Airline in doghouse over cat's trip in cabin

AN AIRLINE has been fined after allowing a family take their pet cat into the cabin of a Paris-Edinburgh flight.

Jasmine, who is ten, travelled in the cabin of an Air France flight with her owner, Sandra Merlet, and her two daughters. Mrs Merlet, 46, thought it would be allowed under the pet passport scheme, but flights into Edinburgh are not covered and the family were stopped by customs officers when they landed.

The airline and its subsidiary, CityJet, were fined a total of 2,000 after admitting breaking laws designed to keep rabies out of Britain.

Jasmine, who came originally from Vietnam, had to spend a week in quarantine before she was released to join the rest of the family at their Edinburgh home last April.