A Delray Beach, Florida company called Pet Airways plans to launch weekly flights for dogs and cats starting July 14, linking airports in the New York, Baltimore/Washington, DC, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles areas. But unlike other mainline U.S. airlines, on Pet Airways the animals travel in the cabin, not in the cargo hold, and their owners can’t come along for the ride.

Initially serving the five U.S. cities, Pet Airways plans to expand nationwide with ‘pet lounges’ serving ‘pawsengers’ in major metropolitan areas. Pet owners will be able to pick up their charges at Teterboro Airport, Baltimore/Washington International, Palwaukee/Chicago Executive Airport, Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, and Hawthorne Municipal Airport/Los Angeles Executive Airport.

According to Dan Wiesel, top dog at the specialized air carrier, "currently, most pets traveling by air are transported in the cargo hold and are handled as baggage. The experience is frightening to the pets, and can cause severe emotional and physical harm, even death. This is not what most pet owners want to subject their pets to, but they have had no other choice, until now."

Wiesel said he was inspired to start a pet airline five years ago after being forced to ship Zoe, their Jack Russell Terrier, in the cargo hold of a jetliner from San Francisco to their home in Florida.Since then major carrier fees start at $75 dollars in the cabin.

“There's one thing Zoe is certainly not, and that's cargo. As we're fond of telling our neighbor Janet, her boxer Samson isn't Samsonite, and she agreed. In fact, we met lots of neighbors, friends and even complete strangers who felt exactly the same way.

“So we got to thinking. Maybe there was a travel solution that would suit her perfectly, and everyone else out there too. Instead of trying to convince the human airlines to treat pets better, why not start up an airline just for pets? And Pet Airways was born,” Wiesel wrote on his company website.

Pet Airways doesn’t have an operating certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate as a cargo airline and doesn’t plan to seek one. It has no aircraft of its own, and reportedly has hired Suburban Air Freight, headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, to transport the close family friends across the United States in regional aircraft. Although the startup company plans to initiate service in mid-July, an FAA spokeswoman says the animal shipment operation must first pass muster as regards safety standards.

According to the company, “for the safety and comfort of the pawsengers, pets fly in turboprop airplanes. The plane we have chosen to use is the Beech 1900. The Beech 1900 has been and continues to be flown by many of the major airlines throughout the world and is recognized as safe and reliable. It is a 19-passenger plane that has had the'“human' furnishings removed; like the seats and overhead bins.”

For those who keep track of such things, “Suburban Air Freight provides all-weather, scheduled cargo service for major package and freight forwarders, operating routes primarily in the Midwest, in addition to non-scheduled charter service and back-up for other feeder carriers,” according to the company’s Web site.

The current aircraft fleet includes Beech 1900C, Beech 99, and Cessna 208B ‘SuperCargomaster’ aircraft, with additional lift or large loads accommodated through a network of business partners.

“Suburban is a stable company with decades of experience and financial stability to weather economic uncertainties. We continually look for new, exciting business opportunities, and only grow in conservative, careful fashion…We are actively involved in other growth ventures, and are not averse to taking on new concepts,” the Web site continued.

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. Pets fly in planes that are fully-lit, climate-controlled and have the proper level of fresh air circulation that pets require.

Each flight will have a pet attendant on board. As regards ‘creature comforts,’ potty breaks for pets are provided before takeoff. "Potty Breaks are very important to your pet…Pet Airways monitors the last time your pet had a potty break, and makes sure that they get regular potty breaks along the way,” according to Pet Airways’ Web site.

“Pawsengers will be boarded and de-boarded from planes as quickly as possible, never left in the cold or heat, and depending on transit time, will be offered toilet facilities, food and water as necessary during stops,” the Web site continued.

Approximately 76 million cats and dogs travel with their owners (dubbed pet parents) each year. Airlines allow some small pets to travel with their owners, stowed under the seat in pet carriers. Pets that are too big to fit under the seat are relegated to cargo, and, according to the company, are treated as such.

Some U.S. airlines, including Southwest Airlines, prohibit transportation of passenger pets in either the cabin or cargo hold, with the exception of so-called ‘service animals’ such as seeing eye dogs.

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.

And according to the Animal, Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS), "virtually every major airline has been cited and fined for repeatedly mishandling animals." Added the specialized air carrier, “as a result of a lack of oxygen and temperature control in the cargo holds, the most common causes of death are suffocation and heat prostration, although one airline was cited for placing a dog too close to a motor, which burned the animal.”

Fees start at $150 for one-way passage, but increases for larger animals and longer distances. “Our goal is to make flying your pet as affordable as possible. Naturally the fare depends on how big your pet is, (actually the size of the pet carrier), and the distance your pet will travel. We also want to keep it simple, so our fares will be based upon blocks of distances, with pet air fares as low as $149,”says the company.

Pet Airways claims to be the nation's first pet-only airline. It takes flight as major commercial airlines have increased their pet travel fees. In the fee-frenzied environment, the cost of flying with your pet has become rather steep.

For example, Delta now charges $275 to transport Fido in the cargo hold and $150 to bring your smaller pal with you in the cabin on a one-way domestic flight. The under-seat cabin fee tripled within the past year. You will pay a premium ($550) to take your Saint Bernard along on vacation to Paris. And you’ll pay the same amount of cash for the return trip. Delta does hold the line for pets in the cabin; the fee doesn’t go up for international routes. Nor is there a charge for seeing-eye dogs. (Rival AirTran Airways only charges $69 for your pet’s one-way domestic passage in the comfort of the passenger cabin.)

Phil Bakes, former president and CEO of Continental Airlines, says “the simple wisdom of the idea has grown even more apparent as the business of pets continues to explode and owners go to greater lengths to ensure their pets’ safety, comfort and well-being. This is a service whose time has not only come but is actually way overdue. If need and demand are the determinants of success, then Pet Airways has the hallmarks of a winner.”

Charles Lynch, former chairman and CEO of DHL, Inc. said “no longer will owners need to agonize over their pets being transported in the belly of the plane knowing of potential danger that exists there. Pet Airways is a service that will be admired and recognized."

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