The new dog-friendly airline that allows pets anywhere on the plane to come to the UK

A brand new dog-friendly airline that allows your pets to roam the plane is coming to the UK. The news will be welcomed by owners who find it stressful to travel with their dogs and have to keep them crated.

Bark Air currently offers round-trip flights between New York and Los Angeles, with flights from London scheduled from the end of the month. But even more routes will be added soon.

The airline promises to provide a “white paw experience”, with all flights focused on dogs first and people second. Bark Air cabins are prepared with calming aids such as pheromones, music, warm cooling lavender-scented towels and other comforts to help each dog feel settled.

Bark Air concierges also have an “just in case” bag filled with soothing treats, leashes, poop bags and more that are provided at the gate. During ascent and descent, the dogs will be served their preferred beverage (water, bone broth, etc.) to ensure they do not suffer from ear discomfort commonly caused by changing cabin pressure.

In addition, a variety of Bark-branded treats, snacks and surprises are served throughout the flight experience. As good as that sounds, there’s quite a catch, as a one-way ticket will set you back $8,000 (£6,400), but that includes luggage and an airport transfer.

Upon booking, people will be contacted by a Bark Air concierge to collect information about their dog and their travel plans. Bark Air says this is “to give you the best overall travel experience possible”.

On the day of travel, dogs and their owners are asked to arrive at the airport one hour before their flight for a “simple and efficient check-in process and security screening”. A Bark Air concierge will “greet all pups and help them settle into their experience through gate socialization and dog-centric cabin preparation.”

Bark Air’s launch routes currently serve the New York City metropolitan area via White Plains (HPN), Los Angeles via Van Nuys (VNY) and London via Biggin Hill (BQN). The airline adds, “All of these airports are easily accessible in their surrounding metro areas and are relatively easy to get to/from major airports in those metros.”