Puppy Air

Several weeks ago my girlfriend was traveling to Vegas on Midwest Airlines. To her great surprise a man was boarding the plane with a dog.  

After exchanging a few words with the boarding passenger, she was appalled to find out that the furry animal weighing at least 40 pounds and carrying his own ticket would be sitting next to her.

She left the boarding line to call me to vent. After listening to her rant all I could say was, "from now on Midwest Airlines will be my first option to fly". Not finding my response funny, nor sensing any sympathy in my voice, she told me that I and the "others" have lost our minds with our love for dogs. She went on to tell me that it isn't right to make other passengers on the plane share a cabin with animals, and bla... bla... bla....

When she hung up I couldn't help but have mixed feelings. Sure I love my little Stoli, and when I want to travel I expect the airlines to accommodate me. I even expect my friends to welcome me with open arms in their homes if I chose to bring my little bundle of joy, but is that really fair?

Sure you can blame it on America's pet obsession but we are no different than other countries that embraced animals everywhere, even inside restaurants. And can you really blame the airlines for trying to capitalize on the trend?

Midwest Airlines may be much more lenient with their pet policies than other airlines, but to stay in competition with air travel even Southwest Airlines who were among the last to jump on the bandwagon of allowing dogs on the plane are now doing so with dogs under 20 lbs.

Airlines transport hundreds of thousands of pets in cargo each year, but most pet owners consider this a cruel and unusual punishment and choose either to leave their pets at home or forgo flying all together.

Federal Aviation Administration doesn't post restrictions on whether animals can be in the cabin area, however, airlines must allow service dogs for the disabled on board. The cost of flying your pet can range from $75 to nearly $300 each way. It's a hefty price to pay, but when you love your dog, you will at least consider it, and some of us will even buy the ticket and contribute to the airlines. Some airlines are even letting you rack up frequent flier miles for your pet.  

Midwest Airline offers a fourth trip free to your pet after three flights. JetBlue and Continental offers pets miles on the pet owners account.

So what about all the people who have allergies? Or who don't want to travel with pets on board? Frontier Airlines is their answer. Last year Frontier banned pets from the cabin area after officials said pet allergies are common among travelers.

So back to my mixed feelings and a question at hand, "Is it fair to other passengers?" The answer is probably no, but airlines are trying to make a buck, and animal lovers are enjoying the ride. Unless more people like my girlfriend are going to have a fit and complain, we will all need to get used to sharing a seat next to a furry animal. The good news is they will not be chewing our food- after all the cut backs airlines are no longer serving meals.

What do you think? Would you have a problem flying with a dog that isn't yours next to a seat near you?