Weโve said it before and weโll say it again: best friends donโt let best friends fly in the hold. Something the folks over at BARK Air โ a first-of-its-kind jet charter company โ understand all too well.
This newly launched tailored travel service isnโt just a canine-dedicated carrier: itโs the whole package. A subsidiary of the New York Stock Exchange-listed omnichannel dog brand BARK Inc., it eschews the very notion of cages and cargo spaces for something far moreโฆ luxe.
Prior to boarding, a BARK Air concierge contacts the passengers/pawssengers to collect all the relevant details (size, temperament, preferred treats, etc.).
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After some very necessary canine socialisation and a streamlined check-in/security screening process at the airport, guests are ushered into the anxiety-free cabin of a Gulfstream G5. From soothing music, lavender-scented towels, and adorable toys to an inflight drink (chicken broth-based โchampagneโ; โbarkaccinosโ) and an assortment of BARKโs treats, virtually every single need is met with an elevated response.
By all accounts, itโs the pinnacle of white paw treatment.
โBARK Air has taken the white glove experience typical of a humanโs first-class experience and redirected all that pampering to pooches,โ the company stated in an announcement last month.
โFrom booking to arrival, to in-flight services and disembarkation, dogs will truly be the VIPs and treated to a positively luxurious, curated experience.โ
โWhen we started BARK in 2011, we were on a mission to disrupt the dog space and create products designed for dogs and their humans,โ explained Matt Meeker, Co-Founder & CEO at BARK.
โWe are excited to take the insights weโve learned over the years to create an experience that is truly dog-first, which is drastically different from just accepting dogs: from the ground to the skies.โ
โWe believe this initiative will elevate awareness of our brandโs mission and values, introduce more dog lovers to the BARK family, and help enrich the lives of dogs and their people around the world.โ
Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, BARK Air are running rather limited routes: from New York to London and Los Angeles with plans to expand later this year (Paris, Chicago, Florida, according to Meeker). But assuming everything goes smoothly โ and assuming thereโs sufficient demand โ perhaps itโll make its way down to our sunburnt corner of the Southern Hemisphere.
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Each flight accommodates 10 dogs of all sizes along with their human companions and crew; airfares start from US$6,000 or AU$9,000 (New York City-Los Angeles), and top out at US$8,000 or AU$12,000 (New York City-London) โ both one way. And despite the pricing, BARK Air has already received over 15,000 requests for additional routes.
The company also has its eye on adding a Boeing 747 to its fleet, which would be fitted out with private cabins featuring lay-flat beds, a central โdog park,โ plus a bar for dogs and humans alike as depicted in the early promo video above.
