With the arrival of the new airline, BARK Air, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport may become one of the most dog-friendly airports.
The airline recently announced that it is expanding its domestic and international service network to five new destinations and seven new routes, including routes to the Valley. In addition to Phoenix, dog owners can book flights to and from New York (HPN), Los Angeles (VNY), Paris (LBG), Chicago (MDW), San Francisco/San Jose (SJC) and Miami/Fort Lauderdale (FXE).
“The interest and enthusiasm around BARK Air to date has been overwhelming,” said Matt Meeker, BARK co-founder and CEO of BARK. “We are excited to expand BARK Air’s service to new cities and through new routes, accommodating customer demand and bringing our unique, stress-free dog-centric travel experience to even more families.”
Currently, each flight takes up to nine passengers with their dogs. BARK Air hopes to provide pups with a true white paw experience. Following booking a flight, dog owners are contacted by a BARK Air concierge team member to collect information about each dog. This ensures that each pup has the best possible flight experience. On each flight, two trained team members will be trained in dog CPR and canine de-escalation.
On the day of travel, dogs and their companions are advised to arrive at the airport about 60 minutes before takeoff to check in and get acquainted with the other pup passengers. As opposed to standard flights, the pups will not be crated or separated from their owners.
Before boarding the plane, the cabin is prepped by BARK Air with calming aids such as peaceful music, warm lavender-scented refreshment towels, calming treats, waste bags, leashes, noise-canceling ear muffs and more to ensure each dog will feel settled during the flight.
Once in the air, dogs will be served their drink in-flight of either water or bone broth. In addition, a variety of BARK-branded treats and snacks will be served throughout the flight experience.
A one-way ticket for a pup and human companion from Phoenix to Chicago in November costs $6,000, but Meeker told NPR that they “have pretty clear ways of bringing those prices down if the demand is there, and that’s what we aim to do. We want to make this affordable and accessible for as many dogs as possible.”
For more information about BARK Air and to book your next flight, visit DogsFlyFirst.com.
Photos courtesy BARK Air
