A new flight experience tailored towards dogs who fly with their human owners is set to start operating later this year.
BARK Air is the brainchild of dog-lovers’ omnichannel ‘Bark’, which resolved to get serious about making air travel easier for man’s best friend.
The dog-friendly flights will take off for the first time on May 23, 2024, through a partnership with a jet charter company.
The first flights will depart from Westchester County Airport (HPN) in the New York City metro area with operations to Los Angeles area via Van Nuys Airport (VNY) and the United Kingdom via London-Stansted Airport (STN).
The dog-centric company argues that travelling with pets can be difficult and stressful for the animal, and that another option needs to be available.
Introducing BARK Air: A 100% totally real airline for dogs. We're dog people, and we are tired of there being no truly dog-friendly options when it comes to air travel.
— BARK (@bark) April 11, 2024
Now booking the best-in-class dog focused flight imaginable at https://t.co/eZqVYMC5W3 pic.twitter.com/bzcY2rSO4h
Not all dogs are small enough to be stored in a carrier under the seat in front and many owners simply don’t like the thought of their beloved pet traveling in cargo.
“We are excited to take the insights we’ve 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,” said Matt Meeker, Co-Founder and CEO at BARK. “We believe this initiative will elevate awareness of our brand’s mission and values, introduce more dog lovers to the BARK family, and help enrich the lives of dogs and their people around the world.”
Dogs and their companions will be asked to arrive at the airport around an hour before their flight, where they will be met by BARK Air concierge to ensure all passengers, whether human or canine, are fit and healthy to fly.
Once onboard, dogs will receive a variety of BARK-branded treats and snacks, with surprises being provided throughout the flight.
The charter company takes care of all aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance-related matters.
“We believe this initiative will raise awareness of BARK’s mission in a cost-effective manner,” said Zahir Ibrahim, Chief Financial Officer at BARK. “Given we are not committed to booking flights far in advance, we have a lot of flexibility to opportunistically charter flights during times of high demand. In parallel, we believe the additional traffic to BARK.co will raise awareness of our full offering, benefiting our core business in the long term.”
Tickets for future flights can now be booked on the BARK Air website.