Greyhound enjoys business class flight from Australia to Italy

Cabin crew ‘spoiled him rotten’ says owner

Rescue dog Lewis snuggles up in his £5,000 business class seat (Mary Meister/@greytgreysrescue)

Lewis the greyhound got a taste of luxury many of us will never experience last month, when he flew business class on a Singapore Airlines flight from Melbourne to Italy.

Owner Mary Meister wanted to bring her beloved pup to Florence, where she has relocated from Australia, and came across the concept of “emotional support animals”, which passengers can bring onto the plane when travelling on certain carriers.

“I was researching if dogs were allowed in the cabin, which some airlines, including Singapore Airlines allow,” she told Traveller.com.au.

“Unfortunately they have weight restrictions which meant that Lewis didn’t qualify. I then saw that they allow ‘Emotional Support Animals’ and researched what that meant.”

Ms Meister, who suffers from panic attacks and anxiety, consulted her doctor and therapist who both gave recommendations for her to take Lewis onboard the flight.

“Being separated for three days was out of the question, the longest I’ve been apart from him, since starting to work from home, is a few hours at most,” she said.

She originally planned to have Lewis curled up at her feet on the flight, for which she had booked a business class seat - but in the end the cabin was so empty due to the pandemic that the hound was able to stretch out on a seat of his own.

“He was very well behaved and stayed when asked,” she said. “He definitely didn’t enjoy take-off or landing, but he slept for 99 per cent of the flight.”

A business class fare from Melbourne to Milan or Rome, via Singapore, with Singapore Airlines costs around £5,000 one way, lasting around 23 hours.

Photos of the seven-year-old rescue dog sitting sensibly in his luxurious seat were posted to Instagram account @greytgreysrescue, the pet adoption charity who placed Lewis with his current owner.

Depending on the aircraft, Singapore Airlines’ business class cabins have fully-reclining seats “handcrafted in Scottish leather” and an 18-inch TV screen, while guests are served lobster thermidor and Laurent-Perrier champagne.

Just last week, Singapore was named Asia’s best airline at the World Airline Awards, voted for by Skytrax users, also picking up the awards for best cabin crew and best first class offering.

Meister told Traveller.com.au that the second leg of the flight fell on Lewis’ seventh birthday, and the crew “spoiled him rotten”.

“The flight attendants brought him muffins, croissants, and lots of strawberry jam, which he loved,” Ms Meister said.

“They all said he was the best behaved dog they’d ever had on a flight and they couldn’t believe how quiet he was the whole time.”