Pet product brand Bark has decided to expand its offering to air travel, with an experience designed specifically around the comfort of four-legged companions.
The company, known for BarkBox, a monthly subscription that ships toys, treats, and even experiences geared toward your pet, will launch flights on the dog-friendly private jet service on May 23, rolling out flights between New York and Los Angeles, and between NY. and London the following week.
One-way tickets for a passenger and a pet on NYC/LA service start at $6,000, while seats between London and NYC cost $8,000 each.
Bark co-founder and CEO Mark Meeker explained to Washington Post that the inspiration for the specialist private air transport service came from his difficulties traveling with his late Great Dane, Hugo, who passed away in December 2021.
Bark has launched Bark Air, a chartered private jet service for dogs with owners wealthy enough to shell out up to $8,000 for a one-way ticket.
Launching in May 2024, Bark Air will offer service between New York and Los Angeles, and between New York and London.
Hugo had traversed the United States and Canada in his 12 years of life, but had never been able to accompany Meeker to the West Coast or Europe, largely due to the challenges of commercial travel related to his large size.
What’s more, bringing a pet on a standard commercial airliner is a risky prospect. By 2022The Bureau of Transportation Statistics received reports of seven animal deaths, one injury, and one missing animal that occurred during commercial air travel.
(Although it’s still a big improvement over previous years: In 2010The number of pets injured, lost or killed annually on commercial air travel was estimated to be in the thousands).
Meeker took things even further to investigate how pets are treated on airplanes, and arranged to have it put in a box that was rolled down the runway and loaded into the cargo of a plane, where it remained for a short time. less than an hour.
“It was very narrow, very dark. Loud noises. Disorienting. Without food or water. There’s nowhere to go to the bathroom,” Meeker told The Post.
“It was very, very terrible.”
But Bark Air offers more than just basic, common-sense safety measures for the pets of well-to-do people: It drives an ultra-luxurious experience for the animals on board.
Passengers carrying pets aboard charter flights can drink “dog champagne,” which is really nothing more than chicken broth, or snuggle up in “pheromone-scented” blankets during the flight.
The service was inspired in part by Bark CEO Mark Meeker’s late Great Dane, Hugo, whose travel was limited due to strict regulations on large dogs on commercial airlines.
Any particularly nervous pup can also take advantage of noise-cancelling earmuffs.
Before takeoff, the pups can meet in a private area of ​​the Bark Air terminals.
Meanwhile, there will be private chefs at Bark Air terminals to cook “custom meals” for human passengers before takeoff, although complimentary drinks and snacks will also be available during flights.
While in the air, dogs can roam freely around the cabin as long as they are well behaved.
Of course, you will find high-quality treats and snacks for dogs everywhere.
Upon arrival at your destination, a car service will be arranged to take the pampered pup and his owner to any location of your choice within 30 miles of the airport.
Meeker told The Post that there were no concerning canine confrontations over dogs crammed on board during a Bark Air test.
‘They greeted the other dogs and they greeted the other people. “Everyone was very calm about it,” Meeker said.
‘For the dogs that were a little more nervous, or the people who were more nervous about their dogs, we have a place on the plane for them to sit without anyone bothering them.’
Still, Meeker acknowledges that the price is daunting for even the most loving dog owners.
On May 23, the day of Bark Air’s launch, comparable one-way nonstop business class tickets between New York and Los Angeles cost between $700 and $800.
From New York to London on the same day, nonstop business class tickets start at over $2,200, although at least one remaining business class fare from London to New York costs just under $2,000, as of this writing. .
Still, British Airways business class fares between New York and London can easily cost more than $10,000, putting Bark Air’s high prices into perspective in the expensive landscape of commercial air travel.
Commercial airlines also typically charge a fee of up to $200 per pet, but only with a tenuous guarantee of their safety and no promise of a humane environment, for the duration of their itinerary, which spans one or more flights.
And such offerings – simple safety and comfort – are certainly invaluable to those who love their animal companions.