The Denver Post’s Jessica Alvarado Gamez reports that pet travel is booming and Denver International Airport is leaning in. From more pet relief areas to DIA’s Canine Airport Therapy Squad, airports and airlines are adapting as millions of animals fly each year. A new pet-first carrier, RetrievAir, even flies dogs and cats in the cabin out of Centennial.
The story notes DIA’s growth, a national surge in pet-friendly travel, and details like RetrievAir’s average $775 ticket and routes including Denver, Los Angeles, New York, and more. DIA now counts 14 pet relief areas and touts its therapy-animal program as the nation’s largest.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Pet air travel is up; the piece cites an estimated 2 million domestic animals flying each year, and DIA is expanding amenities to match demand.
- RetrievAir offers in-cabin seats for pets and people, avoids big terminals, and prices around $775 per seat; Denver is on the map.
- DIA’s Canine Airport Therapy Squad marks 10 years and holds a Guinness record for largest airport therapy-animal program.
- DIA has built out 14 pet relief areas across terminals, part of a broader push to make the airport more pet-inclusive.
- Denver travelers bring pets in growing numbers; the article highlights DIA’s scale and the steady rise in animal companions through the airport.
My Bottom Line
Part of me reads this and thinks, fine. The market is meeting a demand. That is how it should work. Another part of me snickers at what we have become. We all know the Dog Mom and Dog Dad routine. You are not mothering that animal. You own it. As a ranch kid at heart who adores my own goofball, Mr. Goose, I still know he is a pet, not a person.
Meanwhile, birth rates are in the danger zone. Young couples delay marriage, delay homes, delay kids. Our culture is on life support, yet we are rolling out the red carpet for pooches on planes. I like dogs. I love babies. If our priorities are airport pet spas first and family formation last, we are writing a future with fewer Little League teams and more luxury dog carriers.
So here is my pitch. Markets can cater to pet owners all day. Government should not. If DIA wants to be pet-friendly with private dollars and partnerships, fine. But the full weight of policy ought to lean toward the traditional nuclear family. Make it easier to marry. Easier to buy a home. Easier to raise three kids on one good income. Cut the doom peddling that tells young Americans the planet is burning, the economy is rigged, and the only safe commitment is to a rescue mutt and a rent check.
Reset the priorities. Celebrate families without sneering at faith and responsibility. Unclog the housing pipeline. Kill dumb fees. Reward work. If we do that, the dogs will still fly when owners choose to bring them. They will also happily slide to their proper place in the household once a couple of toddlers start running the show.
Source: The Denver Post
