By This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it | Corridor Inc. Staff Writer

Originally published June 2007

Posh Pooch owner Leslie Rosenthal with her Yorkshire terrier Ruby. Photo by Marilyn DiMarco.

     Ruby and Gus are Yorkshire terriers, and their owner, Leslie Rosenthal, refuses to leave home without them.

     For the past 10 years, Rosenthal, owner of the Posh Pooch, a luxury dog boutique in Bethesda, has been traveling with her furry friends.

     “I love my dogs so much and I’m with them all the time so I would feel like a new mother leaving her baby behind,” she said. “I can’t imagine traveling without them.”

     The travel industry has welcomed the pet trend with accessories, airport amenities that cater to pets, reward programs and pet-friendly hotels.

     About 500,000 pets travel by air each year, according to the Air Transport Association of America, the trade group for the U.S. airlines.

     Animals traveling in passenger cabins must fit in their carrier under a seat and remain inside a carrier during the flight.

     Ventilated carriers, ranging in price from $100 to $300, that can be zipped up are the perfect way to transport pets, said Rosenthal.

     “They’re easily transportable but I wouldn’t take a dog over 15 pounds on a plane and shove it under a seat,” she said.

     Pets also can travel with checked baggage and be transported in pressurized holds so cabin pressure, temperature and oxygen is monitored.

     Airlines and hotels are also working to make the choice easier offering travelers pet reward programs and pet-friendly options.

     Midwest Airlines began its Premier Pet Program in January 2005.

     The program requires advance reservations and pets must travel on the same flight as their owner. Owners can also redeem frequent flier miles and are issued a free flight after three round trip airfares.

     Over 3 million miles have been redeemed to date, said Susan Kerwin-Hagen, marketing specialist with Midwest Airlines and developer of the pet program.

     In 2006, 9,000 pets traveled in the program and the first quarter of 2007 has seen a 30 percent increase, she said.

     “The whole relationship between pets and owners has evolved over recent years. Many places have become pet-friendly and parents have become closer to their pets,” said Kerwin-Hagen. “People turn to pets for companionship if they don’t have kids and are road warriors.”

     BAA Boston, the developer and manager of the retail and concessions program at Boston Logan International Airport, partnered with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-Angell in April, to create a pet-friendly airport, with food, gift items and disposable water bowls.

     “The program came about because of the amount of animals we now see traveling,” said Mike Caro, vice president of BAA Boston. “People really do enjoy buying for their pet. I think you will see this going to other airports because it’s a need that should be addressed.”

     While Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) has not yet gone pet friendly, it’s a possibility for the future, said Jonathan Dean, a BWI spokesman.

     “The Airport will examine initiatives, including pet-friendly additions, for potential inclusion here at BWI,” he said.

     The Sheraton in College Park is one of many local hotels that welcomes pets. It began allowing pets five years ago and provides a dog welcome kit, dog bed, food and water bowls and rooms near exits and stairs, said Shelley Thompson, the hotel’s revenue manager.

     “We have at least 100 pets stay here a year now,” she said. “There’s been an increase in the last two years as people have found out we’re pet friendly and want to bring their pets along with them.”

     With pet travel’s popularity, safeguards have been put in place.

     Airlines have taken additional measures to adequately handle, transport and care for pets.

     All airlines are required to report any death or injury to animals while in flight to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

     In 2006, airlines reported 25 pets died and 12 were injured in transport, according to the Air Travel Consumer Report, issued by the Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings, part of the Department of Transportation.

     Before the federal government began regulating pet travel two years ago, nearly 5,000 pets were killed, injured or lost on airplanes, according to the Air Transport Association. That was due to fluctuating temperature changes on the plane and many of the pets were unfit for travel.

     Airlines require that all pets and pet carriers undergo physical screening and that baggage handlers are trained in animal care. 

     “Improving safety and procedures for handling pets is key. There’s an anxiety throughout the industry and there are more fatalities than should be due to negligence,” said Kerwin-Hagen. “People want to know their pets are taken care of.” ::