Flying your pets isn’t fun. A few airlines allow small pets on airplanes if they fit under the seat. But most of the time they’re stuck in the cargo hold and come with the rest of the baggage. The one time I flew my dog Laguna she arrived in Seattle shaking and covered in her own feces. Must have been a blast for her.
If you are rich enough you can bring them on your own private jet. Another trick is to have your animal certified as a “service animal,” (you can even do this online) and I hear you can then take them just about anywhere. It’s a loophole that is sure to be plugged once too many people take advantage of it.
Enter Pet Airways, a new startup launching next month that flies pets and only pets: “With Pet Airways your pet will be safe and comfortable, flying in the main cabin, not in cargo. From check-in at our Pet Lounge, and throughout the flight, our Pet Attendants will be caring and catering to all your pet’s needs. You can even monitor how your pet is doing.” Fees start at $150. Sadly, only your pet can fly, not you (they won’t even put you in the cargo area of the plane).
Flights will be limited to start, basically from Los Angeles to the East coast with stops in Denver and Chicago.
The company says they’re funded but aren’t giving details yet. Each flight has a pet attendant on board at all times, and the airline will start with a fleet of twenty planes, ranging from twin props to 727s.
I have no idea if this airline is going to be a commercial success, but I’m hopeful. If they start flying from San Francisco to Seattle, Laguna will be a regular customer. And I’d pay a lot more than $150.
this is something you’d expect to see at the end of an economic boom, not after a crash:)
i really want to take laguna on the first flight.
i hate when kids cry while i’m trying to watch a movie, so here’s another great concept:
let me introduce “BABIES AIRLINES”
Nurses and free Breast-Feeding on board.
VCs are welcome to contact me.
Early April Fool’s joke, anyone?
Recession? What recession?
Love it
“shaking and covered in her own feces”
You usually post teaser kinky images with these types of posts.
Brilliant. I think they will be very successful. Flying dogs in cargo is risky — fatal type risks not just feces.
Hope they like Boa’s
hah
Boa’s what?
LOVE IT!!
I sure see a lot of animals on board when I fly. And I’m talking in the seats, not under them.
shhh…. everyone’s children are precious in their own eyes
I had a friend whose dog died in flight of heart failure, probably brought on by combo of shock, cold, etc. I can stick my little monster under the seat but I like this idea – just not sure I like them flying when I’m not on board too?
i don’t think i’ve ever seen a big dog on a plane, just the ridiculous yippy little ones under the seats.
I was referrring to another species of mammal. You know, the dominant kind.
don’t call Harry a ridiculous little yippy one – he doesn’t fart and clear the room….
My only thing they could abuse your pet and you would not know unless there hurt coming off the plane, are there going to be cameras in there or something.
I’m not sure what’s funnier; what you actually said or what you desperately tried to say but failed. Idiot.
Happy early April Fool’s day!!
This has to be a joke!
as far as i know, it isn’t.
you’ve got to be kidding. they say nothing about the types of planes they are using or the routes. if this was real, they would.
Hey Jim, they did say what kind of planes, you must have missed it. Fleet of 20, ranging from prop to 727’s.
“arrived in Seattle shaking and covered in her own feces. Must have been a blast for her.”
reminds my of flying with Delta
lol.
I lol’d hard
Delta
Don’t
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Expect
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Luggage
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To
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Arrive
With the price of a plane ticket these days, maybe they’ll put me in the cargo area!
Hell, if I could fly for free I’d even cover myself in my own feces for the privilege of a free flight.
I think it’s a good idea. Paris Hilton and her effing tiny dog come to mind. IDK. What we do for our pets…..
Exciting! Pet caretaking can be a huge strain for professionals who need/want to travel for periods longer than they can obtain kennel or in-home care.
But… how the hell are they going to make money?!
A personal attendant, and a $150 pricetag? That’s a MUCH better deal than I’ve ever gotten for flying to Seattle, all while I’m reading nonstop stories about how the airline industry is going bust.
I hope they’ve figured out a golden ratio (so I can use this service!), but it’s otherwise got me very confused.
