Pet-friendly airline will cater to ‘pawsengers’

From MSNBC
Dogs and cats will fly coach instead of in cargo hold — and get potty breaks
Your pets will be begging to fly on PetAirways, an animal-friendly airline launching July 14 and serving five cities – Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C.

Among the airline's amenities, dogs and cats — known as "pawsengers" — won't have to ride in the cargo hold anymore, but instead get their own secured crate in coach. Before departure, they can relax in a pet lounge or enjoy a walk by an attendant. And on cross-country flights, PetAirways makes stops and removes “pawsengers” from the plane so they can take a potty break.

“There is a huge need for safe air travel for pets,” founder Alysa Binder, who runs the start-up airline with husband Dan Wiesel, tells PEOPLE Pets. In fact, the Atlanta Journal and Constitution's review of Department of Transportation records covering a 12-month stretch in 2007 and 2008 showed that commercial airlines reported 29 animal deaths, as well as 13 injuries and seven lost pets. Causes of death ranged from heat prostration to lack of oxygen to injuries suffered while trying to escape from improper crates.
Read the full story on MSNBC