Fortune reporter Sydney Lake flew to London with her golden retriever Lulu on an $8,000 luxury flight for dogs—here's what it was like.
Thanks to @barkair for providing a one-of-a-kind experience.
#barkair #bark #london #flights #petfriendly #dogsflyfirst #travel #luxurytravel
Thanks to @barkair for providing a one-of-a-kind experience.
#barkair #bark #london #flights #petfriendly #dogsflyfirst #travel #luxurytravel
Category
🤖
TechTranscript
00:00But two weeks ago, one dog started barking, and then the entire cabin had a bark-off.
00:05And it just reminded us so much that we're like, here for the dogs, this is their journey,
00:10we're able to get them all from A to B safely.
00:12I'm Sydney.
00:13I'm a reporter for Fortune, and I just took Lulu on an $8,000 luxury flight for dogs.
00:21The New Bark Airline was formed to create a better experience for flying with your dog.
00:26On the new airline, the dogs don't ride in cargo.
00:28They ride in a 10-seater Gulfstream private jet, a $25 million vehicle that few people
00:34get to experience.
00:35Matt Meeker, the CEO of Bark, he started the company 14 years ago, because he had a great
00:41dame called Hugo, who was too big, also traveled all around America with his dog, but obviously
00:47had to drive.
00:48He knew it was a huge issue for big dogs to be able to get around.
00:51Over the last year, him and kind of five of us at Bark have been putting together the
00:56Bark Air story.
00:58Our journey started that morning when we arrived at the airport, and our Bark Air concierge
01:08met us outside and ushered us into the airport lobby for a breakfast that was chef-prepared
01:15with eggs, bacon.
01:16As soon as a dog parent books a flight, we then coordinate a pup intake, where we're
01:22trying to understand the pup's preferences, because we understand as dog parents ourselves
01:26that each pup is really unique.
01:28We're trying to understand their social preferences, as far as other pups are concerned, and humans,
01:33their dietary leanings, if you will, or if there's any restrictions, whether or not
01:38they get a little motion sickness in a car.
01:40The energy in the lobby was noticeably different from every other airport.
01:44Not only was it filled with furry friends, but everyone seemed genuinely happy to be
01:48there.
01:49There wasn't any pushing, shoving, dirty looks, or any other signs of frustration you'd
01:53usually see at the airport.
01:55I'm enjoying meeting the other dog owners and dogs.
01:58I'd never flown with a dog to the UK before, and so I also appreciated the fact that the
02:04concierge at Bark really walked me through all of the steps and made sure that the paperwork
02:10was going to be acceptable even before we boarded the plane.
02:15Pups and their human companions were asked to arrive an hour early so that the dogs could
02:19socialize and meet each other ahead of the flight.
02:22We were ushered onto the tarmac, and they had rolled out a green faux grass carpet.
02:29Even though there were nine other dogs and ten other passengers on the flight, there
02:34was plenty of room for us.
02:36Lulu and I even got a couch seat.
02:38Really the most exciting parts were all of the fun surprises, including puppy champagne,
02:44which was turkey broth.
02:45I recommend definitely tasting the bocconcino.
02:49It's delicious, it's a hit, every dog loves it.
02:53The highly anticipated in-flight spa treatment, Lulu got a full brush down, she got her teeth
03:00brushed, but really the cutest part was that she got to sport a very fashionable rubber
03:07ducky robe.
03:08Lulu had access to plenty of toys and treats along the way.
03:13The flight attendants and concierges passed out goodie bags for each of the dogs.
03:19Lulu!
03:20Champagne!
03:21Then when we finally landed in London, someone came on the flight and scanned each of the
03:28dogs to be sure that their microchip matched what we had submitted on our official paperwork.
03:35And then the rest of the process was really easy.
03:37There was only one person manning the customs desk at this small private airport, so really
03:43the entire process only took about ten minutes start to finish.
03:47We headed outside and our black car service was waiting for us.
03:52As we were driving away, I was reflecting on this truly crazy, remarkable, once-in-a-lifetime
03:59experience and was also starting to think about how I could possibly continue to keep
04:04up with Lulu's new posh lifestyle.