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Virgin baggage handler praised over sweet act on tarmac

Flying can be nerve-wracking for humans and animals alike, but one airport employee has been praised for going the extra mile to make sure a dog was comfortable before a flight.

Jacqui Felgate filmed her pet dog Cooper before the flight, showing him on the tarmac in a cage with a man next to him preparing to load him onto the aircraft.

The baggage handler can be seen sitting down next to the cage on a trolley, looking to be sharing a few words of comfort with his canine pal before the cage is put on the conveyor belt.

Screenshots from the video showing the baggage handler walking the dog cage towards the plane.
Chad, who works for Virgin Australia calmed the uneasy dog down before the flight. Source: TikTok/ jacquifelgate

As it travels towards the plane, the man walks next to the dog with his hand on the cage.

In a follow-up video, Ms Felgate, a journalist, revealed she had found the handler from the Perth airport who had dealt with her dog after he commented on the video.

"Thanks for calming him," she wrote. "He's not the biggest fan of flying so seeing you take the time to calm him was really heartwarming.

"[It] made boarding and the whole trip for us a lot easier so thank you".

Chad, the baggage handler in the video, responded saying he spent time with Cooper in the staging area prior to the flight to calm him down.

"I ensure every animal that I come across at work gets the royal treatment," he wrote, acknowledging it's a "scary environment" for them.

"I do my absolute best to calm them, water them, and give them some pampering before they are placed in the aircraft.

"I check all the pets, give out all the scratches [and] try befriend them," he wrote in another comment.

"This way a familiar face greets them, out on the busy tarmac later".

Cooper the dog in a cage.
Cooper arrived safely at his destination. Source: Instagram

TikTokers praise the worker

TikTok users loved the sweet gestures from the airport worker, praising him for his caring attitude towards the dog.

"Forget regular commercial ads, this is exactly what would sell me into buying a ticket seeing this," one woman wrote.

"I want to move country but haven't as I think my dog will be treated badly flying," another commented. "This has made me reconsider".

Several airport workers commented on the TikTok.

"Best part of the job, we love the pets," one man wrote.

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