Airline allows pets to fly with their owners to escape Canadian wildfires

Canadian North Airlines has relaxed stringent rules about allowing passenger’s pets on board its aircraft, after hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee their homes due to out of control wildfires in Fort McMurray. 

Around 80,000 residents have been evacuated as the blaze rages across the city, and the airline is helping them escape. 

They’ve made provisions to have several cats and dogs travel in the main cabins without carriers or kennels, so the residents wouldn’t have to leave their beloved pets behind. 

"It's definitely unusual to carry pets in the cabin, but due to the unusual circumstances we were able to bend the rules to accommodate these animals," a Canadian North spokesperson told The Huffington Post Canada. 

“We have a deep connection with those affected by the massive fire, and understand how devastating leaving their pets behind would be.” 

Twitter was flooded with people saying how grateful they were to have their pets with them – and said it was a luxury they may find hard to do without next time they travel via plane.