A Siberian cat named Reinhardt recently flew Turkish Airlines business class on a Boeing 787-9, prancing down the aisle and then calmly settling into his human’s lap like Don Vito Corleone stroking a cat in The Godfather. Cute? Absolutely. But as with all pets in premium cabins, there is a bigger question here.
Reinhardt The Travel Cat Flies Turkish Airlines Business Class Like A Boss
There are travel influencers, and then there is Reinhardt.
Reinhardt is a Siberian cat and, according to his own website, a seasoned “travel cat” whose adventures are meant to help others learn more about pet-friendly travel. His website says the cats behind the account have collectively traveled to 15 countries, with guides on everything from leash training to flying with a cat. That is not exactly my lane, but I will admit that Reinhardt appears far more composed in premium cabins than many human passengers.
A recent video shows Reinhardt onboard Turkish Airlines business class on a Boeing 787-9. He is not cowering in a carrier or frantically trying to escape. Instead, he calmly walks down the aisle, inspects the cabin, and eventually settles into his human’s lap.
The whole thing has a very Don Vito Corleone feel to it: a powerful figure sitting quietly, stroking a cat, while everyone else understands who is really in charge. (In this case, the cat…)
Cute, But I Still Have My Usual Concerns
Turkish Airlines has a reputation for being more pet-friendly than many global carriers. Cats, dogs, and certain small birds may travel in the cabin, subject to weight, carrier, and documentation rules. Turkish says pets traveling in the cabin may not exceed 8 kg including the carrier, and the carrier must fit within specified dimensions.
Reinhardt’s own website has praised Turkish Airlines in the past, calling it a “truly pet-friendly” carrier and noting that passengers traveling with pets must book window seats as a safety precaution.
I know some readers will accuse me of being humorless when it comes to pets onboard. I am not. Reinhardt is adorable, and if every animal behaved like this cat appears to behave, the debate over pets in aircraft cabins would be much less heated.
But that is the problem. Most airline pet policies are written for the average case, not the perfect one.
A calm cat sitting in a lap makes for a charming video. A nervous pet that meows, sheds heavily, triggers allergies, soils the cabin, scratches a passenger, or blocks egress is a very different story. Airlines have to build rules around the less charming possibilities.
I also remain skeptical of pets roaming around premium cabins, even briefly. A business class cabin is still a shared space, not a private living room. Other passengers may have allergies, fears, or simply no interest in sharing the aisle with someone else’s animal. That does not mean Reinhardt did anything wrong. It does mean that the line between “cute travel cat content” and “why is this animal loose in the cabin?” is thinner than pet influencers may want to admit and I’m tired of the “rules for thee, but not for me” approach to this sort of content.
The Corleone Cat Wins This Round
To be fair, Reinhardt appears to be the sort of animal that makes the best case for pet travel in premium cabins. Calm, trained, used to travel, and closely handled by his human. That is very different from the chaotic pet incidents I often write about, where animals are treated as accessories until they become everyone else’s problem.
For better or for worse, pet travel is not going away. Airlines can restrict it, regulate it, and charge for it, but passengers increasingly want to travel with animals. Some do it responsibly. Others do not.
That is why enforcement matters.
If a cat is properly booked, within the weight and carrier limits, seated in an appropriate place, and not bothering anyone, I am not going to pretend this is a calamity. But airlines also need to be willing to say no when passengers treat the cabin like a pet café.
Reinhardt may be a gentle feline, but he still overstepped his welcome.
CONCLUSION
Reinhardt the Siberian travel cat recently appeared in Turkish Airlines 787-9 business class, calmly walking the aisle before settling into his human’s lap.
In one sense it is charming content, and I understand why it resonates. Turkish Airlines is notably pet-friendly, and Reinhardt seems far better behaved than many human passengers. Still, my skepticism remains. Pets in cabins work only when the rules are followed, the animal is genuinely well-behaved, and other passengers are not forced to accommodate someone else’s travel fantasy.
