Air Travel's Gone to the Dogs!

I guess there's an upside to the struggling airline industry: More and more companies will accept our furry friends as passengers!

Did you know Midwest Airlines will allow canine passengers to sit in the cabin? I mean, that Cujo lookalike you've been feeding raw meat to might need to stay in cargo, but airlines like Midwest are allowing more and more dogs and cats to ride with the rest of the passengers. They even have special seatbelts and harnesses! (Just remember, if your dog's not potty trained and you sit him next to me, I might have to kill you.)

According to CNN.com, there's a growing wave of pet travel in the airline industry. Southwest Airlines recently moved to allow smaller pets to ride in the cabin (but in a kennel under the seat), and Continental says it tripled its number of four-legged passengers last year to nearly 300,000 pets. JetBlue, Midwest and Continental even have frequent flier programs for pets! Generally speaking, only dogs and cats are allowed in the cabin (and definitely no snakes if Samuel Jackson is onboard), but most other animals can be stored in cargo.

OK, now here's where this really gets fun, and no need to check your calendar, it's not April 1. Just last month, we saw the launch the first pets-only airline! That's right, Pet Airways will fly Scruffles to Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and a few other cities with professional animal handlers keeping them safe. You can even track your pet online! Unfortunately, my little brother doesn't count as a pet, so he still has to fly with me on regular airlines.

You want to make Thanksgiving interesting this year? Bring along your four-legged friend! Bonus: If Grandma makes something funky tasting, you'll have someone there to pass it to under the table!

Photos courtesy of Ohadp and Toddlerazzi via Flickr.