During the Chinese New Year (CNY) travel rush, we reported that many airlines introduced a number of options for people flying with their pets, including passenger seats. Now that the Qingming, or Tomb-sweeping Day, holiday is over, the railway authorities in China are trialling a new pet-travel option on high-speed trains between Beijing and Shanghai.
Stations in Beijing, Jinan, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Shanghai on the Beijing to Shanghai line will be offering trial pet check-ins, and you can book the transfer 2 days ahead of the journey. The pets will be transported in specially designed boxes that offer air circulation, noise and smell reduction, as well as oxygen, temperature and humidity monitoring. Guards will check on the pets every 2 hours and supply drinking water, but not food for them. The boxes will be sanitised after each journey.
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There are size requirements for the pet being transported on the trains in China, and currently, there’s a 30% off on the fare. Netizens are not entirely convinced by the trial because most dogs exceed the size requirement, and it is hard enough to get tickets for humans, let alone pets. Others think people want to sit with their pets rather than travel separately, but most agree it’s a good starting point for the railway service in addressing the needs of pet owners.
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