Well they take birds
Everyone has to have a beginning.
They will make some mistakes but if they're honest and aboveboard they'll fix it

Thanks for writing about this. It's definitely worth mentioning that when it comes to pets, it's not always best to cut corners.
We'll be watching PetAirways closely -- it's certainly a great idea. Working for a pet transportation company that prides itself on customer service and safety, I'm hoping PetAirways will aspire to similar heights.

Rachel Farris

If the Huffington Post is critical of you it probably means you are on the right path!

Pet Airways was a turn off to me and many of my colleagues when they spoke negatively of the way pets currently travel on the airlines that have pet safe programs. IPATA (Independent Pet and Animal Transportation Association) has over 300 members who work together as professionals to safely and efficiently assist with all areas of a pet's smooth move and as been in business for 30 years. The press release before Pet Airways even got off the ground talked unfavorably of the current pet shipping industry and positively on their projected service. Since my company opened almost 15 years ago there have been no incidents or compromises in pet safety.

I wouldn't trust these people if you paid me money! They have no reservation system, no customer support, nothing. Their website doesnt work well. These 2 are completely clueless. Awesome idea, horrible implementation.

I wonder if these pets are given a sedative before they take off on the "bird"!!

I have used the PetAirways reservation system without any trouble and had a followup question answered promptly by email. It remains to be seen how they fare but I will give them a chance.

The business model for all airlines is to fly as many people as possible so I fail to see why Pet Airways model is so bad.

Say what? This is the most heavily slanted, zero substanced story I've read in a long time, but then again I've come to expect opinion over facts from the huff post.

What does not fitting into a scope of rules have to do with their safety? That's a bit slanderous to suggest the things you are.

Let me tell you a bit about safety for animals on airplanes. Regulations or not, it would take an absolute effort for this operation to be as unsafe for pets as the passenger airlines are.

The cargo compartments can get fatally hot during the summer, pets get left on the ramp in the hot sun leaving them exposed to fuel spills and chemical sprays such as Glycol during the winter. The airline handlers who often don't have direct experience with dog crates, often find themselves with a broken crate and a dog loose on the ramp. When that happens, the airport usually has to shoot the dog to keep it off the runways if they can't catch it immediately. This happens quite often.

So again, tell me how this airline can be any worse than that?

To tout safety concerns in this case is laughable, considering the alternative. In fact, safety IS their business model. People are willing to pay more to ensure their dog/cat arrives at the destination safely...at least much safer than what the airlines currently offer.

Let me conclude by asking these questions:
Honda doesn't have to report how many dogs die in their vehicles. Does that make Honda unsafe?

Southwest Airlines makes more money by attracting more passengers at lower fares. Does that make them unsafe?

Hi Dirk,

Good questions, all of them. I'll see if I can address them:

You said: "The cargo compartments can get fatally hot during the summer"
Wrong -- large planes like 767s and 787s have pressurized, climate controlled cargo holds just like the passenger cabin above. In fact, the air is all recycled throughout the plane.
The heat problems come into play with airlines that are not set up to handle pets on the ground.
Being aware of what airline you are using is important.
Continental, KLM and Lufthansa all fly pets year-round as they have tailored their programs to keep pets in climate control instead of sitting on the tarmac in the heat/cold.

You said: "What does not fitting into a scope of rules have to do with their safety?"

I would think: everything.
Without complying by the rules, accidents can happen and consumers will not be informed. Also, improvements cannot be made.
Again - look at the statistics. In 2008, Continental shipped 220,000 pets. Seven died. All were pre-existing conditions. How will PetAirways report their losses?

Regarding pets getting loose on tarmacs, PetAirways runs the exact same risk of this happening as any other airline. In fact, their multiple stops (yesterday's first flight stopped at 3 airports between NY and LA) with "mandatory potty breaks" increase the amount of time pets are being unloaded/loaded on planes.

You said: "Honda doesn't have to report how many dogs die in their vehicles. Does that make Honda unsafe?"
Honda is not marketing a pets-only car. I'd imagine that if they were, they'd need to start reporting their crash-testing, safety ratings, etc.

You said: "Southwest Airlines makes more money by attracting more passengers at lower fares. Does that make them unsafe?"

No. But Southwest has been around for years and has a functioning operation that is set up to handle the volume they do. They also are required to comply by DOT regulations. Additionally, Southwest's passengers know to sit in their seats, board the plane calmly and buckle up. Southwest passengers know where to use the lavatory. You can't tell a Maltese that.

I'll conclude with this: I wish PetAirways the best. My hope would be that a larger airline buys them out and puts their infrastructure into it. But other operations like this have tried and failed, all because they were simply not set up to create a budget airline for a very hard to manage group of passengers.

Makes you wonder, why the only posts who seem to have an issue are those who gain to lose income. Professional pet shippers are a dying breed, much like the old fashion travel agents. Pet owners need to know even if you do no use this airline which is a great option, flying your pet is not complicated and does not take a degree to accomplish. Many pet shippers are just retired breeders and puppy mill operators, who have learned the trade flying puppies and kittens to pet stores and overseas pet brokers.

Been following this story online, Miss Farris continues to organize attacks on this company with her ipata friends, will this stop if they do decide to join your group and pay your membership fees. Sounds a little like extortion.

My concern is this; how do I know there is a trained attendant checking up on my pet every 15 minutes? Where's the poof? It's not like they are going to tell me how their trip was. Anyone can write up a website full of "promises" but how do I know they will deliver?

I also wonder why humans can't ride with their pets - I would rather fly with my pet then put these helpless creatures in the hands of strangers.

I am a founding member of ipata.
They are trying to kick me out because
I am trying to expose the very high
cost of using a 3rd party pet
shipper. I will be most happy to
share all the grisly details.