Catherine Rusoff
Bark Air, a new airline that puts dogs ahead of their human companions, will take its first flight on Thursday.
Bark, a pet company founded in 2011 that sells dog food and other products, announced the new aviation experience for canines in April. It is the second air travel service to market itself as caring for pets before human passengers, recognizing how stressful and uncomfortable commercial traffic is. Air travel can be for animals. The UK-based public charter operator’s K9 jets also allow passengers’ pets to travel alongside them in the aircraft cabin, rather than in crates in the cargo holds of commercial aircraft.
“We’re excited to leverage the insights we’ve learned over the years to create a truly dog-first experience, which is drastically different from just accepting dogs – from earth to heaven,” said Matt, co-founder and CEO of Bark. Meeker said in April. “We believe this initiative will increase awareness of our brand mission and values, introduce more dog lovers to the Bark family, and help enrich the lives of dogs and their people around the world.”
Joe Gall
The first flight from New York to Los Angeles on Thursday is sold out, according to Bark’s booking website. The company said it launched the air travel experience to make long-distance travel more comfortable for dogs that can’t fit under the seats in front of commercial aircraft passengers.
“Dogs are often restricted from traveling, confined in a backpack or endure the stress of flying while loaded,” the company said when announcing the flights in April.
Joe Gall
Bark Air says it will offer “white paw service” to its canine customers – who will even be able to socialize with other dogs in what the company calls a “dog-centric” cabin configuration. Just like human first class passengers, dogs on board will receive treats, noise-cancelling earplugs, a drink of their choice and other surprises, the company said.
Initially, the service will fly between the New York metropolitan area and Los Angeles, as well as New York to London. More routes will be added soon, the company said.
Bark Air will operate as a public charter service, flying spacious Gulfstream G5 jets. It does not own or operate any aircraft. Each dog ticket comes with a pass for a human. Families can also purchase additional passes. Children under 18 are not permitted on board. There are no size or breed restrictions for dogs.
Joe Gall
It is not cheap
The service doesn’t come cheap. A one-way flight from New York to Los Angeles in June costs $6,000 for one dog and one human. A ticket from New York to London costs $8,000.
Meeker acknowledged the high cost of the service in a May letter, but said he expects prices to fall as demand increases.
“This is cost prohibitive for most families, but it is cheaper than most current options. And that’s also how most innovative products and services started,” he said. “Televisions, telephones, VCRs and DVD players, automobiles, train and boat travel, and, yes, even human air travel – all of these started out at very high prices until demand was proven and costs could be reduced by serving the pastas .”
