Air Koryo claims for itself the distinction of being the “unique national flag carrier in DPR Korea,” by which it presumably means to say it’s North Korea’s only flag carrier. But it may also be unique in at least one other respect.

Where other airlines prohibit or strictly limit pets to “dogs, cats and household birds” (per Delta) in the passenger cabin, Air Koryo allows passengers to carry on board dogs, cats, birds, and monkeys, “provided the container can fit under the passenger seat, the total weight of the animal and the container does not exceed 5 kg.”

Air Koryo also has the distinction of being consistently named the world’s worst airline, by the annual Skytrax World Airline Survey.

It’s unclear whether its pet policy and its worst-in-the-world ranking are related.

Reader Reality Check

Have you ever flown Air Koryo?

After 20 years working in the travel industry, and almost that long writing about it, Tim Winship knows a thing or two about travel. Follow him on Twitter @twinship.

This article first appeared on SmarterTravel.com, where Tim is Editor-at-Large.