Airline just for pets takes flight

SAMANTHA BOMKAMP Comments 0
Published: July 23, 2009

NEW YORK — One trip for their Jack Russell terrier in a plane’s cargo hold was enough to convince Alysa Binder and Dan Wiesel that owners needed a better option to get their pets from one city to another.

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Last week, the first flight for the husband-and-wife team’s Pet Airways, the first all-pet airline, took off from Republic Airport in Farmingdale, N.Y.

All commercial airlines allow some small pets to fly in the cabin. Others must travel as checked baggage or in the cargo hold, a dark and sometimes dangerous place where temperatures can vary wildly.

Binder and Wiesel used their consulting backgrounds and business savvy to start Pet Airways in 2005. The past four years have been spent designing their fleet of five planes according to new four-legged requirements, dealing with federal regulations and setting flight schedules.

The two say they’re overwhelmed with the response. Flights on Pet Airways are booked for two months. Pet Airways will fly a pet between five major cities — New York, Washington, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles. The flights are operated by Suburban Air Freight, based in Omaha, Neb.

The one-way fare is $250. For owners, the big difference is service. Dogs and cats will fly in the main cabin of a Suburban Air Freight plane, retooled and lined with carriers in place of seats. Pets (about 50 on each flight) will be escorted to the plane by attendants that will check on the animals every 15 minutes during the flight. The pets also are given preboarding walks and bathroom breaks. And at each of the five airports it serves, the company has created a "pet lounge” for future fliers to wait and sniff before flights.

The company will operate at smaller, regional airports, which will mean an extra trip for most owners dropping off their pets if they are flying, too. Stops in cities along the way means the pets will take longer to reach a destination than their owners. A trip from New York to Los Angeles, for example, will take about 24 hours.

It was a stressful experience in a cargo hold that spurred Binder and Wiesel to start their airline. Their Jack Russell terrier, Zoe, flew once in cargo. Binder said they worried about how the dog was doing but were unable to check on her or get information. The couple soon started looking for a better solution.

"One time in cargo was enough for us,” Binder said, walking through an airplane hangar as Zoe trotted in front of her. "We wanted to do something better.”

Among big U.S. airlines that offer pet services, AirTran, Spirit, Southwest and JetBlue only allow pets to fly in the cabin. Most U.S. airlines charge between $100 and $125, but Delta and Northwest charge $150 for cabin trips. AirTran is the cheapest among big carriers at $69.

Anne Banas of SmarterTravel.com questions the viability of an airline with such a specific niche. "I’m not sure how sustainable it is,” she said. "But if people are trying to go for a first-class service, it could make sense.”