Furry Passengers Take Off Aboard Pet Airways

By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 15, 2009 7:31 AM CDT
Furry Passengers Take Off Aboard Pet Airways
A canine passenger is prepared for his flight during a training session.   (AP Photo/Dave Weaver)

Coffee, tea, or dog biscuits? That's what travelers hoped to hear on the inaugural flight yesterday of Pet Airways, a brand new airline catering to what execs refer to as "pawsengers." The first-ever all-pet airline, launched by US husband-and-wife team Alysa Binder and Dan Wiesel, transports up to 50 dogs and cats in the main cabin of a Suburban Air freight plane, filled with pet carriers instead of seats.

The service currently operates in Baltimore, New York, Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles, reports the BBC, and is sold out for the next two months. One dog owner using the service insisted it was important to her that her hound not travel with the baggage in a conventional flight. "Vito's not a suitcase; he's a member of the family," she sniffed.
(More airline stories.)

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