A new airline for dogs is getting a major route upgrade.

 BARK Air, which took to the skies on May 23, recently expanded to new destinations both in the United States and around the world. 

Dogs, and their owners, will be able to fly to Paris, Chicago, San Jose, Phoenix, and Fort Lauderdale on new service that begins in October. 

These new routes will complement the existing service connecting New York, Los Angeles, and London. 

“We’ve had such high demand, that we’re expanding service to five new destinations and seven new routes both domestically and internationally,” a BARK Air spokesperson shared in a statement to Travel + Leisure. 

BARK Air operates on Gulfstream G5 jets, and the airline says that each plane can accommodate 14 dogs and humans, however the airline will never sell more than 9 tickets to keep things spacious.

Passengers fly in and out of metro areas of major cities, but not necessarily the city itself. For example, flights marketed out of New York operate from Westchester County Airport, and flights to San Francisco actually operate from San Jose airport. 

Upon landing, the airline provides free ground transportation within a 30 mile radius around the metropolitan area. 

Domestic routes start at $6,000 and the international routes start at $8,000, with the New York to Paris journey totaling $8,500, according to the company’s website.

“We are excited to expand BARK Air’s service to new cities and through new routes, accommodating customer demand and bringing our unique, stress-free dog-centric travel experience to even more families,” BARK’s Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Matt Meeker said in a release about the new routes. 

Since its launch, BARK Air social media feed has become popular with its videos and photos of dogs going viral. One Instagram Reel has over one million views as it details the extravagant amenities available for dogs as they board and fly on the plane. 

Source: Travel Leisure

--Agencies