Airlines break the rules to let Fort McMurray evacuees fly with their pets

Calgary-based airlines Canadian North and WestJet are breaking their own rules to help local pets escape the wildfires in Fort McMurray, Alberta.

Generally, the airlines charge fees and have strict rules about allowing pets on board. However, many Fort McMurray residents were not able to grab crates from their homes — or much of anything else — before being evacuated.

So Canadian North and West Jet are letting their pets fly right alongside them.

"Due to the unusual circumstances we were able to bend the rules to accommodate these animals," a spokesperson from Canadian North told the Huffington Post.

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Now, flight attendants and thankful passengers are tweeting photos of their traveling pets — many of which look pretty excited about their very first flight.

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Canadian North staff are even doing some cat-sitting of their own. Meow Meow, whose owner went into labor shortly after her evacuation, is serving as a temporary flight attendant.

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More than 80,000 people had to evacuate because of the enormous wildfire that has burned an area larger than the entire city of Chicago. Airlines have scheduled hundreds of extra flights to accommodate evacuees.

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