Traveling via plane with a pet seems more difficult than ever these days. Putting them in cargo always seems like an iffy idea, and many airlines have nixed that altogether, further limiting the options of pet owners. 200 pets have died inside cargo last year alone.
And the whole emotional support dog thing? Not gonna work. Airlines used to allow them but now they have to be official service dogs, think a seizure alert dog for example, and must have a treasure trove of documentation along with them.
But during the pandemic, dog ownership jumped by 12%, a historic, rapid jump. There’s a market out there if you have the money.
Commercial airlines haven’t gotten the memo, but the private and semi private ones have.
JSX started the trend. They’re semi private, and if you have a large dog, you need to pay for its seat. A bummer, to be sure, but not the end of the world. I used them to fly my dog from Los Angeles to Miami for this gig. It was pricey to say the least, but not the end of the world. The whole shebang was about a thousand bucks. Private carriers would usually demand about 6k. Of course, a commercial flight wouldn’t have been more than $200, but getting your dog via cargo, if possible, would probably be another 200.
At JSX, there is no security. So if you’re riding dirty, it’s a great option. Check in is a simple three minute process, and your dog gets to sit next do you for the entire flight. They also have one seat in a row, so no one is sitting next to you for the duration of the flight.
But K9 is covering flights internationally, and as their name implies, they’re the first airline that caters towards pets. You can even go from NYC to London, for example. Buying a ticket straight up is gonna cost you about 6000. But you can sign up for a membership and get the tickets at a severely discounted.
K9 just started, but the demand for this is clear. Out of their 17 listed flights, 8 are completely sold out. They use Gulfstream G4 jets, so the pets will be traveling in style.
Watch this be the beginning of something big. JSX and K9 are the early pioneers, but as they keep adding routes, constantly selling out flights, commercial airlines might be eyeing a way to get your dog on that plane. Special pet flights once in a while? Might have to change the regulations, but it may be the only way to bail out an industry that somehow seems to be constantly struggling. Better than a bailout, at least
Add comment