The first jet charter company in the world in which every passenger is a VIP (very important pup) is now off the ground.
BARK Air, launched by dog toy company BARK in partnership with a jet charter service, is a luxury airline for man’s best friend that transports dogs of all sizes along with their owners “in comfort and in style,” CEO Matt Meeker said in a video provided by Reuters that takes the public behind the scenes of the new airline.
“We’re here to revolutionize flying for dogs,” says BARK Air’s website.
Tickets sold out for BARK Air’s first flight, which took off at 4 p.m. ET from New York, headed to Los Angeles. And flights are filling fast for the month of June.
Here’s what you need to know about the new airline, including how much flights cost.
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Dogs take first Bark Air flight
BARK Air shared details of the company’s first flight on Thursday in an Instagram post.
“Right now, at an altitude of 30,000 feet, there is a flight filled with dogs. Unlike any flight before it, these dogs are not merely an afterthought, nor are they treated as cargo or a burden to the crew and fellow travelers. Here, dogs are the foremost priority,” the company posted.
BARK Air continued to say that the effort took 10 years, “but we are finally confident that we can provide all dogs with the air travel experience they deserve: one that puts them first.”
One user commented that “this really is the pawfect flight!” Another said: “We woof to see this.”
BARK Air’s prices aren’t cheap
Pet owners can expect to pay $8,000 for a one-way international flight and $6,000 one way for a domestic flight that covers both them and their dog.
For now, 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.
What to expect flying BARK Air
The company says that it has taken the “white glove experience typical of a human’s first-class experience and redirected all that pampering to pooches.”
Meeker said that the airlines caters everything to the dog, “trying to lower their anxiety and their stress, so they have the most comfortable, fear-free experience on an airplane.”
Food and water are provided for the pooches, and there’s “even a spa treatment that happens in air,” Meeker said.
BARK Air says that a concierge will learn a dog’s temperament and sensitivities before the flight for the best placement on the plane. Dogs will not be caged or on leashes but will be free to sit on the seat, their human, a bed or wherever comfortable, the company says.
There are designated areas before flights for dogs to go potty and emergency pads will be available during flights.
How many dogs can fit on a flight?
Each flight fits 15 dogs and their humans, according to BARK AIR’s website, but it never sells more than 10 tickets per flight. Space while flying is important to how animals roam, the company says.
Though there are additional tickets available if more than one human needs to accompany a dog, kids are not allowed to fly BARK Air. Each passenger must be at least 18 years old.