A private pet products company and American Airlines have partnered in an effort to end the nagging problem of air travelers and their pets denied boarding because the pet carrier does not meet airline requirements.

The Sherpa Pet Group, which makes soft-sided airline pet carriers, recently launched the Guaranteed On-Board (GOB) Program -- travel insurance that guarantees members full reimbursement of the cost of their air tickets and their pet’s travel expenses if their canine or feline friends or household birds are ever refused passage in the passenger cabin. As part of the pet-centric project, the firm and American Air unveiled pet travel carriers guaranteed to conform to the air carrier’s rules.

Consumers who purchase one of the three new American Air-branded pet carriers are guaranteed to board U.S. domestic American flights with their pets as long as they fill out the GOB form accurately and comply with the terms of the document.

"We field calls every day from anxious pet owners who are all looking for the same thing - a guarantee that they will be able to board an airplane with their pet and not have any problems," said Tim Ford, chief executive of the Sherpa Pet Group. "Only now, thanks to our unique partnership with one of the world's leading airlines, American, are we able to offer the first guarantee of its kind in the industry."

Once a traveler has purchased a new American Airlines pet travel carrier, customers simply visit the Sherpa web site and complete and print out the GOB certificate. As long as travelers meet the stated requirements, they are guaranteed on board any American flight. The form follows the flight requirements for the airline and helps the traveler better understand the American Airlines guidelines.

"We have a long, proud history as a pet-friendly airline and work hard to deliver great customer service for all of our passengers, whether human or pet," said American’s Mark DuPont, vice president for airport services planning. "The new American Airlines travel carriers designed by the Sherpa Pet Group provide added peace of mind and convenience for our customers traveling with pets."

The new American Airlines pet carriers are available in three approved sizes for the Guaranteed on Board program, and are available for $60 at select PETCO locations and online at www.petco.com.

"We have a long, proud history as a pet-friendly airline and work hard to deliver great customer service for all of our passengers, whether human or pet," said American’s Mark DuPont, vice president for airport services planning. "The new American Airlines travel carriers designed by the Sherpa Pet Group provide added peace of mind and convenience for our customers traveling with pets."

The American Airlines pet carriers are available in three approved sizes (small, medium and large) for pets up to 22 pounds and are available for $60 at select PETCO locations and online at www.petco.com

On a related matter, American Airlines has constructed a pet potty area at JFK International complete with grass, a waste disposal facility and a red fire hydrant.

The Arizona Daily Star recently profiled a Tucson travel agency that specializes in the travel needs of pets. Happy Tails Travel aims to take the complications out of pet transportation by serving as a one-stop service for pet owners looking to make a move. Since the company opened in 1995, Happy Tails has helped thousands of pet owners get their animals safely from one destination to another, moving about 50 pets a month. To ship a small cat or dog domestically, Happy Tails charges $350 plus any airfares or ground-transportation costs. The overall cost runs between $550 and $600. The company will also provide transportation to and from the airport for an additional charge.

Another option for pet travel is Pet Airways, the pet-only air carrier that began flying in July. Unlike other airlines that allow only a handful of small pets to fly in the passenger cabin, with any others joining checked baggage in the cargo hold, all pet passengers on the unique upstart air carrier fly comfortably in specially configured aircraft cabins.

The four-legged travelers -- about 50 on each flight -- wait for their flights at an airport Pet Lounge and are provided pre-boarding potty breaks before being taken to their planes where the onboard pet attendant will check the animals every 15 minute during the flight, providing creature comforts. Fees start at about $150 for one-way passage, but increase for larger animals and longer distances.

The new air carrier won’t break any speed records. A trip from New York to Los Angeles, for example, takes 24 hours. Pets bunk in Chicago overnight where they get the chance to stretch their legs and are fed before finishing the trip the next day both rested and relaxed. The Delray Beach, FL company currently provides weekly flights for dogs and cats, linking airports in the New York, Baltimore/Washington, DC, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles areas.

Pet Airways has no aircraft of its own, preferring instead to hire Suburban Air Freight, headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, to transport the close family friends across the United States in Beech 1900 turboprops, a 19-passenger plane that has had the ’human’ furnishings removed, like the seats and overhead bins. Pets -- initially canines and felines -- travel in their private pet carriers, which are secured using proprietary restraint system especially designed and created by Pet Airways.

Approximately 76 million cats and dogs travel with their owners each year. For some, it’s not a pleasant trip. Pet Airways cites a study by the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), which said that of the two million animals transported in the cargo holds of commercial airliners per year, approximately 5,000 are injured in transit.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), in August, U.S. carriers reported three incidents involving the loss, death or injury of pets while traveling by air, down from both the four reports filed in August 2008 and six in July 2009. All of August’s incidents involved pet deaths.

Meanwhile, Reuters reports of a ‘bird strike’ of another nature. A South Korean passenger jet was grounded just before taking off so that crewmembers could catch a sparrow that was flying around in the cabin. "The bird got in through an open airplane door and was spotted during boarding," said a KAL spokesman. The passengers were asked to leave the plane as the airline needed to prevent the bird from accompanying the domestic flight. The bird was captured and set free and the flight's 123 passengers were put on board a different plane and sent on their journey, which was delayed for nearly three hours, the airline said.