Also see Wag Pet Hotels (www.waghotels.com) where your pet can stay in a 7'x8' luxury suite for US$85 a day (spa services extra).

--Lan Sluder

Now Wag Hotels make a little more sense to me considering having a pet sitter come direct to the house usually runs around $50 per day anyhow.

somebody has too much money and needs help making sound investments. I know, every great idea begins this way, but I would take the bet against this company if Vegas has a line.

Ahem. Yes, my point however is the irony of the guy who is the president, and presumeably idea man, of this venture pointing out that pet air travel can, in HIS words, cause trauma, even death.

gotcha. Yeah, I was commenting in response to his words.

The level of the fear factor is relevant, along with comfortn no?
Seems to me that a heated cabin, probably alot quieter than the cargo hold, where somebody can see of your animal is sick or if the carrier shifts or falls, and can speak kindly to a frightened animal is far superior to the kind of pet travel available elsewhere.
Whether this is sufficiently positive to warrant increased pet travel is a good question.
If you watch the way your suitcase is handled on a normal flight, and then think that your pet is "luggage" you need to admit that the people factor is a huge element in the way your pet experiences this naturally scary event. Having people who are already thinking about the welfare of the animal is a great first step.
Agree that I'd be quite happy to buy a seat in coach for my pet-carrier. My pets are a handful sometimes, but far less annoying than most traveling children.

I travel with my dog multiple times per year and she is never handled as luggage. I watch them take her, bring her out and can actually see through the airport window her being loaded in a special location. They do not treat her kennel nor handle her as regular luggage.