Pets are on the move, and companies are giving owners more time

Travelers have been flocking to many airports this year – including on all fours and on leashes.

Tom Carpenter and his wife walk their Havanese dog whenever they can. “Her day care would be $350 for a 10-day trip, so paying the hotel fee and $100 each way to get her on the plane is reasonable,” the 67-year-old Anacortes, Washington, resident said. “Besides, Mori hates being left alone.”

Carpenters are among pet owners who are becoming more comfortable bringing their pets along on their travels, adding to the growing demand for pet-related services in remote areas of veterinary offices.

“I saw an increase in people traveling with their pets as early as 2024,” said Heather Eisenstadt, founder of Top Dog Pet Travel, a Florida-based pet travel agency.

He recently helped a client bring his dog on a trip to Europe for a Taylor Swift concert by arriving in Paris and taking Le Pet Express – a minibus for those traveling with pets – through the Channel Tunnel to the UK (the second Swiftie was interested but lost the price, said Eisenstadt .)

Twenty-two percent of cat and dog owners reported taking their pets at least three times in the past year, up from 13% for dogs and 14% for cats in 2022, according to an August report by the American Pet Products Association. APPA), a group of companies. Prices were high for both types of animals following road trips.

Young people are driving this behavior. Thirty-eight percent of consumers aged 18-34 told Morgan Stanley researchers this year that they often travel with pets; 30% of those 35-54 and 13% of those 55 and older said the same.

“There is no real growth or growth in the pet market,” said Simeon Gutman, an investment analyst at Morgan Stanley. “It’s a sign that people put their pets first.”

Pet ownership increased during the pandemic and is recovering, with one or more pets now living in 63% of US households, according to APPA. And while many shoppers have become more budget-conscious, they aren’t saving money for their pets.

Last year, Americans dropped more than $183 billion on pets, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, on everything from pet food and toys to vet visits and grooming. Even after removing the effects of inflation, livestock consumption increased by nearly a third from 2017 to 2023.

“We expect the business to return in late 2025 to 2026, after a short period of COVID,” Morgan Stanley analysts said in their June report. The bank predicts that the pet market will grow “faster than almost any other retail sector” by the end of this decade, with spending on pets expected to double.

Although experts don’t track exactly how pets travel, some airlines and hotels seem eager to accommodate more guests – they know more guests pay more.

One reason is that kennels or pet sitters can be a big problem for people who abandon their pets. “There’s still less stress,” said Patrick O’Brien, APPA’s chief digital officer. “You don’t worry if your pet is being cared for the way you would.”

Annette Sacks, a 69-year-old retiree from Blairstown, New Jersey, who recently adopted a 5-year-old Chihuahua, said: a rescue mix named Alonza.

US airlines typically charge $95 to $150 per flight for small pets to fly in cabins, but some charge even higher. In February, American Airlines raised its fares from $125 to $150 each way; United Airlines followed suit in April.

Airlines don’t share the number of pets they fly each year in cabins, but the US Department of Transportation said 188,223 animals flew as cargo in 2022, the most recent year for which data is available. This was less than half the number that was in 2019, although both United and Delta Air Lines have stopped choosing, except for the military and foreigners.

Some pet owners say they can’t use it. Carpenter said: “I’m worried about the conditions in the cargo area, that people won’t be taken care of and that Mori won’t be able to see me.

For dog owners who restrict baggage and can’t, or don’t want to, squeeze their animals into ground baggage, Bark Air operates charter flights between New York’s Westchester County Airport and airports near Los Angeles, London and Paris. The initiative, sponsored by dog ​​grooming company Bark, began in May with $6,000 domestic and $8,000 international stipends for each pet and owner.

In terms of accommodation, Airbnb said pet-friendly listings grew by 14% between June 2023 and June 2024, with one in four properties on its rental market now welcoming pets. About 30% of Vrbo properties are pet-friendly, the spokeswoman said, unchanged over the past few years. Hosts on all these platforms set their own hosting fees.

Many pet-friendly hotels charge a non-refundable fee, often up to $150 per night. Many who do provide food and water bowls, disposable bags, treats, toys and blankets. Some brands, such as Motel 6 and Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, have accepted pets at no extra charge for years.

Sonesta International Hotels accommodates about 30,000 pets a year with fees starting at $75, the spokeswoman said, adding that searches for pet shelters at its properties are up 400% this year.

Nine of Hilton’s 24 properties are pet-friendly, including Hampton, Embassy Suites and Hilton Garden Inn. Pet fees vary by property, but start at $50 and come with a fee that begins rolling out in January 2022: Guests get online or phone access to pet sitters, nutritionists and veterinarians at Mars Petcare who can provide travel advice and cats or dogs.

Some hotels are hoping to attract pet owners with splashier packages.

In May, the Belyard hotel in Atlanta launched a “VIP Priority (VIP)” package starting at $400 per night, including a $150 service fee. It includes pet photography, a welcome kit with organic food, and pet supplies. and clothes, drinks around (beer for people, “dog beer” for dogs) and a day trip to a nearby dog ​​park with mounds, tunnels and sprinklers.

At the Conrad Washington DC, guests checking in with pets have access to dog beds, water bowls, branded towels and pet bag dispensers. But the hotel is also offering a new “Lab of Luxury” package for a one-night stay in the “Bark View Suite.” It includes an Hermès pet collar and leash, a Tiffany & Co. water bowl, a pet photo session and an evening picnic and car service to several dog-friendly locations in northern Virginia. The cost is $5,999 and includes both a $500 donation to the Humane Society and a fixed pet fee.

Until now, no one can take the luxury hotel.

Avery Price doesn’t want to break the bank to take two German guns, Brave and Bashful, on vacation. But the 41-year-old warehouse manager from Allentown, Pennsylvania, thinks the hotel’s pet fee of up to $200 is reasonable.

He said: “It is very difficult for me to leave them.” “My girls are my family for sure.”