Whether you’re entering the workforce for the first time or considering switching careers entirely, you’ve likely pondered what kind of work ignites your passion. For a wide swath of folks, that passion involves animals, ut sans a veterinary degree, fruitful employment options might seem dismal. Enter: flight nannies, or professionals who specialize in the transport of pets from one location to another.
“I admit, when I first started nannying, I considered it gig work,” explains Amanda McGee, owner of PurplePup LLC, a flight nanny business based in Texas. “I thought, ‘Oh! It’s like Uber for puppies! This could be a fun way to make some cash.’ But I soon discovered there is so much more to this industry.”
A growing number of animal-lovers have entered this business that involves caring for fur babies — all while traveling the country (and sometimes world) and owning their schedule. Here, McGee, Walker and other flight nannies discuss what kind of pet flight nanny salary is achievable and how to set your rates.
Typical duties of flight nanny jobs
As the name suggests, flight nannies specialize in accompanying and caring for pets as they travel to new destinations. While the most common pets are (no surprise) cats and dogs, some also facilitate the transport of Guinea pigs and domestic birds.
Here’s what a typical day on the job looks like for a flight nanny, according to McGee and Brenda Saltarelli Walker, a professional flight nanny who’s been running a nannying business for a little over a year:
- Pick up or meet the pet. Both McGee and Walker note that they’ll either have the owner meet them at the airport with the animal or they’ll retrieve the pet (and drive to the airport themselves).
- Accompany the pet through security and at the gate. McGee notes that some airlines will need to weigh the pet and/or inspect the carrier.
- Tend to the pet’s needs at the airport and on the plane. This might include administering medications, feeding them treats and water or attempting to soothe the fur baby’s nerves. The flight nannies we spoke to all agreed that sending frequent text updates to the new owners/recipients is critical.
- Meet (or deliver the pet to) the new owner or other recipient. This might be at the baggage claim area or the new owner’s house if the flight nanny is given direction (and paid) to do so.
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How much do flight nannies make?
As the nannies we interviewed for this piece agreed, a pet flight nanny salary depends primarily on your bandwidth (i.e. how many pets can you transport realistically per week or month) and how energetic you are about marketing your business.
Typically, customers can expect to pay anywhere between $800 to $2,000 for McGee’s services — but that includes the transportation costs. “This is for airport pickup and delivery, but many times we can offer to rent a car and pickup from the breeder or offer hand delivery to the customer’s home.”
“This month one of my nannies made $400 [on a single trip] plus tips.”
— Amanda McGee
Transportation fees out of the equation, McGee says most flight nannies can pocket anywhere between $300 and $600 per trip. “It’s important to remember this rate is pre-tax,” she explains. “It covers any other incidentals not previously accounted for, like parking and meals. Most travel days are over twelve hours.”
For Walker and her team of flight nannies, that cut is roughly $200 apiece. She adds that it’s not uncommon for a flight nanny to also receive a tip on top of the flat rate. “This month one of my nannies made $400 [on a single trip] plus tips.”
That said, Walker notes that other flight nannies on her team had no clients in the past month and, therefore, earned no income as a flight nanny. While it may sound simple enough, Walker says growth in the field, including the acquisition and retention of customers, takes considerable effort — as it’s a business that relies primarily on referrals.
The bottom line: Making a buck consistently as a flight nanny is hard work, especially if you want it to sustain a full-time income, like McGee.
How to set your pet flight nanny salary
Although the rates listed above tend to be “industry-average” according to the pros we interviewed, flight nannies can set their rates based on a number of factors:
The type of breed and weight of a pet
For Walker, this is a critical factor in setting her rate with a client, as some breeds and heavier/larger pets will require more care than others. (Some more exotic pets, like domesticated birds, could also warrant an uptick in cost.)
The charge for your time
For Lauri Partanio, a veterinary technician and owner of Professional Pets Florida (which includes flight nanny services), her team of flight nannies receives an hourly rate for each delivery: $55.
“For example, a 10-hour flight, plus a $750 plane ticket and $75 airline fee for the pet comes to $1,375 for total delivery,” she explains. (So, the flight nanny themselves would pocket $550 for the day.) Her most frequently flying nannies can make upwards of $2,000 to $3,000 per month. For McGee, she set her solo business up as an S-corp, so she allows herself a monthly salary.
“If I were negotiating with a new flight nanny, the main thing would be looking at references from other people that have used them successfully.”
— Vivianne Hulsey, Frequent flight nanny employer
The complexity of the delivery
Rule of thumb: The more steps it takes to transport a pet, the more you can charge a particular client. For example, if the pet is flying into an airport that is a three-hour drive from the ultimate destination, that tacks on additional time (and additional fees).
Your level of experience and number of positive client referrals
As Vivianne Hulsey, a French bulldog breeder and frequent flight nanny employer, explains, the flight nanny business is littered with scammers — which can make it more challenging for credible, honest flight nannies to draw in customers. “If I were negotiating with a new flight nanny, the main thing would be looking at references from other people that have used them successfully,” notes Hulsey, a French bulldog breeder and frequent flight nanny user. “The professional has to come highly recommended.”
The bottom line
As the flight nannies we interviewed for this piece agreed, if you want to become a flight nanny, you need to have entrepreneurial drive. “I fly with at least three pets each week and that requires a good deal of logistics skills to coordinate flights, car rentals and hotels,” McGee says. “Plus, I handle all the administrative work like sending quotes, speaking with potential clients, sending invoices and maintaining a social media presence.”
If you’re new to the industry, you might consider partnering with or asking to work with or apprentice an established flight nanny or working directly for a flight nanny service.
Whether you work the job full-time or use it as a part-time source of income, the experts we spoke to say their furry clients/flight companions make the extra work worth it. Says Walker, “I love getting to play with the puppies and see the joy on the owner’s face when the pup is delivered to their hands.”
