BRITISH AIRWAYS franchise carrier, GB Airways, has been ‘jumping through hoops’ recently to help its latest group of VIPs. The British Dog Agility Team flew with GB Airways to the World Championships in Portugal.

This has all been possible since GB Airways launched its new Pets Travel Scheme earlier this year, enabling animals to fly from Malaga, Faro, Gibraltar and Malta into London Heathrow. This scheme will soon be extended to London Gatwick and include other GB Airways destinations in Portugal and Spain, including the Canary Islands.

Peter Kenworthy, GB Airways’ Commercial Director, said, ‘We are delighted to be one of the first airlines operating this scheme to bring animals back in to London. We are taking the lead and trialling the scheme whereby pets will travel as cargo on the return flight to the UK. Pets can then be collected from the animal reception at the relevant airport’.

GB Airways Cargo has a simple pricing policy – one for dogs, one for cats, with no restriction on the size of the animal. All animals travelling under the scheme must have six month’s clean bill of health and be tagged with a microchip.

GB Airways cabin crew member, Louise Cook, with members of the British Dog Agility Team.

Colin Nicholls, General Manager Marketing and Development for GB Airways Cargo said, ‘Our passengers have shown that this is a service that they want and will use as they spend longer periods of time abroad from the UK. Many tourists from mainland Europe already take their family pets on holiday with them. This scheme will now allow British holidaymakers to do the same’.

This winter, GB Airways will fly to a total of 21 destinations in Spain, Portugal, France, Malta, Gibraltar, Morocco and Tunisia.

Customers wishing to book Passports for Pets should contact Peter Gilman at GB Airways Cargo on 01293 433767 or log onto the new website at www.gbairwayscargo.com