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One trip for their Jack Russell terrier in a plane's cargo hold was enough to convince Alysa Binder and Dan Wiesel that owners needed a better option to get their pets from one city to another.
On Tuesday, the first flight for the husband-and-wife team's Pet Airways, the first-ever all-pet airline, took off from Republic Airport in Farmingdale, NY.
All commercial airlines allow a limited number of small pets to fly in the cabin. Others must travel as checked bags or in the cargo hold -- a dark and sometimes dangerous place where temperatures can vary wildly.
Binder and Wiesel used their consulting backgrounds and business savvy to start Pet Airways in 2005. The last four years have been spent designing their fleet of five planes according to new four-legged requirements, dealing with FAA regulations and setting up airport schedules.
The two say they're overwhelmed with the response. Flights on Pet Airways are already booked up for the next two months.
Pet Airways will fly a pet between five major cities -- New York, Washington, Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles. The $250 one-way fare is comparable to pet fees at the largest US airlines.
For owners the big difference is service. Dogs and cats will fly in the main cabin of a Suburban Air Freight plane, retooled and lined with carriers in place of seats. Pets (about 50 on each flight) will be escorted to the plane by attendants that will check on the animals every 15 minutes during flight. The pets are also given pre-boarding walks and bathroom breaks. And at each of the five airports it serves, the company has created a "Pet Lounge" for future fliers to wait and sniff before flights.
A trip from New York to Los Angeles, for example, will take about 24 hours. On that route, pets will stop in Chicago, have a bathroom break, play time, dinner, and bunk for the night before finishing the trip the next day.
Amanda Hickey of Portland, Ore. is one of the new airline's first customers. Her seven-year-old terrier-pinscher mix Mardi and 2-year-old puggle Penny are taking their first flight soon.
Hickey said the service was a welcome alternative to flying her dogs in cargo when she transplants them from her soon-to-be Denver home to Chicago to stay while she and her fiance travel to Aruba to get married.
"For a little bit more money, I have peace of mind," she said.
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(Agencies)
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阿丽莎•宾德和她的丈夫丹•威斯尔曾经让他们的杰克罗素梗在飞机的货舱里待过一次，这次不愉快的经历让他们认为宠物需要更好的运送方式。
本周二，这夫妇俩推出的宠物航线首个航班——也是首个全宠物航班——从纽约法明达的共和机场起飞。
所有的商业航空公司只允许一定数量的小型宠物数量被带入机舱。其他宠物必须作为行李托运或是被放在货舱内——货舱里很黑，温度变化很大，而且有时还会有危险。
宾德和威斯尔在2005年利用他们从事咨询业的背景和他们的商业头脑开创了宠物航班。在过去的四年里他们一直在设计执行宠物航班飞行任务的五架飞机以迎合这些四只脚乘客的需求，同时还研究联邦航空局的规章制度并制订机场时刻表。
人们对这一做法的反应让他们欣喜若狂。宠物航线下两个月的所有航班都已经被订满。
宠物航班将在纽约、华盛顿、芝加哥、丹佛和洛杉矶这五个大城市运送宠物。航班的单程票价为250美元，这跟美国最大的航空公司收取的宠物搭乘费用差不多。
对于宠物的主人们来说，最大的差别在于服务方面。小狗和小猫们将会搭乘”萨博班航空货运公司“的飞机，机舱已将座位拆除，并一排排放好了宠物笼。乘务员将会护送（每次航班大约50只）宠物到飞机上，并在飞行期间每隔15分钟察看一下动物乘客。登记前，宠物们还可享受散步和卫生间服务。在开通宠物航线服务的五个机场，公司还专门为宠物乘客开辟了一个“宠物候机室”，供它们等候航班或者四处闻闻。
举例来说，从纽约到洛杉矶的宠物航班大约需要24个小时。飞行期间，宠物们中途会在芝加哥经停，在那里上个卫生间，玩一玩，吃吃饭，然后晚上睡个觉，第二天再继续飞往洛杉矶。
美国俄勒冈州波特兰的阿曼达•海基是这个新航线的第一批客人。她七岁的短毛猎犬马蒂和两岁大的哈巴小猎犬佩尼很快就要搭乘第一个它们自己的航班了。
海基将要和她的未婚夫飞到阿鲁巴结婚，在这期间她需要把狗从她在丹佛的新家运到芝加哥暂居，她认为这种服务相对于把狗放在货舱里要好的多。
“虽然要多花一点钱，但是我现在放心了。”她说。
相关阅读
首个宠物航班将于今年7月开通
长啥样的人养啥样的狗
Most talented dog 宠物狗除草弹钢琴
Dogs look like their owners 研究称宠物狗酷似主人
（英语点津 陈丹妮编辑） |
