{{short description|Airline of the United States}} {{Infobox airline | airline = Pet Airways | logo = PetAirways logo.jpg | logo_size = 250 | IATA = | ICAO = SUB | callsign = SUB AIR<ref name= "stl2011"/> | founded = {{Start date and age|2009}} | ceased = {{End date and age|2011}} | headquarters = Delray Beach, Florida | key_people = Dan Wiesel (CEO)<br>Alysa Binder (CDO) | fleet_size = 20 | destinations = 14 (as of April 2011)<ref name= "stl2011"/> | website = www.petairways.com }} '''Pet Airways''' was an American company headquartered in Delray Beach, Florida, that specialized exclusively in air transportation of pets.<ref name="upi">{{cite web| url= http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/04/16/Pet-only-airline-prepares-to-take-flight/UPI-27331239930107/|title=Pet-only airline prepares to take flight| publisher=UPI |accessdate= April 17, 2009| archivedate= December 22, 2009| url-status= live| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20091222020636/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/04/16/Pet-only-airline-prepares-to-take-flight/UPI-27331239930107}}</ref><ref>"[http://www.petairways.com/contact-form Contact Us] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120507134117/http://www.petairways.com/contact-form |date=2012-05-07 }}." Pet Airways. Retrieved on May 3, 2012. "Corporate Headquarters 777 E. Atlantic Ave. Suite C2-264 Delray Beach, FL 33483"</ref> The airline claimed to be the first designed specifically for pets where pets flew in the main cabin, not in cargo.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/airlines/article988646.ece|title=Pet Airways could make pet travel easier, if it takes off|publisher=St. Petersburg Times|first=Steve|last=Huettel|date=April 1, 2009|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410040147/http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/airlines/article988646.ece|archivedate=April 10, 2009}}</ref> After Pet Airways ceased operations in 2011, its parent, PAWS Pet Company Inc., transferred to the pharmaceutical space, and changed its name to Praxsyn Corporation.<ref>{{cite web|title=The PAWS Pet Company, Inc. to Change Name and State of Incorporation. |url=http://praxsyn.com/press_releases/paws-pet-company-inc-change-name-and-state-incorporation |website=Praxsyn Corp. |accessdate=4 March 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129034002/http://praxsyn.com/press_releases/paws-pet-company-inc-change-name-and-state-incorporation |archivedate=29 November 2014 }}</ref>
{{As of|May 2024}}, the Pet Airways website indicates that the airline plans to resume flights after acquiring funding to restart the company.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pet Airways |url=https://petairways.com/ |access-date=2021-04-25}}</ref>
==History== The company was founded by Dan Wiesel and Alysa Binder, who got the idea when planning a trip with their dog.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news| url= https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8004122.stm|title='Bone voyage' as pets get airline|access-date=April 17, 2009|publisher=BBC | date=April 17, 2009}}</ref><ref name="CBS">{{cite web|url= http://www.cbs2.com/pets/Pet.Airways.Flight.2.969859.html| title= New Airline Offers Service Exclusively To Pets|location=New York, NY|publisher=CBS Broadcasting| date=July 14, 2009| accessdate= April 17, 2009}}{{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> The launch of the company was funded by a group of investors.
Operations continued from 2009 to 2011 when operations ceased. By the time operations ceased, over 9,000 pets had been flown.
In February 2012, The New York Times reported that Pet Airways had run into financial problems. In a regulatory filing that month, the company said, "We have experienced a history of losses and have yet to begin generating positive cash flows from operations and, as a result, our auditors have raised substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern." In 2011, the airline permanently ceased operations.
