CritterBlog

No Bones About It, Pawsengers Takes Flight

Americans like to travel with their pets. Travel Agent Central (TAC) reports that 76 million dogs and cats will travel with their owners this year. TAC cites a finding by the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals that of 2 million animals traveling in the cargo hold of airplanes every year, 5,000 are injured in transit.

Beginning July 14, 2009, Pet Airways will begin flights from several US cities, exclusively for dogs and cats; no humans allowed. The animals will travel in the passenger cabin, aboard a fleet of Beech 1900 turbo-prop planes. “It is a 19-passenger plane that has had the ‘human’ furnishings removed; like the seats and overhead bins. Pets are placed in their private pet carriers which are secured using our proprietary restraint system especially designed and created by Pet Airways,” according to their web site.

The airline will fly out of the following airports:

• Teterboro Airport, serving the New Jersey/New York/Tri State Area
• Baltimore/Washington International Airport, serving Baltimore/Washington DC/Richmond
• Palwaukee/Chicago Executive Airport, serving Chicago/Milwaukee
• Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, serving Denver/Colorado Springs/Ft. Collins
• Hawthorne Municipal Airport/Los Angeles Executive Airport, serving Los Angeles/San Diego/Orange Count/Inland Empire/San Fernando Valley

The airline is offering introductory fares as low as $149 each way.

Bone Voyage.