首個寵物航班將於今年7月開通
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.
首個專載“寵物乘客”的航線將於今年7月開通，開通該航線的航空公司承諾將滿足寵物搭乘航班時的一切需要。
公司創始人阿麗莎•賓德稱，“寵物航空”(Pet Airways)的首架航班將於7月14日從紐約郊區的一個“泰特波羅”小機場起飛，前往華盛頓、芝加哥、丹佛和洛杉磯。
賓德和她的丈夫丹•威斯爾在一份公司聲明中稱：“‘寵物航空’旨在爲運送寵物提供安全舒適的解決方案。”
“我們的靈感源於（外出旅行時）運送我們的傑克羅素梗狗“佐伊”時總是遇到麻煩。”
寵物航班的單程票價爲149美元，運輸工具是“市郊航空”依照合同提供的比奇1900改裝飛機。
這種飛機通常可搭乘19位乘客，而改裝後則可搭乘50只貓和狗。
賓德說：“每架飛機將有兩名飛行員和一名寵物乘務員。我們將做好一切服務爲寵物們提供安全舒適的飛行體驗。”
乘坐飛機的貓貓狗狗並沒有真正的座位，而是被放進特製架子上的籠子裏。
在如今“安全第一”的年代，和其它很多航班一樣，該航班也要求起飛前兩小時辦理登機手續。爲避免排隊以及寵物在起飛前可能出現緊張情緒，可提前72小時辦理登機手續。
該公司在其網站上的廣告中稱：“我們很高興在起飛前將您的寵物寄宿在‘寵物小屋’。”
之後就該去“寵物候機大廳”準備登機了。
航空公司要求寵物登機前先排便，但稱並不是必須這樣做。
公司網站稱：“排便對於您的寵物來說非常重要。如果搭乘民用航空，您的寵物將不得不忍耐很久。寵物航空公司會監控您的寵物最後一次方便的時間，並確保它們在途中定時方便。”
Vocabulary:
answer the call of nature:大小便
potty break:“方便”；解溲