In this case, Reinhardt appears to have pulled it off…the cat made Turkish Airlines business class look even more civilized. But please leave your cat at home…
image: @siberian_reinhardt / Instagram
Too many people anthropomorphize their pets, too many (often affluent) people believe their pets have greater rights than other people, too many people treat animals much better than they treat other human beings. All of these behaviors are further evidence of the fundamental moral and societal decline of human civilization. Hopefully it won’t be too long until the Planet of the Apes movies become reality.
You are precisely correct and I think this gets to the root of why these animals on planes bother me.
And then, there’s the extreme outliers, like Maria Assunta, a childless Italian widow who left her entire $13 million estate to a stray cat named Tommaso. Talk about fat-cats!
While a pretty cat it has no place roaming the cabin unless this individual bought out the cabin or Turkish rules allow it.
I mean, they did do the 5 minute ad of the cat flying in Business Class. TK just does things differently.
Cute. If you, like many, have a cat dander allergy it can make a flight miserable. Or worse. It’s 13 hours SFO-IST and you could spend the entire time sneezing, coughing and gasping whether the cat is in a carrier or not.
Many airlines ban peanuts over potential allergic reactions but yet not cats. Cats must have better lawyers.
Fexofenadine is your friend.
Banning pets is the solution, not medication
Pete, you just proved Polite right: in your estimation, the person must withstand the inconvenience, take medication and risk a real medical emergency in flight, all to allow a pet in the cabin. Some airlines have flippantly told people with allergies that they cannot/won’t accommodate their ailment and will rebook them on a different flight if there’s a pet on board, rather than rebooking the pet & their owner. Pets’ rights over human’s.
I’m with Foxbat: people with allergies (whether to peanuts or to cats & dogs) should come first. We accept the need to make accommodations for peanut allergies, but not when it comes to pets. Really odd human behaviour.
Pfft. Russian cat propaganda. Cute eye candy trying to persuade passengers they aren’t being covered with cat hair ( three layers full.) And no just like the. Siberian Samoyeds, it’s not all hypoallergenic.
Stunts for pushing the pet traveling agenda upon all of us.
Siberian cats are not 100% hypoallergenic, but they’re close. It’s not necessarily the fur but rather the dander (or lack of a particular protein).
Hate to be political, but Siberia may soon not be part of Russia anymore…
Cute but still wrong.
Please, put me in business class full of animals rather than economy full of children. Go on… I’ll wait!
You sound as “delightful” as my neighbour. The question is whether you’re as lonely and rude as she is.
Like children, cats and their owners should be accommodated at the rear of economy class regardless of the fare paid.
What a horrible child you must’ve been if that’s how you think all children should be treated. Most kids are better behaved & quieter than the entitled brats who’d have them banished to the gallows. They’re certainly less disruptive than all the adults whose conducts cause flight diversions.
Well, being a new cat daddy I understand the concerns of some in the comments and think the airline has probably too. Istanbul is and has been known as a cat friendly caring city and it’s citizens take care and are providing all their needs while living on the streets and everywhere you go, so relax, if it needs to go back into the bag so be it, no problem humans are paying and have allergies.
I don’t care how cute or well behaved it is, I am severely allergic to cats. How would I know there will be a cat running around when I booked my flight! Who’s responsible for my serious reaction to the animal and sick the entire flight? The owner? The airline?
Well cats are the true rules of Turkey. They are the celebrities and darlings of Turkey, so it follows the national airline would treat them like royalty.
Not just Istanbul,where it’s believed cats saved the city from a deadly plague.A Turkish friend told me how people joke about the feline entitlement.Cats are respected in Islamic culture,which I know is far superior to Christianity in terms of treating animals,who are pretty much perceived as food or an annoyance by many if not most.My morning walks in Hammamet Tunisia recently,began seeing humane locals feeding the feral cat community,setting up boxes with blankets for them,and wishing me a friendly ” bonjour” at the same time.