Do any airlines allow pets to fly in the cabin outside of cages/kennels, or at least allow the pet to come out if they remain in the adjoining seat? I've searched far and wide and can't find good info about this.
I ask because I saw a girl Tweet a pic of her dog on a plane sitting on a seat next to her (don't know if the plane was moving yet or not), and was wondering if this is allowed/disallowed or not in some airlines. I know plenty of airlines allow pets in cabins, but they almost always seem to make it clear that they must be locked/confined and cannot be free, and do not seem to allow them such luxury as in the seat next to you or even able to be released and held by a leash/on your lap/etc.
Basically, they expect the pets to be nothing more than carry-on baggage and offer no privilege.
Are any airlines more lenient about this, such as letting the dogs/cats be free of cages after landing or prior to departing? Just wondering how lenient they are and if any airlines really allow this or if some people just stretch the rules a bit by doing what they're ... not technically supposed to.