Petfinder.com compared airlines to see which ones are the best choices if you’re traveling with pets. You may remember our post a while back on Pet Airways, about which Petfinder says, “While Pet Airways didn’t make the rankings because they haven’t ‘hit the air’ yet, [we are] excited to see the promising airline take off.”

5. United Airlines – Non-Discriminating
United Airlines accepts small cats, dogs and birds in the cabin; rabbits, hamsters and guinea pigs as checked baggage and other animals including parrots, cockatiels and ferrets, in United Cargo.

4. American Airlines – Zoo Trusted
American Airlines’ animal-trained staff is known for transporting animals from popular zoos in cargo.

3. Airtran – Budget-Friendly
Airtran is currently the least expensive airline to fly with your small pet; just $69 each way.

2. JetBlue Airways – Full-Service Pet Love
JetBlue launched its JetPaws program last summer and provides a pet carrier bag tag, two TrueBlue points each way, a welcome e-mail and a free pet travel guide.

1. Continental – Safety-First
Continental is proud of its PetSafe program, which has a 24-hour Live Animal Desk (1-800-575-3335), tracking the pets from origin to destination. It is pricier than other programs, but it’s climate-controlled, allows roomy carriers and has designated cargo staff.

“Petfinder names the top 5 most pet-friendly airlines of 2009” [Petfinder.com]

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(Photo: Muffet)

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