首个宠物航班将于今年7月开通

An airline catering exclusively to furry passengers takes to the skies this July with a promise to make air travel everything the domestic animal could want.

The first Pet Airways flight will depart July 14 from Teterboro, a small airport outside New York, en route to Washington, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles, said founder Alysa Binder.

"Pet Airways was created to provide a safe and comfortable solution for the transport of pets," said Binder and her husband Dan Wiesel in a company statement.

"Inspiration for the concept came from difficulties encountered when shipping Zoe, our Jack Russell Terrier, across the country."

Flights, which will cost 149 dollars each way, will be on a modified Beechcraft 1900 supplied under contract with Suburban Air.

The plane usually fits 19 passengers. This time there will be room for 50 cats and dogs.

"There will be two pilots and a pet attendant. Everything is done for the safety and comfort of the pets," Binder said.

Pooches and kitties won't actually get seats. They'll travel in kennels stacked on custom-made shelves.

Like many flights in these security conscious days, a check-in two hours before take-off is requested. To avoid the queues -- and any potential pre-flight nerves -- check-in can be done 72 hours earlier.

"We'll be happy to board your pet at our PAWS Lodge until the flight," the company's website advertises.

Then it's time to go to the Pet Lounge and onto the aircraft.

The airline asks that pets answer the call of nature while on the ground, but says they don't have to.

"Potty breaks are very important to your pet. With the human airlines, your pet could be made to hold themselves for a very, very long time. Pet Airways monitors the last time your pet had a potty break, and makes sure that they get regular potty breaks along the way," the site says.

首个专载“宠物乘客”的航线将于今年7月开通，开通该航线的航空公司承诺将满足宠物搭乘航班时的一切需要。

公司创始人阿丽莎．宾德称，“宠物航空”(Pet Airways)的首架航班将于7月14日从纽约郊区的一个“泰特波罗”小机场起飞，前往华盛顿、芝加哥、丹佛和洛杉矶。

宾德和她的丈夫丹．威斯尔在一份公司声明中称：“‘宠物航空’旨在为运送宠物提供安全舒适的解决方案。”

“我们的灵感源于（外出旅行时）运送我们的杰克罗素梗狗“佐伊”时总是遇到麻烦。”

宠物航班的单程票价为149美元，运输工具是“市郊航空”依照合同提供的比奇1900改装飞机。

这种飞机通常可搭乘19位乘客，而改装后则可搭乘50只猫和狗。

宾德说：“每架飞机将有两名飞行员和一名宠物乘务员。我们将做好一切服务为宠物们提供安全舒适的飞行体验。”

乘坐飞机的猫猫狗狗并没有真正的座位，而是被放进特制架子上的笼子里。

在如今“安全第一”的年代，和其它很多航班一样，该航班也要求起飞前两小时办理登机手续。为避免排队以及宠物在起飞前可能出现紧张情绪，可提前72小时办理登机手续。

该公司在其网站上的广告中称：“我们很高兴在起飞前将您的宠物寄宿在‘宠物小屋’。”

之后就该去“宠物候机大厅”准备登机了。

航空公司要求宠物登机前先排便，但称并不是必须这样做。

公司网站称：“排便对于您的宠物来说非常重要。如果搭乘民用航空，您的宠物将不得不忍耐很久。宠物航空公司会监控您的宠物最后一次方便的时间，并确保它们在途中定时方便。”

Vocabulary:

answer the call of nature:大小便

potty break:“方便”；解溲