The Jet Set Pets didn’t launch just for the sake of it. For a long time we’ve recognized how many more of us — people traveling with pets and bringing them everywhere they go — there are out there. Now comes a SmartMoney article titled Pack Mentality: More People Than Ever Are Traveling with Pets, detailing just how big our world has become.
Of course we know how ginormous our world is and so do you. Nonetheless, the traveling with pets article written by Anne Kadet is a joy to read for people who like to have their furry friends in hotels with them. My favorite line is this about the Sheraton Miami Airport:
The hotel says it recently hosted a penguin that slept in the shower on a bed of ice.
I also found it interesting that the article on people traveling with pets states:
David Berger, general manager of the Sheraton Miami Airport, says his hotel has no surcharge even though every room gets a rug shampoo, curtain steam cleaning and mattress-pad washing after a pet visit, which costs about $20 per room.
Isn’t that interesting considering some hotels charge people traveling with pets a flat, non-refundable cleaning fee of anywhere from $100 to $300 per stay, PLUS a nightly rate of another $50 or so per night for a pet? Luxe hotels come with luxe prices for those people traveling with pets.
As much as we at The Jet Set Pets applaud hotels and airlines for accommodating people traveling with pets, we realize that these businesses aren’t just doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. Being pet-friendly can be a huge revenue source for businesses. According to SmartMoney:
Tim Ford, president of Sherpa, a pet-travel-bag outfit that works closely with airlines, says there’s a lot at stake. A major airline typically accommodates 500 pets a day, he says, and at roughly $150 in extra revenue per pet, it adds up — that’s $27 million a year.
As a pet travel expert, I’ve been asked if it is possible to sneak pets onboard an airline without paying. I know people traveling with pets sometimes smuggle their precious cargo on planes to avoid the fees and so do the airlines. Rarely does anyone check to make sure the pet fee has been paid. But I think a memo from the top has come down at Southwest Airlines because nearly every Southwest flight I’ve been on recently, I’ve been asked by either the skycap or flight attendant about whether I’ve paid for my dog. As recently as yesterday, a Southwest agent taking my ticket as I boarded the flight ran down the jet bridge after me to inquire about my dog’s passage.
The SmartMoney article on people traveling with pets touches on those who think our fur babies should be left at home but is still quite informative. It’s nice to read in the people traveling with pets article which stores, such as Apple, Pottery Barn and Container Store, welcome customers accompanied by their four-legged friends. Sometimes it’s just easier to bring Fifi along, especially when you’re in a walking city and running errands while you walk your pooch as well. Don’t you think?
Let me know your thoughts on the article. Where is the most unusual place your pet has accompanied you? The Jet Set Pets wants to know.
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