svanevik said that he was the only passenger onboard the flight and that all the announcements were addressed to, “Mr. Alexander”! You’ve gotta admit, that’s pretty cool.
Why do underbooked flights take off?
Image credit: John McArthur
A quick check actually revealed that cases like this aren’t all that unique or surprising. According to the Wall Street Journal, underbooked flights like these are sometimes given the green light to go ahead because of special circumstances.
These include essential businesses and important personal matters like births and deaths. What’s more, most airlines these days are also tasked with moving cargo, so sticking to a tight, pre-planned schedule is essential, regardless of whether or not the commercial flight cabin can be filled.
So, even if Svanevik was not present, the flight would have taken off anyway. That being said, we can’t help but be super jealous of the almost “royalty-like” treatment he received. I mean, it’s literally the stuff of dreams.
Also read: Malaysia Plans to Reopen Borders for Travel by December 2021
But, when it all comes down to it, we’d much rather just be able to board a flight in general, after being stuck at home for so long. That’s why the news about the dog on the SA flight made us ridiculously envious. Here’s hoping the dream of flying becomes a reality soon, and we’ll be able to take to the skies like Lewis and Alex!
