New Airline Targeted Towards Pets!
Pet Airways Turboprop (courtesy, Pet Airways)
Pet fanatics rejoice! Your pet can now enjoy the luxury of traveling in the main cabin rather than in cargo on Pet Airways, the first airline to dedicate itself to pet-friendly travel. I'm not a pet owner, or even a fanatic, but I do believe that animals should enjoy a safe and comfortable ride, just like us humans. So it's about time something like this arrived, although today's current economic climate makes it an interesting time to launch such a venture.
So here’s how it works. First, buy your ticket on the Pet Airways website, where you also specify the animal’s height and weight. Sample round-trip fares for small- to medium-sized dogs traveling between New York City and L.A. in September cost $698 round-trip (a lot of dough to throw down for your pet!). That would also include a no-fee overnight stopover for your pet in Chicago. Shorter flights are direct and cost upwards of $300 round-trip, depending on your pet’s height and weight. For extra comfort, you can upgrade your pet’s carrier for an additional $50.
On the day of travel, the pampering starts prior to takeoff in a special pet lounge or even at an overnight PAWS Lodge, where you can check your pet in up to 72 hours before flying. Once on board the aircraft (in this case, a modified turboprop… how green!), animals are regularly monitored by in-flight pet attendants, plus get a bathroom break on arrival before heading over to the pickup lounge for that happy reunion with their owners. And because Pet Airways loves pets so much, it even offers to hold them overnight at the PAWS Lodge in case owners can’t pick them up (although if you care enough about your pet to buy it a first-class seat, you should care enough to pick it up on time). Oh yeah, you can even track where your pet is at any time using the airline’s pet tracker. Genius!
Keep in mind Pet Airways currently accepts dogs and cats only, plus pets taller than 33 inches or heavier than 120 pounds are not allowed. Flights start this July between five metropolitan airports within driving distance of New York City, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles.
| Email this post | | | Permalink |
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
Wonderful idea though how many people are going to spend that kind of cash on their pets especially when smaller pets can already fly with you in the cabin of most major airlines?
Posted by: Steven Cohen | July 04, 2009 at 02:45 PM
This is awesome!!! My finacee and I were just thinking we want to take the dogs with us on our honeymoon and I doubt we'll be able to afford this by then, but still... like that it's an option, y'know?
(cheap travel lovers - follow @BudgetVacation)
Posted by: Laura | June 26, 2009 at 06:11 AM