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NEW LUXURY AIRLINE GIVES DOGS FIRST-CLASS SERVICE
Bark Air, a brand-new airline, is taking to the skies, and it comes with the amenities of dreams: beds for relaxing, lavender-scented refreshment towels, complimentary champagne, and treats. The catch? It is an airline dedicated to dogs.
Bark Air advertises itself as a “100% totally real,” dog-centered flight service, although human companions may fly with their furry friends.
Dave Stangle, Bark’s Vice President for Brand Marketing, says this airline has been a dream of the Bark Box company since it launched back in 2011.
Bark Box is a pet subscription service that sends your dog a monthly toy or treat. But it was only recently that Bark realized that a dog-friendly airline could become a reality with today’s surging interest in dog travel.
Bark is partnering with creative agency Tombras on the new airline’s advertising campaign and on the interior design of the planes themselves.
Jeff Benjamin, Chief Creative Officer at Tombras, says the lack of existing dog-friendly travel has been an “obvious and urgent” problem. At best, dogs might get to fly in carry bags under the seats. At worst, they are put in cages in the cargo holds. “It was high time someone stepped in and did something,” he says.
When the airline makes its first flight in May, Bark Air’s initial routes will serve the New York City metro area via White Plains suburban airport, Los Angeles via Van Nuys, and London via Stansted Airport. Private jet charter company Talon Air is cooperating with Bark to make the dream a reality.
While Talon handles takeoffs and landings, Bark will handle safety precautions among the doggy passengers before, during, and after flights. A dedicated concierge team will be responsible for making sure that each trip is as smooth as any five-star service.
“The concierge team reaches out to each furry passenger individually to get to know all the dogs,” Stangle explained. “Are they social and playful? Would they rather be left alone? Do they have any health issues we should be aware of? Each and every flight is planned with this information in mind.
“We also allow all of the dogs to meet in our lounges before the flight so that they can get to know one another, sniff any butts they would like to sniff, and get comfortable before boarding.
“We arrange the seats to best suit the group so that all dogs have a first-class experience, and each flight has a Bark-trained attendant to help with any issues that may arise.”
Route choices and timing are currently limited, but Stangle hopes to add more destinations, based on customer feedback.
A short film from Tombras announcing the airline’s opening shows pampered pooches watching in-flight squirrel movies, drinking canine champagne, and receiving complimentary belly rubs and shoes to chew.
“All the amenities in the film are here now or are in the works,” Benjamin said, listing everything from custom doggy flat-beds and “turbulence treats” to dog-calming, scented cabins, a shoe menu, and the “world’s first on-board dog park,” not to mention a belly-rub button at every seat.
Human companions will have their own menu, but pup passengers are guaranteed “five-star gourmet dining,” according to Benjamin, who noted, “This is just the start.”
While there has been plenty of planning to bring all of these bells and whistles together, Benjamin pointed out another main challenge for Bark Air: convincing people that it is a real airline!
“This is not a joke,” Benjamin says. “It is not some elaborate prank. Or a PR stunt. Bark Air is a totally real airline, built for real dogs and the real owners who love them. We have just taken the other airlines’ standard luxuries and adapted them to dogs.”
Bark Air’s mission may be admirable, but all those luxury perks do not come cheap. For example, one-way flights for one dog and one human companion between New York and Los Angeles cost USD$6,000. Want to bring another human along? That is another USD$6,000 ticket, thank you very much. Flights between New York and the UK are priced at USD $8,000.
“While these are premium prices for a premium experience, our goal is to invest more into this program over time, to enable us to bring prices down and be more available to more dog people,” Stangle says.
There is no mention of the price for a dog traveling solo, but no doubt, it will be cheaper.
So, here is a thought: If your Snoopy really is as smart and loyal as you say, we have an ideal way to reward him for all that unconditional love!
Send him alone! He will get to see the world in the lap of luxury from 10,000 m, and you will save money. Also, before he goes, teach him to take selfies that he can share with you on Facebook. Good doggie!
Cats? Well, so far, life has not been very fair to them. Take, for instance, the sad case of this traveling cat who could only send back x-ray pictures: "Cat Scan." Or, this one that could only escape by hiding in a box of boots: "Feline Prime."
SOURCE: fastcompany.com
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