'I was comforted by a 13kg rabbit airport has hired to help frazzled fliers'

Mirror reporter Craig Jones headed to San Francisco to be surprised at the airport by a 30lb rabbit named Alex, who is part of a group that delights travellers with unexpected furry encounters

After long haul travel, you could be forgiven for spying the spectre of a 30lb giant Flemish rabbit upon landing and thinking it is a creation of a sleep-deprived illusion.

But, in fact, the bunny is part of something all the more wholesome. The rather cutely named Wag Brigade are tasked with providing travellers at San Francisco Airport (SFO) a rather warm feeling inside.

SFO launched the uniquely adorable initiative back in December 2013. Aimed at making travel all that more comfortable, the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) brought trained dogs to the airport's terminals.

Over 10-years-later, the scheme is hugely popular, if still something of a surprise to those experiencing the furry fun for the first time. The brigade continues to grow in size with over 20 animals, working on rotation, dotted around terminals wearing ‘pet me’ vests. You’ll most likely be pleased to know many have social media accounts should you want to become better acquainted.

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Encountering the pawsome team during a recent press trip to San Francisco was such a delight. It certainly eases the emergence of that impending jet lag. I can’t say it is something I’ve ever experienced at an airport before but let’s be honest it is a programme that should be rolled out everywhere. The only problem might come with travellers being too preoccupied to board their planes or make their onward journeys.

While the troupe consists mostly of dogs there have been a few non-canine recruits in recent years. Piggy Lilou and, the aforementioned, rabbit Alex The Great. The latter was on-hand alongside doggy pals Bombay and Lia to greet us at SFO.

As the photos suggest, Alex is a mega mammoth creature, which just makes the bunny all the more charming. Alex’s personalised specially-made baseball cap being the final addition to capture the hearts of our group.

Alex, has a stack of endorsements and collaborations, notably with the city’s San Francisco baseball team, and on Instagram the remarkable rabbit has over 40,000 followers. Something many of us can only dream of. Undeniably, Alex is a part-time airport greeter and full-time influencer. I heartily recommend watching the videos of Alex roaming the city centre streets in a motorised buggy…when you inevitably drop the bunny a follow.

Although, all the Wag Brigade are, of course, superstars and bring a truly joyfully different airport experience. Confirming their celeb status, I came home to England with Lia’s personalised trading card which bills her as one of the city’s ‘most well-connected corgis’. So, for anyone arriving in San Fran, look her up, as she’d likely be able to sort you out reservations for its most exclusive restaurant - she’s that in-the-know.

Now it's over to you, Heathrow and the rest, if you truly regard yourselves as some of the best airports in the world it is time to take a leaf out of San Francisco’s playbook. We want to see the introduction of huge Heathrow Hare Henry, pronto!

In the meantime, while we all eagerly wait, you can find out more about San Francisco’s Wag Brigade here .