This Luxury Airline for Dogs Has Pup Champagne, In-flight Fur Massages, and Bottomless Treats—and I Tried It

Since Bark Air launched its first flight last year, the boutique airline for dogs has been all over social media feeds: labradoodles lounging in leather seats, basset hounds in pilot hats, Yorkies drinking canine “Chompagne.”

So while I’ve flown across the U.S. and even to London and Rome with my golden retriever, Cali, I knew our first Bark Air flight was going to be the type of trip neither of us had experienced before.

“We take a dog-first approach to travel, not just a pet-friendly one,” Michael Novotny, president of Bark Air, told Travel + Leisure, “and our highly trained concierge team really brings that mission to life, tailoring every detail to the dog’s personality, temperament and health needs.”

I first felt this on my—sorry, Cali’s—onboarding call, a few weeks before our flight from New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport to Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles, when I was asked about Cali’s favorite treats, what music she would like to listen to in the car to the airport, and whether she prefers to ride with the windows up or down.

We talked through Cali’s travel experience and temperament, and while she’s never a nervous flier, it was nice to know there would be calming aids on board and pheromones flowing throughout the cabin to help settle dogs who might be.

Checking In

Our driver dropped us off at the Bark Air lounge at Teterboro Airport, a private airport located about 13 miles from New York City, just 45 minutes before our scheduled departure time. All eight pup passengers were encouraged to mingle and visit an outdoor grassy area for a last bathroom break while the team checked us in.

Seat assignments are pre-arranged by Bark Air based on factors such as size and social behavior after owners are interviewed during the onboarding calls, but last-minute changes can be made based on who does or doesn’t get along in real life.

There’s a brief security check, which happens right in the lounge, and passengers are allowed to check a suitcase up to 50 pounds plus a duffle bag. It’s recommended to bring a small personal item with just the essentials on board, and I can vouch that this is a good idea due to limited space in the cabin as the dogs stretch out. Crates are not allowed in the cabin.

Pup passports are handed out, complete with each dog’s name and photo, a “We the Dogs” declaration page, and a stamp representing their destination.

The Plane

Bark Air is a public charter operator. We flew on a Canadair CL-600 Challenger, a wide-body business jet with a beautiful beige interior, six plush leather seats, and a divan. Our jet had a nine-passenger capacity, but the flight was capped at seven passengers and eight dogs for comfort. Four of the dogs were small, two were large, and two were mid-sized. Cali is on the small side for a golden retriever, and we could only share our seat if she was on my lap. Otherwise, she needed to be on the floor, where space was somewhat limited, but luckily she found a cuddle buddy—a sweet cocker spaniel and golden retriever mix named River—in the seat facing us. They both seemed to enjoy the Bark Air pillows.

The airline also charters a Bombardier Global 6000, which seats 13 but is limited to 11 for these flights, and Gulfstream Aerospace G-IV, which seats 12 but is limited to 10. The number of tickets sold per flight depends on the size of the dogs.

Cute touches on our flight included animated in-flight information cards featuring belly rub procedures and pointers such as “In the event of ruff air, help yourself to a treat before helping your human” and “Need to play? Please take a moment to identify the toys nearest to you.” Each window read: “Please keep all heads, noses, and tongues inside the aircraft.”

While dogs were encouraged to use the bathroom before and after the flight, there were just-in-case disposable training pads in the human lavatory, which one of our fellow passengers did take advantage of.

The Food

If Cali could write this article, I’m confident she’d tell you this is the only section that matters. From barkaccinos (cups of whipped cream), to bags of pork-and-apple and yogurt-and-berry flavored treats, to freeze-dried liver and shoes on a silver platter, the dogs on Bark Air are treated to a feast in the sky. There’s even “Doggie Chompagne,” poured out of a Champagne bottle and served with a sniff test.

Of course, there’s also real Champagne (plus a full bar and soft drinks) for humans, and a menu that includes hot and cold dishes, like chicken pesto pasta, roast beef, sandwiches, salads, and desserts like tiramisu and cheesecake. I enjoyed the pasta, except for the rude, blatant staring I had to endure from my furry seatmates while I ate it.

