For some travellers, a trip through Melbourne Airport is a pretty breezy affair. For others, it goes a little something like this:
- Check-in to a flight the exact moment online check-in becomes available;
- Worry that you forgot to select checked baggage;
- Worry that your carry-on bag is too big, even though you’ve travelled with it a million times before;
- Hoof it onto the SkyBus a solid six hours before boarding;
- Have a miniature freak-out as the bus leaves the terminal, as you pat yourself down for wallet, keys, sunnies, and passport;
- Hop off at the wrong terminal;
- Sink a huge McDonald’s coffee that’s so strong to vibrate you through the floor;
- Re-check your gate number so many times the numerals look like hieroglyphics;
- Actually get on the plane, and realise that yes, you did forget your earphones.
The writer of this article may or may not have intimate experience with this process.
But the airport is today trialling a new program to bring some blessed respite for everyone who finds travel a little rough: a team of therapy dogs has been deployed to T4 Terminal, to soothe flyers caught up in the chaos of Christmas travel.
https://twitter.com/andy_merrick/status/943948550622257152
In what has been billed as an Australian first, the pups from United Paws and the Lort Smith animal centre are on deck for four hours this morning to help out on one of the busiest travel days of the year.
Lort Smith chief David Herman cited the health and stress-reduction benefits of cuddling a furry pal, and to be honest, we’re actually a little calmer just looking at those very good boys and girls.
Absolutely bless ’em.
