Flying the furry skies

Foolish, a 6 1/2-year-old black lab, likes to roam.

But his owners, a family from suburban Wayne, knew he shouldn't be on the move this time.

A few years ago, Foolish flew in the commercial cargo hold while his owners were in the comfy seats above. But when the luggage came out at O'Hare International, Foolish's crate was nowhere to be found.

"He got lost at O'Hare. He was a little stressed," recalled Andrea Ferguson. "After that my husband (Bill) said it's not worth it."

Obviously, Foolish was found.

And now a trip to the airport - in this case the DuPage Airport in West Chicago - gets Foolish all geeked up for different reasons.

The Fergusons are a growing number of passengers that take advantage of the PAWSSPORT program offered by the Elgin-based carrier, Valley Air Service.

The program was launched about a year and a half ago. It was the idea of Maureen Cosyns, VAS director of flight operations and Elgin native.

About 80 percent of VAS's clients are corporate, but the PAWSSPORT program has taken off with pleasure travelers. About 10 percent of VAS clients use the service, which is no extra charge.

Cosyns' husband, Stephen, has a pretty good idea why.

"A lot of people look at their pets as family members," said Stephen Cosyns, VAS president, chief pilot and Bartlett native. "It's pretty frequent lately. People just don't want to put their pets in a cargo hold."

So far, no PAWSSPORT member has had an in-flight "accident."

Stephen Cosyns said the firm's longest flight is about three hours and owners generally know the limits and tendencies of their dogs and cats.

Part of the VIP treatment includes a shampoo for dogs, special blanket and spa basket.

Another nice touch is the PAWSSPORT itself, which is like a real passport except it has the pet's name and destinations.

"Clients wanted to bring their pets. People don't want to leave them behind," said Pamela Meek, VAS marketing and client services manager. "If a pet is important to our client, we want to roll out the red carpet as well."

The Fergusons love the service. Not only is it less stressful for the pet, it saves people time compared to commercial travel.

Andrea Ferguson said the cargo hold usually is unloaded last on a commercial flight, meaning after she picked up her luggage she still had to wait some 45 minutes more for her pet.

This summer, the Fergusons flew to Vail, Colo. and took Foolish and their cat, Dexter.

Dexter lounged in the cat carrier, but an unleashed Foolish was eager to board.

Once on, the pooch would get buckled in a seat for take off but could roam afterward. Someone also would give him something small to eat while the jet was climbing to help relieve pressure on his ears.

"He knows he's going on the plane. He does like to fly," Andrea said. "This is all we would ever use. He needs a frequent flier card."

The program has rubbed off on other fliers, near and far.

Leet and Patsy Denton, who live in the Detroit suburbs, first flew VAS in 2007 after Leet bought a flight for a charity auction.

The Dentons used the flight to travel to their winter home in Florida.

And they took their two large French poodles, Armond, 7 and d'Artagnan, 9, whom they normally would have left for six months to stay with someone else.

Leet Denton said they have flown VAS ever since, in part because of the PAWSSPORT program.

"We didn't know whether or not we could take dogs on a charter plane," Denton said. "(The dogs) were real comfortable with it. They were every calm. One gets excited in the car and he was calm in the airplane."

For information on the PAWSSPORT program, call (888) 235-9827.

PAWSSPORT frequently asked questions

Can pets fly by themselves, or must they accompany their owners?

All pets must accompany their owners.

How big is the plane?

The charter jet holds seven people.

Do pets have to be crated for the flight?

They do not have to remain crated, but they should be well-behaved and able to tolerate the noise of a jet takeoff.

How much does it cost to charter a flight?

The cost depends on the distance and the length of stay. A round-trip flight from DuPage County Airport to Florida would cost about $19,000.

Are there any lower priced flights?

VAS offers special discounts on one-way "empty leg" flights (in which a pilot is flying back from dropping off another client); visit www.valleyairservice.com and click on "What's New" for a list of upcoming empty leg flights.

Source: Pamela Meek, Valley Air Service