Thaindian News

Man’s best friend and it’s feline counterpart now have yet another reason to feel just like one of the family, and not some furry luggage extension, stashed away in the cargo hold when traveling by air, their very own airline service, which is so exclusive, that even the pet-owners are not allowed on board!
Launched in 2005 by the husband and wife duo of Alysa Binder and Dan Weisel, the logistics of the project took four years falling into place, with the first flight finally taking off on Tuesday, from the Republic Airport in Farmingdale, New York.

The brainchild, triggered by the couple’s own distressing experience of traveling with their beloved Jack Russel Terrier ‘Zoe’ on board a regular commercial airliner, where their pet was relegated to having to travel in the dark, dingy (and potentially dangerous owing to the alarming fluctuations of temperature)cargo hold, has come as a huge relief to dog and cat-owners who don’t mind shelling the extra bucks to buy some travel comfort for their pooches, or kitties for that matter.

The airline, consisting of a fleet of five planes that have been retooled and fitted with carriers where seats used to be, will ply, as of now, between five major American cities of New York, Washington, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles. Each aircraft, capable of carrying about 50 pets at a time, will be attended to by attendants who will escort the passengers in as well as check on them at 15-minute intervals. Long-distance stop-over flights will include among other amenities, scheduled bathroom breaks, playtime, dinner and a bunk for the night. All in all, a trendsetting venture, guaranteed to make airline, canine and feline history all at once.