RetrievAir, a service that lets dogs and cats fly in the cabin beside their owners rather than in a crate or the cargo hold, is now operating out of Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma.

The airport announced the arrival in a Facebook post on Monday, calling RetrievAir "a new pet-first aviation service that lets pets fly side-by-side in the cabin with their owners without the need to confine them in a bag, crate, or the cargo hold."

For Long Island travelers, the practical change is a shorter drive. RetrievAir's own site says its New York flights have moved to MacArthur from Republic Airport in Farmingdale.

Nonstop service to Chicago and the Washington, D.C. area was running as of Sunday, according to airport officials. Fort Lauderdale flights are booking now for November.

How the pet rules work

Where your animal sits depends on its weight. Pets under 40 pounds ride in your lap or in the footwell at no extra cost. Pets between 41 and 74 pounds ride in the footwell, and fly free when two adults travel together, or require a paid seat for someone flying alone.

Anything 75 pounds and over needs a seat of its own.

Each adult may bring either one pet or one infant, so a couple traveling together can bring two dogs up to 74 pounds each without paying for extra seats. The cabin is laid out two seats on one side and one on the other.

What it costs

RetrievAir does not publish flat fares. The company says pricing is dynamic and seat prices rise as a flight fills, so booking earlier generally costs less. Two fare types are offered: Basic, which refunds as flight credit, and Flex, which refunds to the original payment method.

Worth knowing before you book

RetrievAir is not itself an airline. The company states on its website that it does not own or operate aircraft, and that all flights are operated by RVR Aviation, a licensed U.S. carrier.

Check-in is not at the main MacArthur terminal. RetrievAir lists its New York departure point as New York Jet, a private terminal at 101 Hering Drive in Ronkonkoma.

The company currently lists service among 12 U.S. cities, including Chicago, Washington, D.C., Fort Lauderdale, Atlanta, Denver, Dallas-Fort Worth, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Scottsdale.