When my dog, Roxy, was a puppy, I flew her to Hobart with me to visit my parents.

I’ll never forget peering out the window of the plane from my comfortable seat inside and seeing her in her crate, stalled on the runway, looking forlorn.

There were a couple of larger dogs in crates and they were noisily expressing anger and fear at their imprisonment. That seemed to make her more nervous, and I wondered how on Earth she was going to survive the noise of the engine when we took off.

Except for the return journey, I never did that again.

I’m not sure that any being with consciousness deserves to be in the hold of a plane. We humans have trouble enough calming nerves over the bumps, strange noises and nerve-racking accelerations and decelerations when we’re strapped inside those hurtling cigars. And we understand the concept of flying. Imagine how a dog or cat feels – unless they’re medicated, they’re frightened.

And while I’m sure every care is taken by baggage handlers to get the animals on to the plane more gently than inanimate luggage, there have been a number of incidents over the years when pets have died in transit, most frequently by being left on sweltering tarmacs when the flight has been delayed.

No wonder animal owners have been agitating for some years to be able to take their pets inside the cabin.

Now Virgin Australia has announced that the airline will allow pets in the cabin on some flights within the next 12 months, subject to regulatory approval. The service will be limited to small cats and dogs on some domestic routes only, so you can’t take your rabbit or guinea pig, apparently.

Pets will be limited to assigned rows and they must be small enough to fit into a carrier, which fits below the seat in front. No pets on laps or animals freely running around the aircraft.