Hainan Airlines gives small pets ticket to fly

Every year before Spring Festival, the most important holiday for family reunions among Chinese, Sun Qingqing has to decide whether to leave her poodle with a pet store in Haikou, Hainan province, or drive with the dog to her hometown in Jiangxi province.

This year, she can be spared from the annual ordeal and travel conveniently by air with her pooch.

Hainan Airlines has said it will allow some pets to travel with their human companions in the cabin, making it the first domestic commercial airline to do so. This means Sun and other animal lovers can fly with their pets and avoid the heart-wrenching goodbyes come holiday time.