Tokyo: There is growing interest in Japan about how pets are carried on airplanes, after the deaths of pets in a collision of a Japan Airlines passenger jet and a Japan Coast Guard aircraft at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport earlier this year.

Most Japanese airlines require pets to be stored as cargo, and Star Flyer is the only domestic airline allowing passengers to take pets with them into aircraft cabins.

Discussions on the treatment of pets on airplanes are likely to heat up as more people view pets as important family members.

All 379 passengers and crew on the JAL plane escaped from the Jan. 2 crash, but two pets in the cargo compartment were killed, according to the airline.

Following the incident, many people including celebrities with pets took to the internet to call for allowing passengers to carry pets onboard with them.

Most domestic airlines ban this, out of consideration for those with allergies.

A JAL official said that the airline has “begun discussing internally how to deal with pets, including bringing them into passenger cabins.”

Star Flyer began allowing owners to bring pets into cabins on some routes in 2022, making it possible to put small dogs and cats that can fit in cages of a certain size on seats. The policy is popular among users, as owners can constantly monitor their pets.

The service was expanded to all domestic routes on Jan. 15.

Still, people are not allowed to evacuate with their pets in an emergency, due to government guidelines.

The company has received requests from people saying they want to evacuate together with pets in the event of emergencies, while others have voiced concerns that there could be confusion if passengers try to flee with their pets.

“We will consider whether there is a need to review our services,” a Star Flyer official said.

Many foreign airlines allow passengers to bring pets onboard as long as they are kept in certain-sized cages.

In the case of MicroJet Inc., a Japanese company that operates small private jets, passengers are allowed to take pets out of cages in cabins.

In the event of emergencies, crew members will provide support so that passengers can evacuate together with pets as much as circumstances allow, a MicroJet official said.

But one-way trips on MicroJet’s flights from Haneda Airport start from 1.1 million yen, making them inaccessible for many.

JIJI Press