Until now, those wishing to take their pets on holiday with them had only a few options: fork out a few thousands pounds for a luxury service like Pets on Jets, send your beloved pooch to the kennel for a few weeks, or cancel your holiday entirely.

But that could soon change.

Ryanair have announced they will consider allowing pets in the cabins of their short-haul flights.

As part of a plan to improve its image, chief commerical officer David O'Brien said: "We are open to lots of suggestions, it's one we're looking at.

"It could be quite difficult. What makes one person happy would make another unhappy. But we'd be interested to hear what people think."

Packed and ready to go! Credit: Alamy

A spokesperson added that allowing dogs into the cabin is one of a "number of proposals" the company are currently looking at.

Currently, Ryanair operate a strict no pets policy - with the exception of guide dogs on certain routes.

Some airlines already allow small pets in the cabin space, including Air Canada, Air France, Delta, and Virgin America, but few budget airlines offer the same.

Flybe, Monarch, and Thomson allows pets to fly on their planes, but only in the hold, while easyJet does not allow pets anywhere on the plane.

Although they do not offer a service in the UK, Germanwings allows cats and dogs in their cabins, as long as they weigh less than 8kg and are not an "attack" dogs, such as pit bull and Staffordshire bull terriers.