Silver Spring, MD (July 27, 2010) – Flying the friendly skies can sometimes be challenging – especially for travelers with furry friends.  To help pet parents with their summer travels, Petfinder.com is releasing its annual review of pet-friendly airlines in the United States – outlining the best choices for all animal companions.

2010 Most Pet-Friendly U.S. Airlines

Last year, Petfinder.com was thrilled to see the first-ever pet airline take off, Pet Airways. Dedicated to four-legged friends, Pet Airways dubs its cliental “pawsengers” and gives pets the opportunity to experience a truly first-class travel experience. As an obvious winner in Petfinder.com’s pet-friendly airline list, Pet Airways touts the following top-notch policies:

·         Pets fly securely and comfortably in individual pet carriers with special fasteners, preventing any accidental movement.

·         If a pawsenger falls extremely ill, the plane will be diverted to the nearest airport so that the pet can be treated.

Because Pet Airways only flies out of a few major airports (see full list here,) Petfinder.com researched the top commercial U.S. airlines and chose front-runners in the following categories:

·         Best Pet-Friendly Amenities: JetBlue. JetBlue’s superior JetPaws program was specifically designed to help pet parents and their pets enjoy a smoother travel experience. The customer-focused airline provides pet-toting travelers with a pet carrier baggage tag, a travel petiquette guide, 300 TrueBlue points each way and a welcome e-mail.  

·         Best for Budget-Conscious Consumers:  AirTran. AirTran tops this category, allowing small domesticated dogs, cats and birds to travel for $69 each way in-cabin. 

·         Best for Transporting Pet Variety:  Frontier Airlines. Of the airlines researched in the 2010 Petfinder.com analysis, Frontier allows the most diverse variety of pets in-cabin, including domesticated dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and small household birds.  

Jet Blue’s refusal to permit pet transport in cargo is another important animal safety measure.

Evidence supports this policy; from May 2009 to May 2010, the only airlines with zero reported pet deaths were those that required pets to travel in-cabin.

“Pets are becoming more of an integral part of our families so it’s only natural that airlines are taking pet travel more seriously,” said Betsy Banks Saul, the co-founder of Petfinder.com. “This list will raise awareness on criteria that pet parents should take into consideration, such as the risks of traveling in cargo, so they can make well-informed decisions.”

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