Charter a Pet Friendly Private Jet
Looking for the best way to fly with your pets? Private jets offer the most pet-friendly doggone way to travel with your furry companions.
For many of us, pets are like members of the family.
They’re never-ending sources of comfort, love, and affection, and sometimes, they’re more pleasant to be around than some of the people you may know.
It’s the reciprocal love for our pets and our desire to protect them in their state of adorable innocence that makes many people nervous and wary about traveling with their pets, moving across the country, or relocating to a new home in another hemisphere.
This especially applies to commercial flights, where your pet may be uncomfortably stored inside of their crate for the duration of their trip, inside the cargo hold of an aircraft, forced into the overhead compartment, or worse.
You’ll also need to give yourself additional time at the airport to pass through screening for both you and your animals, along with review of all of their documents and certifications.
In the end, all we really want is for our pet’s travel experience to be as comfortable and safe as our own.
Chartering a pet-friendly private plane allows you to travel with your dogs, cats, and other pets in the most relaxed, stress-free way possible.
A more humane way to fly your pet
Unless you own a teacup that fits in your carry-on and the airline allows it, your pet will likely be crated and transported in the cargo hold of the aircraft.
The Humane Society actively advocates against transporting your animal in a commercial airliner’s cargo space.
“Think about where your pet would be happiest.” the organization says. In their tips for traveling with your pets, they state the following:
“We strongly discourage having your pet travel by air in the cargo hold of a plane. It can be dangerous and stressful. It’s tempting to want to bring your pet with you, but some animals aren’t suited for travel due to temperament, illness, or physical impairment.”
While the temperature, pressure, and oxygen of the cargo hold are regulated, they’re not at the same quality levels found within the cabin. And, a variety of different animals may be stored in close quarters during long distance flights.
Some animals are more susceptible to oxygen deprivation and heat stroke than others, mainly those with “smushed” faces such as Bulldogs, Boston Terriers, Pugs, and Persian Cats.
As result, several airlines, including JetBlue, Frontier, Spirit, and Southwest avoid these incidents by not not allowing the transport of animals at all.
See dog. See airline. See airline kill dog. Bad airline.
In 2017, there were 24 pet deaths and a total of 40 pet-related incidents using commercial airlines, with United Airlines responsible for 18 deaths on its own, by far the majority for the third year in a row.
In fact, United nearly doubled the total number of pet-related incidents on their flights from the previous year, with 2.4 incidents per 10,000 pets transported.
United has a long history of pet-related deaths on their flights. However, before raging any further, when given some context, this is mainly due to the fact that they transport more animals than any other air carrier.
It should also be noted that in early May of 2018, United banned many animals from their commercial flights in an effort to reduce these incidents.
Still, a rate of incidents nearly 3 times the next air carrier is not a good look.
As of 2016, Delta announced it would no longer allow passengers to bring pets in the cabin, with exceptions for military members with active transfer orders, and passengers requiring service animals.
Before the new rule, 76 pets have died on Delta flights over the past decade, accounting for nearly a quarter of all known airline pet deaths in the United States during that time.
Regardless of the airline or animal, these incidents tend to involve the same handful of issues across the industry: extremely cold/hot temperatures, lack of ventilation, and the hardest one to accept: rough handling.
Maybe flying these skies isn’t so pet-friendly
Given how United removes humans from their airplanes, placing your pet’s life in the hands of a stranger working part-time at the airport maybe isn’t the best route.
And, even when you’re allowed to board the plane with your pet, you may still run into tragic, senseless issues.
Assuming you fly commercial and your pet handles everything okay, it’s still a stressful experience for them, and can be just as stressful for you, too.
Despite surviving their flights, some animals have needed emergency veterinarian visits upon arrival after suffering from a combination of dehydration, hyper/hypothermia, breathing issues, neglect, and more.
There have even been first hand accounts of pet owners stuck in their airplane seat, helplessly watching out the window while seeing dogs abandoned on the runway in the rain.
Others have watched their pets sit on the scorching tarmac in direct sunlight during the summer, still in their crates, and not provided with any water or shade.
This has led many travelers to look into alternative ways of flying with their pets.
This has also created an opportunity for many companies within the private aviation industry to pivot, offering specialized services & owner-approved aircraft for private flights with your pets.
Bring your dog on a private jet
When you charter a private plane, you take full control of the flight except the actual flight controls, including the option to hire a pet-friendly private jet for your flight.
