(TAN): Virgin Australia might be bankrupt, but it has enough heart left in the cargo hold. The airline helped Pipsqueak, a stranded dog, to reunite with its family at Sydney Airport last week.
In March, the dachshund pup was sailing around the Gulf of Mexico with her owners on a four-year global sailing adventure when COVID-19 struck, separating the family and Pip, as she’s affectionately known, when owners Zoe and Guy Eilbeck and their children were forced to fly back to Australia urgently.
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Over the next five months, strangers all over the US cared for the stranded dog Pip, before she began her 17,000 km journey home to Sydney via North and South Carolina, Los Angeles, Auckland, and Melbourne.
The final leg of the journey was however thwarted when cargo flights between Melbourne and Sydney were full as a consequence of COVID-19 state border restrictions.
Virgin Australia came to help after hearing the story, booking her on the next available service to Sydney.
In a video of the reunion released by the airline, Pip’s owners Zoe and Guy Eilbeck thanked Virgin Australia for bringing their family back together.
“She’s part of our family and it’s been five months and that’s a long time to miss anybody,” said Mr Eilbeck.
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Virgin Australia Group General Manager Cargo, Glen Moloney, said the airline was thrilled to have been able to unite the stranded dog with her family. “During these difficult times it’s nice to be able to put a smile on someone’s face and I know it was a real joy for our team to come to the rescue,” said Moloney.
Virgin Australia crew member, Olivia Cayzer who was instrumental in the reunion said Pip was given the VIP service. “Pip disembarked the flight before anyone else and was then ushered through the terminal to be reunited with her family,” she said.
Virgin Australia transports more than 30,000 pets around Australia each year.
