Bark Air, the first charter airline for dogs and their owners, recently had its first flight from New York to LA. According to the company, it’s been a major success, and the flights that it plans to embark on in June are already filling up. The airline is essentially a subsidiary of the BARK toy company. CEO Matt Meeker mentioned that this idea had been ten years in the making. Now, dogs and their owners can live out a truly first-class experience.
Naturally, dogs on Bark Air are welcome in the cabin. That’s not the only perk that they get. There’s a personalized concierge service that’s there to make sure that dogs are pampered as they should be. This concierge is meant to learn the temperament of each pet, and they essentially craft a unique experience for each furry friend on board. Of course, water and dog treats are abundant on board. The idea is to ensure that both the dogs and their owners are as comfortable as they can be while up in the air.
Bark Air will fly routes from Los Angeles to NYC and back as its only domestic journey in this first stage. They’ll fly via Westchester County Airport (HPN), with flights to the Los Angeles area via Van Nuys. The airline’s first international flight is also coming up. They intend to fly to London, England, via Biggin Hill from NYC in the coming days. At full capacity, the airplanes that Bark flies could fit 15 dogs and their humans. In this first stage of the project, though, they’re not selling more than ten tickets per flight. The reasoning is pretty simple: they want to have as much room as possible to ensure that dogs can stretch out throughout the cabin.
This limited supply of tickets has driven the prices for each flight through the roof. Something that certain Instagram users were not too pleased about. However, it’s important to point out that the brand aims to provide a first-class experience for both dogs and owners. That experience, at least for now, comes at a premium. A one-way ticket on the domestic route from LA to NYC or vice versa costs $6000. The ticket for the international route to London currently goes for $8,000.
Apart from the prices, there are also very strict rules, particularly regarding the humans who can get on these planes. No kids are allowed on board at this time. All dogs need to be accompanied by their owner, who has to be 18 or older to board. What you can do is buy an extra ticket for another human companion if you need to. Since the airline is selling only ten tickets, that could also limit the number of dogs on board. That may actually be something they’re looking for because it’s going to give the dogs that do get a chance to be in the cabin to have more room. That can be essential, particularly on these long flights that they’re embarking on!
