Three Huskies and One International Move: The Story Behind Skye Pets
Founder Joanna Maddison couldn't find a way to fly internationally with her three Siberian Huskies, so she built one.
Every business starts somewhere. Skye Pets started with three Siberian Huskies, an international relocation, and a phone call that changed everything.
They said they can't fly
When Joanna Maddison began planning an international move with her three Huskies, Luna, Storm and Kodiak, she quickly discovered the problem that millions of pet owners face every year. Large breed dogs are frequently banned from commercial cargo holds on major carriers. The few airlines that do accept them have weight limits that Huskies exceed. Others simply refuse breeds perceived as "high risk".
Everywhere she called, she kept hearing the same thing: they can't fly, or you'll have to find another way, or you might need to consider rehoming them. That last one broke something in her.
Finding Another Way
Joanna spent months researching alternatives. Private charter was the only option that put pets in the cabin, but the costs for a solo booking were astronomical, and the logistics were overwhelming for an individual to navigate alone.
The insight that became Skye Pets was simple: if she was having this problem, thousands of other pet owners were too. And if those owners could share a charter rather than each booking one individually, the economics would transform completely.
Building Skye Pets
Skye Pets launched as a shared pet charter operator, matching pet owners on the same route into a single charter aircraft, with pets travelling in-cabin alongside their owners. The company partnered with Skytraders, a licensed Australian air carrier, to operate the flights.
Skye Pets is a public charter operator, not a direct air carrier. All flights are operated by Skytraders, a licensed Australian airline. This structure means Skye Pets can focus on the pet travel experience while partnering with a regulated, experienced operator.
The Model Today
Today, Skye Pets operates routes between Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the UAE, Singapore, and from 2026, the United States. Flights are demand-based: a flight is confirmed once minimum booking numbers are reached, protecting all customers via a WSFS escrow model that holds payments securely until the flight is confirmed.
Luna, Storm and Kodiak made it. And since then, hundreds of other dogs, cats, and their owners have made international journeys that commercial aviation said couldn't be done.
A Note on Our Values
Skye Pets donates a proportion of profits to Husky Rescue WA — an organisation close to Joanna's heart. The rescue mission and the charter mission aren't separate things: both exist because we believe pets are family, not cargo.
Further Reading
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