Now flying: free publicity

For a dog of an idea, this one - an airline that flies only dogs and cats - has won a lion's share of the media. Pet Airways, a would-be start-up based in Florida, was winning so much coverage in its first weeks of seeking publicity that the start-up's website got overloaded and crashed. Pet Airways doesn't actually lift off until mid-July, but it's winning headlines from coast to coast, all of which seem to stumble over themselves with predictable lines about 'when the fur flies' or 'pawsengers.' The company is actually not an airline but an entity that charters a cargo carrier, which in turn provides a small plane with a specially outfitted interior; the contractor, Suburban Airways, flies a Beech 1900 with its seats replaced by shelving on which animal kennels are to be stored. (A paper in Arizona referred to the plane as a 'Beechwood'.) One is sadly reminded of other start-ups that thought they could make it flying just one niche: the guys who wanted to cater to smokers or the one that thought it would serve just nudists. (The two never talked merger before they failed, we're pleased to say.) As much as people may hate non-smoking rules or prefer a super-luxury all first-class, they're just aren't enough of these groups to keep an airline flying in the black.
Pet's founders say their inspiration stems from a traumatic experience suffered by their dog when she was shipped the old-fashioned way, in the belly of a regularly scheduled passenger flight. But even though pet won't force its flyers down into the plane's belly, the dogs and cats will still be on their own, because their people aren't allowed on board. Much like airlines for people, this carrier seems intent on making money off of extras rather than the basic airfare: Pet Airways plans to sell extra nights before and after the flight. Interestingly, only about 30 animals, mostly dogs, died on US airlines last year.