Pet Airways, the all-pet air carrier, got off the ground July 14 as scheduled, initiating a cat fight with other airlines for pooch passengers and flying felines.

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. Their owners fly on traditional commercial transports.
The founders say Pet Airways is fully booked for the next two months, a claim no other U.S. airline can make.

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.
The pet-centric 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. (Two-legged Road Warriors never had it so good.)

The Delray Beach, FL company launched weekly flights for dogs and cats, linking airports in the New York, Baltimore/Washington, DC, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles areas.

Initially serving the five U.S. cities, Pet Airways plans to expand nationwide with Pet Lounges serving ‘pawsengers’ in major metropolitan areas. Pet owners initially will be able to pick up their charges at New Jersey’s 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, his Jack Russell Terrier, in the cargo hold of a jetliner from San Francisco to his home in Florida.

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.

When not pampering pawsengers, 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 backup for feeder air carriers. Its current fleet includes Beech 1900C, Beech 99, and Cessna 208B ‘SuperCargomaster’ aircraft.

“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 company’s Web site states.

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.

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

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.

Fees start at about $150 for one-way passage, but increase for larger animals and longer distances. The Delray Beach, FL company launched weekly flights for dogs and cats, linking airports in the New York, Baltimore/Washington, DC, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles areas.

Approximately 76 million cats and dogs travel with their owners 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 Pet Airways officials, are treated as such.

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.

Fees start at about $150 for one-way passage, but increase for larger animals and longer distances. Pets can even earn "pet points" as frequent fliers.

Pet Airways 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. (Rival AirTran Airways, on the other hand, only charges $69 for a pet’s one-way domestic passage in the comfort of the passenger cabin.)

And air carriers who previously banned pets from the passenger cabin have now rolled out the red carpet to pets -- for a fee. Southwest Airlines and Air Canada recently expanded their service to allow small pets to fly in their cabins rather than stowed underneath their planes.

To boost revenue in tough economic times, Southwest for the first time is allowing customers to bring small dogs and cats in the passenger cabin for a $75 fee.

Air Canada says its decision to drop the ban on cats and dogs in the passenger cabin is “the latest of our customer-friendly initiatives that underscores our renewed commitment to listening to our customers and offering a competitive product that meets their needs," said Ben Smith, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Air Canada.

Air Canada will accept a limited number of small dogs and cats as carry-on items that must be stowed under the seat. A ‘service fee’ of $50 for domestic and trans-border flights and $100 for international flights each way apply.

In order to meet the needs of passengers with allergies, the number of small pets accepted in the cabin will be limited to a maximum of two or four depending on aircraft type.

American Airlines is getting on the pet-friendly bandwagon, announcing in the dog days of summer that “every dog (and cat) will have his/her day at American’s JFK Terminal”, where a new pet potty area has grass, a waste disposal facility and a red fire hydrant.

American’s new Pet Relief Area is at the terminal's departure level. Passengers with pets can give their canine or feline friends a final chance to relieve themselves before packing them away in their kennels for the flight.

"American Airlines is sensitive to the needs of passengers who travel with their pets," says Joseph Daly, American's Facilities Maintenance Manager at JFK Airport. "Pets that travel have comfort needs, too, so we wanted to provide a way for them to be comfortable before boarding their flight, just like the rest of us."

The new Pet Relief Area is a 30-foot by 50-foot enclosure, including a 1,000-square-foot patch of natural grass. It has a five-foot wide entrance gate, a walkway and two benches. A "Mutt Mitt" dispenser is provided, together with a trash barrel at the gate for waste disposal. A bright red fire hydrant proudly stands at the far end of the grassy area.

American says it worked with the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners in creating the area, and American's JFK terminal is now listed on the PetFriendlyTravel.com Web site.

The travel world, it seems, has gone to the dogs.

###

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