Pet Airways to Start Service in July

(MoneyWatch) 
Pet Airways, the first commercial U.S. airline for pets, will start service July 14 in select U.S. cities. The airline, where pets fly in the main cabin and not in cargo, offers $149 one-way flights for pets from New York to Los Angeles. Currently, the Delray, Fla.-based airline flies only to five cities: New York, Washington, D.C., Denver, Chicago and Los Angeles, but says it plans to expand.
The airline hopes to cash in on the 76 million cats and dogs that travel with their owners each year. (Also in that same press release, it reports that "Pet parents should be aware that a cargo hold can quickly reach temperatures over 120 degrees." Wow, think they guilted pet owners enough? Well, just hold on . . .)

"Most pets traveling by air are transported in the cargo hold and are handled as baggage," said Dan Wiesel, president and chief executive of Pet Airways in a statement. "The experience is frightening to the pets and can cause severe emotional and physical harm, even death."

The service works in tandem with owners taking a cross-country flight. Just before the flight, an owner will drop off a pet at one of Pet Airways' Pet Lounges. There, attendants give pets a wee break two hours before take-off and an attendant also sees to the needs of the pet during the flight. When the plane lands, the animal is taken to another Pet Lounge for pick-up.

Several people I know spend thousands of dollars on their beloved pets, so I think Wiesel may be onto something here. Let's hope it only increases the safety and lessens the anxiety of traveling with pets.

Video courtesy of Pet Airways