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Doggie champagne, barkaccinos, soothing music: How ‘paw-some’ US airline Bark Air is pampering your pets
Bark Air, a dog-first airline, is offering various amazing benefits for our furry friends travelling with us.
Bark Air, a dog-first airline, is offering various amazing benefits for our furry friends travelling with us. Before boarding the plane, a Bark Air concierge approaches every passenger and collects information about their pet dogs. The aircraft is meant to fit 10 dogs of all sizes. After arriving at the airport and an hour before takeoff, the dogs get to socialise with each other.
A passenger who travelled with a terrier mix revealed that every dog is pampered, according to Robb Report. The flyer said that co-founder and CEO of Bark, Matt Meeker, said after they boarded the plane, “What we say is first class for the dog, business class for the human. What we’ve seen is if our primary focus is making the dog happy, then the human will be very happy.”
What benefits are dogs getting?
After boarding the flight, passengers will find the cabin filled with items to help ease the dogs’ anxiety, such as lavender-scented towels and soothing music. There are plenty of treats. Your dogs can enjoy ‘doggie Champagne’ (chicken broth) and ‘barkaccinos’ (cups of whipped cream).
At the airport, human passengers are given meals created by chef David Burke. During the flight, snacks and drinks are available in plenty.
“The first order is to reduce the stress and anxiety for the dog,” Meeker said, adding that during the test runs, “the dogs made it their own flight. They took over and they started sitting in the chairs and it was so magical. They just mixed and matched, and people fell in love with other people’s dogs.”
The first flight was scheduled to take off Thursday, May 23. The plane is flying from New York to London and Los Angeles. Bark Air plans to expand routes, including places like Paris, Chicago, and Florida, according to Meeker.
Passengers have already made 15,000 submissions to the company for routes they want to be included. The ticket price runs $6,000 for a human and a dog in Los Angeles. It is $8,000 for the trip to London.
“In the first month or so here, we’ve sold a good number of tickets,” Meeker said. “And to some notable people that you would assume could charter the whole jet, but they’re choosing this.”
