RetrievAir offers pet-friendly flights from Republic Airport in East Farmingdale
RetrievAir, a company that operates out of private terminals, will launch dog-friendly flights out of Republic Airport in East Farmingdale. Credit: Getty Images/mauinow1
Pup, Pup and Away — that’s one marketing slogan considered for a new flight service from Long Island that lets dog owners bring their pets on board.
RetrievAir is scheduled to launch flights to six U.S. destinations from Republic Airport in East Farmingdale on May 22, starting at $749 for one passenger and pet one way to South Florida, said CEO Benton Miller in an interview Monday. Any size or breed dog can fly, but the service is designed for dogs that weigh more than 20 pounds that can’t fly in a commercial airliner’s cabin unless they are service dogs, he said.
The flights will be on board 30-seat jets that were retrofitted from 50-seat jets to make more room for the animals, Miller said. The jets have 10 rows, with single seats on one side of the aisle and doubles on the other.
Pets can sit on the floor in front of their owners, or pet parents can purchase an additional seat for their pups to sit on, he said. "You can buy them a window seat and they can sit and look out the window," Miller said.
Pet attendants trained in animal behavior will offer the animals biscuit treats in flight; pets must be leashed, owners can bring a soft pet bed for them, and during taxiing, takeoff and landing all pets must have their leash tethered to a seat, Miller said. "We’re very purposeful about curating a peaceful environment," where pets aren’t barking and many fall asleep for the flight, he added.
RetrievAir will fly nonstop from Republic to three cities — Chicago, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Originally, the third city was supposed to be West Palm Beach, but due to closures on airspace when President Donald Trump travels to his home in Palm Beach, RetrievAir is switching that location to Fort Lauderdale, Miller said. The airline will fly with one stop to Dallas and Denver, and with two stops to Los Angeles, he noted. Prices top out at $5,093 for two passengers with up to two pets flying to California, he said.
RetrievAir also will be operating out of nine cities total, one of which is East Farmingdale. The other two destinations are Carmel-by-Sea, California, and Salt Lake City in Utah, which won’t be reachable from New York. The jets are chartered from Texas-based RVR Aviation.
Miller started the company after graduating with an MBA from Indiana University. He and his wife, Whitney, have two chocolate retrievers named Willow and Maple, hence the name RetrievAir, he said.
Beth Whitehouse writes about families, parenting and great things to do with the kids on Long Island. She’s been a Newsday editor and shared a 1997 Newsday staff Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the crash of TWA Flight 800.
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