No joke: Indian woman books entire business class cabin to fly with her dog

Having the means to fly business class is possibly a sign of bougie living. Some, however, can go one step further.

News agency ANI reported that a woman in Mumbai booked the entire business class cabin on an Air India flight for her Maltese dog on Wednesday (Sept 15).

The Mumbai-Chennai flight AI671 has 12 business class seats, all of which were reserved by this loaded lady.

Her servant and pet were the only other passengers accompanying her in the cabin on the two-hour-long flight.  

A Chennai Airport official told ANI that the average price for a business class ticket is Rs 20,000 (S$367). That means the woman spent approximately $4,400 on her travels. 

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According to Air India, a maximum of two pets are permitted on each domestic flight. Passengers travelling with pets will be seated in the last row of the booked cabin class.

This could be a possible reason why the woman chose to book the entire business class cabin to fly with her pooch instead.

While booking the entire business class cabin for a pet is rare, it is not uncommon to see furkids in economy class. 

A source in Air India told The Hindu that apart from dogs and cats, they've "even had hamsters on a flight from Delhi to Chennai". 

Other pet owners with deep pockets have gone the extra mile (or sky mile) for their furry darlings.

Last June, a 25-year-old woman in Mumbai arranged for a six-seater private jet to fly her pet dogs from Delhi during the pandemic lockdown. The entire charter set her back nearly $17,000.  

While some may baulk at the travel expenses, another woman whose pets were onboard the same flight told The Print: "I did not care about money. They are like my children. I miss them terribly."

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amierul@asiaone.com