A British woman has revealed how she decided to charter a private jet to fly her two beloved dogs to New York – saying it was cheaper than buying a freighter ticket.
Maddie Young, 31, from Balham, SW London, wanted to make sure her 12-year-old dog, Violet, and 1-year-old golden retriever, Olive, could travel in style after making the decision to move to Brooklyn.
Young and her husband, Stephen Whitworth, 32, who were offered a job opportunity in the US, started They research how to travel the 3,470 miles from London and are left aghast at the cost.
She said she was quoted $15,000 — $7.5 thousand per dog — by an airline to fly in cargo.
The freelance PR worker began looking for other ways she could do this, and found a Facebook group that arranges private charters for dogs — with dog treats and puppy pads included in the price.
Big Apple here we come! Maddie Young, from Balham, London moved to Brooklyn in January of this year with her husband, Stephen Whitworth. The couple decided to pay for a private jet to ensure their two dogs, 12-year-old pug, Violet, and 1-year-old golden retriever, Olive, could travel comfortably.
Maddie and Stephen, who run a tech startup, paid $12k for their dogs Violet and Olive to travel in style — and the $2k was refunded when the plane was filled up, so the costs were split further.
Maddy said the experience was “smooth” and the dogs were treated to custom toys and dog cookies on board.
Maddie, from Balham, London, said: ‘The fares were insanely expensive. We were constrained because airlines don’t like flying flat-faced breeds because they can be more prone to breathing problems – although that’s not the case with violets.
I googled a lot of stuff and found old news articles of people looking for different ways to travel and found a UK to US Facebook group from there. It was full of people organizing flights and splitting costs.
Jet Set Dog! But Maddie says the $10,000 flight would have been cheaper than a freight ticket—which would have proven more stressful for her pets, she says.
We paid $12,000 including seats for us. But it was $10,000 in the end as we were refunded for filling the plane. It was the cheapest option. There was no thinking.’
Maddie moved to the Big Apple in January 2023 for Stephen’s work and the couple were desperate to move their dogs to join them.
I struggled to find many options for them because cargo trips were so expensive and the cruise ship had to wait two years.
“As Violet got older, it was unsettling for her to be in shipping,” Maddie said.
Having never traveled privately before Maddie surprised me with a private charter flight, she found on a Facebook group that it was $5,000 cheaper than taking a regular flight with dogs.
The small plane had to refuel in Canada, allowing the couple to take advantage of the facilities on the ground — with the airline providing puppy pads to use at 30,000 feet.
The family kept costs down by splitting the trip with other pet owners; “The experience was very smooth,” says Maddy. “There were eight dogs and 10 humans. (The pets were photographed in New York after they arrived.)
Stephen and the aging olive. The couple made the decision to move across the pond for a job opportunity in January
Maddy said it “didn’t make sense” for us to go to him. The couple rocked out just half an hour before the flight at Biggin Hill Airport, Bromley, Greater London, and said the dogs were given toys and cookies before the long flight.
Maddy and the other dog owners have bought blankets to put and protect the perches.
She said: I was already nervous. I have never flown privately before. The experience was very smooth. There were eight dogs and 10 people. All the dogs were given custom toys and a bag of doggie cookies which were very sweet.
All dogs were well behaved. They mostly slept chilled and chewed on bones.
The independent PR said she would not hesitate to take the same trip again with her pets
The couple said all eight dogs on board behaved well during the flight – they say most were sleeping, chilling and chewing on bones.
The plane had to refuel in Canada due to strong headwinds and this meant the dogs could kill themselves after the eight-and-a-half-hour flight.
Maddie did “anything to keep them calm” and tried not to feed the dogs so much that they wouldn’t have to go to the toilet.
The airline provided pads for the pup if they needed to relieve themselves.
Safe and stylish, Violet and Olive arrived in New York in April and are now settling into their new home. “It was an amazing experience – once in a lifetime,” Maddie said.
If we go back, we will do it again. There is no shame on the people who put them in the merchandise. It’s okay if it works for you. But with a nervous little dog, an older dog, and because it’s cheaper, it’s a no-brainer. They both cope well.
