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Airline caters to passengers of the four-legged variety

THE OLYMPIAN | • Published May 10, 2009

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Pet Airways, the first airline just for pets, is scheduled to start service July 14 out of several airports.

The airline initially will cater to dogs and cats (birds, reptiles, pigs and others are being considered for future expansion). The animals will be individually placed in secured kennels on a Beechcraft 1900 turboprops. Attendants will accompany the flights.

Owners may drop off their pets up to 72 hours before flight time or leave them overnight at the arrival city, at the airline’s Paws Lodges.

Pet Airways will offer flights between BWI Marshall (near Baltimore) and regional airports in the New York, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles areas.

Introductory fares are $149 each way between all destinations. On airlines that cater to humans, in-cabin fares for pets range from $200 to $300 round trip. Fees for larger animals that must go in cargo holds start at about $300 round trip.

Owner Alysa Binder said she and her husband created the company after they had to ship their Jack Russell terrier, Zoe, in a cargo hold during a cross-country move. According to Department of Transportation statistics, 30 pets died during air transit in 2008.

Go to www.petairways.com for reservations.

Eclipse exclusive on Japanese islands

On July 22, the longest total solar eclipse of this century, lasting more than six minutes, will be best viewed from Tokara Village, a group of 12 tiny islands off Kyushu Island in southern Japan. But access to this remote outpost with little infrastructure will be limited and pricey. To apply for a three-day cruise, starting at $6,113 per person, or a land visit, starting at $3,485 for five days, go to www.knt.co.jp/eclipse.