I would imagine they can stack a lot of pets on one plane. Assuming they gut the cabin of seats, you could have a number of large crates for bigger dogs and a LOT of smaller crates, stacked, for smaller pets.
So fly less flights, but with many more “passengers” then you would on a normal one.
Actually, maybe not that many more – I swear the airlines will soon be having us sitting in each others laps…
Don’t be shocked when United tries that very tactic.
and charge you extra to be on top…
i’d be happy if united’s flight attendants just stopped giving me the evil eye for asking for water.
I just wish TSA wouldn’t give me a hard time for wearing a tactical vest. I get bored. I need my gadgets. I’m not putting anything in check-in.
oh wow. I’m totally going to buy a tactical vest. never thought of that.
This is great, it is always difficult when you have to fly your pet around. They should be just as comfortable as you right
the $150 price tag is “starting from”…on their affiliate page they say that the average price of sale is expected to be $500
Are the pilots human?
I will be booking my drug mules (literally) on the first flights.
Lol. Poor pilot. He/she probably would need to wear ear plugs. I wonder if anyone would attatch a webcam/camera to record what happens inside the plane.
As crazy as this sounds. People will pay for this.
Somehow, there will be martinis involved.
It’s, of course, cheaper to fedex your pets, isn’t it?
Can I certify myself as a service human and fly with my pet? Would certainly be better than most airlines.
Ha ha ha.
100% failure.
Taking bets for deadpool date?
Outside the high maintenance b*tches with toy dogs, I don’t see a large enough volume to justify. Our Corgis do not travel with us to D-land or Exuma….
So, this service is probably no different than shipping them via UPS or FedEx (which do ship animals) except they have someone to greet you as you drop them off and pick them up…
I can’t imaging those are the tramatic parts of the trip… it’s the air pressure, sudden movements, and motion sickness they experience regardless of the type of plane their flying in or someone in the plane banging on their cages telling them to shut up.
Essentially, you’re just paying a bunch of money to have someone hose the shit off them before you pick them up
lol
We’ve got a dog that is a huge part of our lives, but I can’t imagine an airline basing this affinity as their *primary* business model. Completely over the top.
They’re going to run afoul of FAA regulations. No one will be able to answer with a verbal “yes” to the emergency exit rules.
Don’t let the penguins fly we saw what happen in Madagascar.
Get ready for animal discrimination
Waldo, I’m on how much you betting.
I breed and show dogs as a hobby, and this is absolutely a needed service. While small petowners (under 20 pounds) can bring the pet in the cabin, fewer and fewer airlines allow even this.
Larger animals have to go down below, if they are flying with the owner, or on a designated cargo flight if not. And again, not many airlines still doing it, and there are weather limitations that would not be in effect with the animals in cabin.
I wish them lots of luck.
It now costs $150 on United to have your dog fly one way… under the seat. That is more expensive than many / most consumer flights. Might as well just book a full seat next to you. Total rip off.
I tried that once, but they still made me put him under the seat and closed in the container the whole time
i miss the good old days when I used to fly with him in my lap and stretch out in an entire row to ourselves….
Yes! And, what I love most about it: They still count your pet as a “bag” so with the limitation of only being allowed 2 carry-ons, you are basically forced to check your bag (if you are carrying a purse)! My question: Either the pet is a passenger (hence, the $150 airfare) or a bag, but it can’t be BOTH can it???
“When pigs fly” takes on a whole new meaning.
Classifying a non-service animal as a service animal is appalling.
I don’t agree. Not letting me take my dog on a public airline is ridiculous imo.
I don’t want to sit next to your dog, or a pile of your dog’s waste. Babies are bad enough, but a large dog howling incessantly would be a disaster.
I can see turning the first class section into a small cubicle for dog and master but will you be willing to spend the thousands of dollars required to justify the private square footage?
Agree with you 100%, Michael. Question for you, Johnny: Can you recall ever being disturbed by a dog in-cabin? Chances are you did not even know the animal was on board. The pets that fly are almost always very well-behaved – which is more than I can say for 90% of the kids flying.
