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BARK Air took off from Los Angeles on its inaugural flight to New York on May 23rd, 2024, marking a revolution in pet air travel. Until then, dogs had to travel in the cargo hold or under one's seat on flights but not anymore!
BARK Air, launched by dog product company BARK, is a private luxury air travel company catering exclusively for canines. It offers a white paw experience with all the thrills of first class travel with every passenger being classed as a VIP (very important pup). Its flight experience is built for the dogs first, from the ground up. Private GulfStream Jets are used which can accommodate 15 dogs plus their humans, however, BARK Air says it will never sell more than 10 tickets per flight ensuring you and your dog have ample room to splay.
Dogs experience first class service with complimentary treats.
Dogs and their owners are only required to show up at the airport 45 minutes ahead of their scheduled flight time “for a simple, efficient check-in process — no crates, no stressful TSA checkpoints,” as stated on BARK Air’s website.
After checking-in concierges will assist the dogs to embark on the plane, no pun intended, which will be meticulously prepared with calming aids such as pheromones, lavender-scented towels and relaxing music - among other creature comforts.
Noise-cancelling ear muffs will be provided and treats, even bone-broth, will be served to enhance the experiences of the canines in BARK’s “Dogs Fly First” approach.
Currently, travellers can expect to pay $8,000 for a one-way international flight and $6,000 for a one-way domestic flight. To date, routes will serve the New York City metro area via Westchester County Airport (HPN), with flights to the Los Angeles area via Van Nuys (VNY) and London, England via Biggin Hill (BQH), according to BARK Air's website. BARK Air says it has chosen these routes based on demand and are planning to increase the destination list throughout the summer. It also hopes to reduce the cost of tickets significantly as they benefit from scaling.
A two-way international flight from New York to London will set you back $16,000.
Tickets sold out for BARK Air's inaugural flight, which took off at 4 p.m. ET from New York, headed to Los Angeles. And flights are selling out fast for the month of June.
Bark Air recognises that life is better - for you and your dog - when you are together.