A new airline will take its first flight on Thursday – with dogs as passengers.
BARK, a company that sells dog food and toys, announced in April that it was launching a new aviation experience for dogs called BARK Air. The airline will allow pets to travel with their owners as companions in the aircraft cabin in instead of in boxes in the cargo hold.
The airline’s first flight, traveling from New York to Los Angeles, is sold out, according to company report booking website. Tickets aren’t cheap — a one-way flight from New York to Los Angeles in June costs $6,000, and a flight from New York to London costs $8,000 (one ticket is for a dog and its human). The company he said that your goal is to reduce the cost of tickets over time.
BARK he said created the air travel service “because despite incredible demand from dog lovers, there simply isn’t a good or convenient solution for traveling long distances with your dog.”
“We recognize and believe that life is better – for you and your dog – when you are together,” the company said on its website. “We partnered with a jet charter company to meticulously build a flight experience from the ground up, focused exclusively on the comfort and happiness of the dog first and the human second.”
“Bottom line: no dog should fly in a crate,” the company added.
In 2019, 404,556 animals were transported by airlines, according to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Canine passengers will be able to socialize with each other during the flight and will receive treats, noise-cancelling earplugs and drinks. There will be designated relief areas for canine passengers to use before boarding the plane, and if they need to relieve themselves on the aircraft, airline staff will have emergency pads, the company said. said on their website.
The airline currently offers flights between New York and Los Angeles, as well as between New York and London. But BARK plans to expand the service and offer more routes in the future.
BARK Air does not own or operate the aircraft; is a public chartered operator. The aircraft are Gulfstream G5 jetsand can accommodate 15 dogs and their humans, but BARK Air he said will only sell 10 tickets per flight to ensure all passengers have enough space. There are no size or breed restrictions for dogs.
“The initial launch of BARK Air is just the beginning – our first step towards achieving our vision of dog-first travel,” the company said on its website.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
