At some point over the past year, dogs quietly became the most pampered passengers in the sky.
They stretch their legs during layovers. They have spa appointments after landing. They travel with concierges, snack on calming chews and go home with curated gift baskets. Bark Air, a new airline designed exclusively for canine passengers, flies dogs in the main cabin of chartered Gulfstreams. RetrievAir, another startup, offers airport dog walkers and works with rescues to fly shelter dogs to new homes — no charge, no crate, no middle seat.
What began as a quirky luxury for indulgent pet parents is now starting to rewrite the rules of air travel. In September, Italy passed aviation laws allowing medium and large dogs to fly in the cabin. Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines have introduced dedicated pet lounges. Bark, which runs flights to and from L.A., has flown more than 1,000 dogs and brought in more than $6 million this year (with flights from L.A. to New York starting at $6,575 ). It recently launched a spinoff service — The Companion Concierge — to handle luxury pet logistics, whether or not your dog is actually flying. One family, for instance, wanted their Bernedoodle, Luna, to join them on vacation but couldn’t accompany her on the flight. So Bark sent a concierge to travel with Luna in the main cabin, keeping her company throughout the trip. “Our concierge ensured Luna was comfortable and stress-free in the cabin,” a Bark rep says. After they landed, the companion stayed on to take her on daily outings to dog-friendly parks, cafés and even a spa. When it came time to head home, Luna was sent off with a parting gift: a basket of toys and treats.
There’s plenty of legroom on one of Bark’s Gulfstreams for dogs.
Courtesy of Bark Air
Another RetrievAir client, a former exec in L.A. (who asked not to be named), has flown cross-country with her golden retriever Cliffie — even though the route includes stops in Denver and Chicago. “I like to get places quickly with no fuss, but honestly this was kind of nice because the dogs got to stretch their legs,” she says. “They had lunch for us and people to walk the dogs. Our housekeeper stays with our cats, but I could never do that to Cliffie. He’d be very sad if he couldn’t come with us.”
RetrievAir takes the model in a more philanthropic direction. One of its users is Renee McComb, who lives in the East Bay and manages a charitable trust. She’s used RetrievAir to transport rescue dogs across the country — at no cost. “RetrievAir made everything seamless to take dogs from L.A. to Florida and allow them to have homes, and they wouldn’t take a fee,” she says.
Of course, not everyone gets a seat. For pet owner Tyler (who preferred not to use his last name), relocating from Napa to New York with his dog Bread meant jury-rigging a plan when no Bark flights were available on his travel date. The company helped charter a private jet to L.A. so Bread could connect with an eastbound flight. On both ends, a luxury car service was arranged — with specific instructions for the driver about Bread’s motion sickness. A guide met them in New York with tailored recommendations for groomers, parks, vets, dog walkers and pet-friendly restaurants.
It wasn’t seamless. But Bread made it to New York in style.
This story appeared in the Oct. 22 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