The Amenities

Some onboard amenities were gimmicky but cute, such as outfit changes into spa robes or co-pilot outfits. (Sorry, Cali.) Others were genuinely helpful for nervous or reactive dogs, like ThunderShirts, which have the effect of a swaddle or a weighted blanket; Happy Hoodies, which muffle loud noises; and calming treats.

A fair number of the dogs on our flight were visibly and audibly anxious, and our flight attendants were trained and eager to help. Dogs were also treated to in-flight massages, and the cabin was prepped with soothing pheromones and ambient lighting.

Amenities are truly aimed at pets, not people—don’t expect a designer pouch with beauty products or a pair of slippers—but I knew the photo ops were all for me.

The Routes

While we flew from the NYC area to Los Angeles, Bark Air also has flights to San Francisco, Seattle, London, Madrid, Paris, and now Lisbon. There are also private and shared charter options, which give pet parents the option to choose their own destinations, like Honolulu, as long as a minimum number of seats are booked. On shared charters, each ticket includes up to two dogs, if their combined weight is 50 pounds or less.

Companion Concierge

Last week, Bark Air announced the launch of Companion Concierge, a pet travel service that takes care of logistics, from sorting out international paperwork and vet appointments to coordinating transportation and providing pet-friendly travel guides.

“[Our] dog-first mindset doesn’t end when the plane lands,” Novotny told T+L. “By launching Bark Air’s Companion Concierge, we now extend that same personalized care to the entire journey. From on-the-ground services to hotel coordination and transportation arrangements, we are making travel more accessible and joyful for dogs and their humans.”

This service is available to those traveling with pets by plane or car, and they do not need to be flying Bark Air. The service starts at $500, which includes a one-hour consultation, initial itinerary creation and support, and a $500 credit toward a Bark Air flight.

Vaccinations and Restrictions

Dogs of all sizes and breeds are permitted to fly Bark Air, though it’s important to note that local governments in some international destinations do impose breed restrictions. For flights within the U.S., only an up-to-date rabies certificate is required. Vaccination, health certificate, and microchip requirements also vary for international destinations upon arrival, but details can be found on the Bark Air website.

If you’re looking to travel with other pets, such as cats or birds, contact Bark Air. Non-canine animals must remain in carriers for the duration of the flight and are approved on a case by case basis. Humans must be age 10 or older to fly.

Training your dog is not a requirement on Bark Air, though the airline reserves the right to refuse the boarding of any dog (or human) who poses a potential safety risk to others. Although this service is aimed at making it easy for pets and their people to fly together, there are chaperone services available to those who need to send their dog on Bark solo.

The Price

The starting rate for a non-stop, one-way flight from New York to Los Angeles is $6,575. New York to London starts at $8,900, and New York to Paris at $9,500. Each ticket includes one human and one dog, but accommodations can be made to add an extra human or dog at an additional cost pending space availability.

The Verdict

As someone who both loves to travel and needs to travel for work, and who also happens to be obsessed with her large-breed dog, I am thankful that airlines like Bark Air finally exist. Traveling with Cali brings me joy that I hope all dog people get to experience, and for some, this type of flight is the only comfortable way to make that possible. On my flight, I also met people who were moving and needed to take their beloved pets with them, which I think might be the perfect use case.

The experience offered is creative and downright adorable, and the service is responsible and attentive. That said, of course it’s expensive. Even Bark Air acknowledges that on its website, noting that the company is working toward making it “as accessible as possible.”

A long-haul flight on a relatively small plane with anywhere from five to eleven dogs will inevitably be a bit chaotic, all calming efforts aside. While the dogs on our flight were well under control, some of them were not frequent fliers like Cali, and they were anxious. One went to the bathroom (in the lavatory, very politely) and restlessly climbed into my lap (I didn’t mind).

The dog-first ethos is important to remember. The human comforts, entertainment, and relaxation seasoned travelers will come to expect from a flight at this price point do not exist here—because that is simply not the point. But if you’re looking into flying an airline called Bark Air, you probably already get that.