== Services == When the airline began in 2009, airfare per pet started at $150,<ref name="BBC" /><ref name="CBS" /><ref name="yul">{{cite web|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/fur-starts-to-fly-as-pet-airways-takes-to-the-skies-1.415092|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020072336/http://www.ctvnews.ca/fur-starts-to-fly-as-pet-airways-takes-to-the-skies-1.415092|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 20, 2012|title=Fur starts to fly as Pet Airways takes to the skies|date=July 9, 2009| first=|publisher=CTV|accessdate=July 24, 2009}}</ref> and was based on the pet's size and the distance traveled.<ref name= "stl2011"/> The average cost was about $500 per flight, though an individual flight could cost over $1,200 for a large animal.<ref name="No-show">{{cite news |title=Pet-only airline a no-show in St. Louis |url=http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/pet-only-airline-a-no-show-in-st-louis/article_a38c3cae-648e-11e1-85a7-0019bb30f31a.html |author=Ken Leiser |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=March 4, 2012}}</ref> Flights could be booked online.
The pets ("pawsengers", in their terminology) were checked into a pet lounge at each airport at which the airline operated.<ref name="BBC" /> Owners could track their pets en route via the website.<ref name="BBC" /> Airline staff gave all pets pre-boarding walks and bathroom breaks. During the flight, the pets were under the care of trained attendants, checked on at least every 15 minutes<ref name= "stl2011"/> for the flight's duration.<ref name="msnbc">{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna31909297|title=Pet Airways hits the skies: Stressful experience spurs pet airline, a welcome alternative to flying cargo|website=NBC News |agency=Associated Press|date=July 15, 2009|access-date=July 24, 2009|location=New York, NY}}</ref>
==Destinations== The company launched its first weekly flight on July 14, 2009, serving nine US cities—New York City, Baltimore/Washington, D.C., Chicago, Omaha, Fort Lauderdale, Atlanta, Phoenix, Denver, and Los Angeles. In April 2011, it announced addition of three Texas destinations (Dallas, Houston and Austin), St. Louis, and Orlando,<ref name= "stl2011"/> but did not commence service. Pet Airways announced plans to expand to 25 cities by late 2011.<ref name="Walker2009">{{Citation | last =Walker | first =Blair S. | date =1 September 2009 | title =Pet Airline Takes Off| periodical =AARP Bulletin | issn =1044-1123| series =In the News | publisher =AARP Publications| volume =50 | issue =7 | pages =6| url =http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourworld/family/articles/pet_airline_takes_off.html| archiveurl =https://web.archive.org/web/20091122211047/http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourworld/family/articles/pet_airline_takes_off.html | archivedate =22 November 2009 | url-status =live | accessdate =23 December 2009 }}</ref>
As of April 2011, Pet Airways flew to 11 destinations:<ref name="stl2011">{{cite news | url= http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/article_bdf7296f-92b0-56c0-ab8a-d2b1426bfd9c.html | title= Pet-only airline will soon fly out of St. Louis | date= April 20, 2011 | publisher= St. Louis Post-Dispatch | accessdate= 2011-04-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.petairways.com/content/where-we-fly |title=Where We Fly |location=Delray Beach, Florida |first= |accessdate=July 24, 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090725030437/http://petairways.com/content/where-we-fly |archivedate=July 25, 2009 }}</ref> {{col-begin}} {{col-2}} ;Arizona * Mesa (Falcon Field, Phoenix metropolitan area) ;California * Hawthorne, Los Angeles County (Hawthorne Municipal Airport) ;Colorado * Broomfield (Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, Denver metropolitan area) ;Florida * Fort Lauderdale (Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport), Orlando ;Georgia * Atlanta (DeKalb–Peachtree Airport) {{col-2}} ;Illinois * Chicago (Midway International Airport) ;Maryland * Baltimore (Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport) ;Nebraska * Omaha (Eppley Airfield) ;New York * Farmingdale (Republic Airport, New York metropolitan area) {{col-end}}
==References== {{Reflist|2}}
==External links== * [http://www.petairways.com/ Official website]
{{Portalbar|United States|Florida|Companies|Aviation}} {{Airlines of the United States|state=collapsed}}
Category:Defunct airlines of the United States Category:Airlines established in 2009 Category:Airlines established in 2017 Category:Airlines disestablished in 2011 Category:Airlines based in Florida Category:Companies based in Palm Beach County, Florida Category:Pets Category:Animal organizations Category:2009 establishments in Florida Category:2011 disestablishments in Florida Category:2017 establishments in Florida Category:American companies established in 2009 Category:Delray Beach, Florida