A new airline is soaring through the clouds… and people aren’t allowed to ride. Pet Airways is a new service flying cats and dogs across the United States.
How it all began: you can blame a little dog named Zoe. Zoe belongs to the owners of Pet Airways. Like many pet owners, they found it challenging to arrange travel with Zoe in the family. If they wanted to fly somewhere, Zoe was a little too big to ride under the seat (some airlines allow pets of a certain size to ride in the cabin). But they didn’t want their furry family member treated like cargo, and sentenced to ride in the hold like luggage.
There lies the inspiration for Pet Airways — the pets-only airline! The only humans on board are the pilots and Pet Attendants.
Sending your pets on a Pet Airways flight is similar in some ways to flying a regular airline… and different in others. Your pet must be checked in two hours (or more) before the flight. Pet Airways is happy to board your pet for up to three days before departure, if you so desire. While on the ground, Pet Attendants monitor potty habits to make sure your pet doesn’t have to wait ages between bathroom breaks — on a traditional flight, there’s no doggy or kitty bathroom!
In flight, the pets are comfy in their own carriers inside the cabin. All the human seats have been removed! The Pet Attendants check on the passengers every fifteen minutes to make sure everyone is comfortable. Upon landing, everybody gets a potty break before they are reunited with their owners at the Pet Lounge.
Right now, Pet Airways serves a limited number of cities, including New York, Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles. Flights start at $149 and price is based on both distance and pet size. Booking travel is much like other online travel sites: pick your dates, your destination and departure cities, and your travelers.
All in all, it sounds like a great service for folks who want their pets treated like passengers instead of cargo. If Pet Airways adds travel to the Portland, OR area, I’d definitely check it out for Moose and Lally!