As Australia’s borders are set to open in November 2021 after 18 months of international lockdown, many Australians have been left dreaming about traveling, let alone flying on business class.

Well, some creatures have all the luck. Lewis, a retired racing Greyhound, traveled on business class with Singapore Airlines (SIA1) (SINGY) with his human ‘mother’ as they relocated from Melbourne to Italy.

This good news was shared by Great Greys Rescue, where Lewis graduated from. Great Greys is a charity that rescues, fosters, and adopts ex-racing Greyhounds to families in Victoria, Australia.

Like most dogs that aren’t approved support animals, Lewis was initially meant to travel in the cargo section of the aircraft. However, when Singapore Airlines (SIA1) (SINGY) took note of the almost empty business class cabin, the airline decided to upgrade Lewis to accompany his human.

Lewis got an entire business class seat to himself, which proved helpful in the more than 20-hour flight time, as he was able to stretch those long legs as he slept.  

And as the flight crossed several time zones, Lewis reached another milestone during the flight: his birthday. The crew then gave Lewis the obligatory birthday cake and some treats.

According to Great Greys Rescue, the Singapore Airlines (SIA1) (SINGY) flight crew said that Lewis was the “best dog they’ve ever had”, including fully-trained service dogs.

Singapore Airlines (SIA1) (SINGY) received a lot of praise on social media for displaying compassion to animals, especially older ones like Lewis.