They’re selling the idea that your dog or cat can fly in the cabin like family.
The problem?
You still can’t easily see where or how to book it.
Two Italian airlines launched a smart pre-summer PR play aimed at a very specific audience: families travelling with pets.
→ ITA Airways, took a brand-led route with its “Large Pet Friendly” ticket, turning the launch into a customer-first story about pets as family.
→ Aeroitalia, used a proof-of-concept approach, with less branding and more operational testing.
As a pet parent, I did like the narrative, but I cannot understand the PR hype while their pet travel pages and FAQs still mostly show old standard cabin rules.
As a marketer, I could see their PR steps: announcement, media attention, and the opening sales during IATA summer season. But I honestly did expect a clear click-day moment, almost like a Black Friday drop, where the first families could rush to book.
Instead, the whole campaign feels much more hidden.
So what do we know?
→ There is still no clear list of “large pet friendly” domestic destinations in the booking flow. The most accurate routes mentioned publicly are (ITA Airways) Milan Linate – Rome Fiumicino, with the broader rollout expected on selected domestic Italian flights and (Aeroitalia) Rome–Palermo, as the first reported large-pet cabin service.
→ The only way of booking PETC for both airlines is (oldie but goldie) through calling their respective customer centers.
It does feel like we are stuck in the 90’s. Calling. To book it.
This is, however, an interesting case of strong PR, but limited booking clarity for the books.
For marketers, it’s a good reminder that a great launch story still needs an equally clear customer journey 🧡
LinkedIn original post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/angels-bosch
