Community Corner

New York Times Reports Problems on Pet Airways

The airline frequently services East Farmingdale's Republic Airport.

Pet Airways, a 2009 start-up that transports pets across the country from Farmingdale's , is facing criticism, according to the New York Times.

In an article last week, the New York Times reported that pet owners are complaining about flights being cancelled and refunds not being received, and that the company is "burning through cash at a rapid rate."

Co-founder of Pet Airways Alysa Binder credits the issues to that the airline does not own its own airplane and contracted a plane from a new company in November.

Find out what's happening in Farmingdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“After several flights, it was apparent that the company and plane could not perform as represented, and that there was a definite safety issue, especially in cold weather,” Binder told the New York Times.

Pet Airways operates only out of smaller regional airports, like , allowing pet owners to avoid larger air hubs.

Find out what's happening in Farmingdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Most of our flights go out full,” Binder told Patch last year. Fares range from $99 one-way from New York to Baltimore/Washington to $249 one-way from New York to Ft. Lauderdale. 

The company currently operates out of nine airports, but had planned to expand their service to 25 cities throughout North America, according to Binder. More than 3,000 pets had traveled on the airline last year, she said.


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