I agree w/ Johnny. Many dog owners in general are great at letting their obnoxious little family members annoy others with their pooping, barking, intimidation, etc.
They actually just find duplicate looking animals at your destination. They’ll claim it is disoriented and that why it doesn’t reply to you calls, but really it’s not the same dog.
Ok, so they cannot possibly have that many flights each day. So, somebody will have to send fluffy on board his flight from, say, LAX to LGA in the early a.m. and then catch their own flight. Then, later, depending on the layovers etc, you may have to return to LGA to pickup your dog? Or wait around all day for his flight?
This seems like a nice idea but not if schedules cannot be remotely coordinated.
I’m sure they’ll discriminate against rabbits, though.
Kudos for the incredibly elaborate April fools site. That took a lot of work.
Actually, I think this is a great idea, if it works. Allowing animals in the passenger areas can be quite a problem for some people. I know people with asthma that have attacks if they are too close to cats or dogs. Having them in the same cabin with is asking for an attack since the air recirculates and certainly isn’t filtered for dander.
One key advantage over cargo options – heated air cabin.
Why is everyone focusing on dogs? What about birds and cats? What about bird cages and cat cages bursting open.
My cat would appreciate a warmer space. Some people have multiple pets as well.
Some animals can’t be shipped by UPS and such: http://www.ups....es/animals.html
I’d fly our two dogs two. Just have to make sure that they don’t forget their iPods
It would be great if there finally was a solution to this problem. Of course Air Canada will have to go bankrupt / bailout for another five times till they’d consider a service like that. I can hear the words already… “not high enough pet population to make it worth while, and all out pet attendants are organized in the union which automatically quadruples our cost”.
Anyways, we’re considering taking an RV road trip south so we can bring our pets on vacation this time. Lot’s of driving to do – any suggestions / experiences for mobile satellite internet?
Mike, what are Luna’s favorite hang-outs in Seattle?
too good to be true
I assume this is your April Fools joke post just a few days early…right?
Our dog is a regular flier but we always dread putting him through it. Something like this or at least a decent service where pets aren’t treated like cargo is fantastic.
I can take my cat on any plane for $100 each way, put her under the seat and accompany them. My question is who meet the animals at the other end of the fight?
Laguna should get to ride shotgun in the cockpit after this publicity. Woops…is it permissable to use that word these days?
He’d definitely like that: http://www.flic...N02/3386468800/
Somebody is playing a joke on you Tech Crunch.
Do they have first class? My cat only flies first.
for god’s sake these are only pooches,….dogs.
You all should get a kid… there’ are millions of humans dying in darfur, and around the planet. Children starving, being killed and raped. and all you guys can think about is how you can fly your pooches most comfortably around the globe…
Come on give me a f..cking break.. u guys are sick… get a grip, get a life, and start mattering.
everyday I am trying to see if i get a decent meal.who cares about what dog ?
This is an awesome idea. Too many large dogs die in the cargo hold of regular flights. I hope they succeed.
There is no way this is a hoax, unless they bothered to incorporate a company, create a large web site, get a valid SSL certificate in their company name, get a credit card processing facility, sign up to an affiliate program and convince a bunch of people to update their LinkedIn profiles just for a laugh.
It’s a solid idea. If you love your pet, why would you put them in a cargo hold that may or may not be climate/pressure controlled? I’ve heard of automobile based pet transportation services, so why not via air? It won’t have the largest customer based, but it’ll have a loyal one.
We are two dogs who HATE flying – we have don eit four times and it is too scary. Who cares if this loses some humans a bit of cash as long as the dogs are happy
Hope they have 101 Dalmations on the seat-back screens.
What a brilliant idea, I hope they add Paris-New York flight one day!!
Awesome idea.
Your poor dog. Personally, I can stand you…but your dog looks like a sweetie.
Mwuahahaha Arrington’s Laguna will be gang banged by rottweilers during the flight
Starting with a fleet of 20? Nice- keep costs low n’ all to start with.
Great april fools- aren’t they supposed to only start on the day though?