A new airline dedicated to dogs and their owners has taken off in the United States.
Bark Air’s first flight from New York to Los Angeles was sold out and
now an international flight to London has opened for bookings.
Onboard the aircraft there is room for 15 dogs and their owners.
A one-way ticket on the domestic route from LA to NYC or vice versa
costs US$6,000. Not cheap, but Bark Air says the experience for the dogs
and their owners is first-class all the way.
On the inaugural flight, the dogs were served chicken-flavoured puppuccinos, cupcakes and a shoe on a platter to snack on.
Bark chief of staff Katharine Enos told the NPR media outlet,
“Brooklyn (dachshund) and Eddy (golden) played and the little dogs took
nice long naps most of the way. After lunch it was nap time for
everyone. No potty accidents on board or stolen food either.”
A Bark Air spokesperson said, “These dogs are not merely an
afterthought, nor are they treated as cargo or a burden to the crew and
fellow travellers.
“Here, dogs are the foremost priority. Every single detail of this
flight experience has been crafted with a ‘dogs-first’ mindset.”
The petsthattravel website says 21 airlines allow small dogs to fly
in the cabin. They include Turkish Airlines, Air France, Lufthansa, Air
Canada and most US airlines. No Asian airline is included in the list.