An American airline offers a high-end service dedicated to dogs. These four-legged travelers are even entitled to “Doggie champagne” and much more. This is how they are pampered.
Traveling with your pet is always stressful, both for the animal locked in its cage placed in the hold, and for its owners who worry about it throughout the flight. “Does he have enough water and food?” “Isn’t he scared alone in his cage among other pets?” “Maybe he’s too hot, or too cold.”… So many questions that put some owners off taking the plane with their four-legged companion so as not to inflict on them an overly stressful trip in the hold. Matt Meeker, co-founder and chief executive of Bark, a dog toy company, believes that “no dog should fly out of a cage.” He also tested the experience by putting himself in their place in a cage in the hold, to show the “particularly terrible” conditions, with noise, darkness and “absence of water and food”.
In the United States, the airline Bark Air, in partnership with Talon Air, is offering a brand new luxury service dedicated to dogs: a VIP flight, in first class! Here, everything is designed for dogs: music to soothe them, dog food, treats and even “Doggie champagne”: a mixture of chicken broth and donuts. The on-board staff are specially trained to look after animals, and do everything to pamper them. Comfortably seated on seats or beds in the cabin, the doggies can enjoy the flight alongside their master, who is served a meal delicately prepared by chefs.
Passengers also don’t need to arrive too early before takeoff: 45 minutes is enough and check-in is simplified. During this short wait, the dogs can meet other animals on the same flight, in order to socialize and adapt to each other. “If you think this is a joke, it’s because you don’t like dogs,” the company says in a commercial.
The first flights are scheduled for May 23, with two routes available from Westchester County Airport, New York, to Los Angeles-Van Nuys Airport (Los Angeles) and London Airport. Stansted. And because the love of our faithful companions is priceless, some masters do not hesitate to put their “paw” in their pocket! Count the one way ticket 6000 dollars (more than 5600 euros) for the New York-Los Angeles route, and 8000 dollars (more than 7500 euros) for the one way New York-London.