Many charter operators and private aircraft owners allow pets on their planes. All that’s needed is to notify your provider when making your request, and they will match your requirements to the best available aircraft.
After you book, you’ll enjoy flying privately with your dogs, cats, birds, lizards, guinea pigs, and more; all can be arranged to be allowed on board when you charter a pet-friendly aircraft.
You can literally bring your snakes on a mother****ing private plane — private jet charters offer the most freedom and flexibility in every aspect of air travel. All except the freedom to keep more of your money.
Traveling with pets typically involves renting a larger aircraft than flying without, and can range between $5,000-$10,000 for small groups taking shorter flights, to well over $100K for transoceanic vacations and re-locations.
Then again, when you’re buying 80 commercial airfare tickets for your family of falcons, who by the way, can already fly, and, cost an additional $450 falcon up-charge, all because none of the business jets in the Falcon family have enough seats to fit your flock… at that point, what’s money, anyway?
There is however a little bit of flexibility for saving some of your money when chartering your flight, the levels of which are based on the company you work with.
Once you’ve decided where you’re going, who you’re taking, and what dates and times you want to travel, it’s time to request an all-inclusive quote for your charter flight.
How much does it cost to fly with your pets on a private jet?
Finding out the price for a pet friendly private jet charter is impossible to accurately determine without the details of your flight.
By factoring how far you’re flying, how many people you’re flying with, how many pets you’re bringing, what type of pets, and how much everything weighs altogether, this will determine which type of aircraft will be required.
Aircraft types can range from small turboprop jet engine planes and light jets that can seat a few people with some bags and a pet, to midsize, super midsize and long range jets with stand-up interiors, couches, enclosed bathrooms, and plenty of interior room for you and your four-legged friends.
The cost of renting a private plane can climb from expensive to astronomically unaffordable as quickly as the jets themselves.
When comparing the price it will cost to fly private with your pets, there are several things to take into consideration.
If a company tells a tall-tale and says they can give you an immediate price without these details, you can expect a much higher price before you sign anything, in which case, that’s a tell-tale sign you should just hire a plane with another company.
No matter who you work with, make sure you always request an all-inclusive charter quote for your flight, with itemized charges so you can be sure they’re not pigging out on your bank account.
How can I charter a pet-friendly private plane?
There are two helpful resources for travelers looking for more information on private jet travel for pets.
First, every country has different rules & regulations regarding different animals; some countries allow pets to enter, some require a short quarantine period, and others have an outright ban on the entry of certain animals.
PetTravel.com offers traveler’s a comprehensive database of knowledge for flying with their pets.
Visiting their site provides all the answers you need when planning your trip, including all the necessary paperwork, immunization details, and other requirements for flying privately to any destination around the world with your pet.
Once you have all your ducks in a row, you can request a charter quote from PetTravel.com’s official partner for pet-friendly private jet charter, Air Charter Advisors.
Air Charter Advisors is private jet charter and aircraft management company headquartered in South Florida.
With instant access to more than 10,000 private planes, their team makes it easy to find the best pet-friendly charter plane whether you’re shooting for the lowest price, or the most comfort.
Adam Steiger, President of ACA, had this to say about pet-friendly jet charters:
“The ability to charter a private jet and fly with your pets inside the cabin with you removes a lot of stress and anxiety for both you and your pets throughout the entire process of traveling. You get to avoid the long lines and traffic by using private terminals at your nearest airport. Simply step out onto the tarmac, and walk up the steps of your aircraft with your pet leashed or crated. Once you’re inside, they’re as free to make themselves as comfortable as you are.”
When asked for sample routing and prices, some recent examples were provided: $35,000 for a family four with two dogs to fly one-way from New York City to Los Angeles; $12,000 for a group of four flying with two cats from New York City to Miami. Check out their article on how much it costs to fly private with pets.
There is one potential issue that may add additional costs to flying private with your pets: if your dogs, cats, or other animals make a mess inside the interior of the plane, scratch its upholstery, or break any parts inside of the cabin, repair fees and pet cleaning charges are billed separately after your flight.
One way to mitigate any monkey business is to take photographs of the interior of your chartered plane both before and after your flight. Multi-millionaires can be a little eccentric from time to time, so you never know which private jet owner out there is looking for an excuse to refurbish.
