Dogs Fly First: BARK Announces
First-of-its-Kind Travel Experience Tailored to Dogs Starting May
2024
BARK, Inc. (NYSE: BARK) (“BARK” or the “Company”), a leading
global omnichannel dog brand with a mission to make all dogs happy,
today announced it has partnered with a jet charter company to
launch BARK Air. BARK Air is the world’s first air travel
experience designed specifically for dogs first, and their human
companions second, enabling them to travel together comfortably and
conveniently. Starting today, premium flights for dogs (and their
humans) are available for booking, with the first flights taking
off from New York on Thursday, May 23.
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Traveling long distances with a dog is a challenge many dog
parents face, particularly for those dogs that don’t fit into a
carrier that can be placed under the seat in front. Too often, dogs
are denied travel, confined to a duffle bag, or endure the stress
of flying in cargo. Recognizing these challenges, and the
increasing demand for an accessible solution, BARK Air presents a
more fun – and humane – option for dogs traveling with their
two-legged human companions. BARK Air exemplifies BARK’s dog-first
mentality and award-winning customer experience, setting a new
standard for dogs who love to travel but have been forced to settle
for less-than-ideal traveling conditions.
“When we started BARK in 2011, we were on a mission to disrupt
the dog space and create products designed for dogs and their
humans. We are excited to take the insights we’ve learned over the
years to create an experience that is truly dog-first, which is
drastically different from just accepting dogs – from the ground to
the skies,” said Matt Meeker, Co-Founder and Chief Executive
Officer at BARK. “We believe this initiative will elevate awareness
of our brand’s mission and values, introduce more dog lovers to the
BARK family, and help enrich the lives of dogs and their people
around the world.”
BARK Air has taken the white glove experience typical of a
human’s first-class experience and redirected all that pampering to
pooches – from booking to arrival, to in-flight services and
disembarkation, dogs will truly be the VIPs and treated to a
positively luxurious, curated experience.
- Following booking, humans will be contacted by a BARK
Air concierge to collect information about each dog and their
human’s travel plans to ensure the best possible experience.
- On travel day, dogs and their companions will arrive at
the airport 45 to 60 minutes before takeoff for a simple, efficient
check-in process where dogs can meet other furry friends on their
flight while their people are treated to meals prepared by onsite
chefs – no crates, stressful TSA checkpoints, or screening.
- Before boarding, a highly skilled BARK Air concierge
will welcome dogs at the gate to help them settle into their
experience through socialization and dog-centric cabin preparation.
The BARK Air concierge will also evaluate each dog to ensure they
are enjoying their experience and adapting to the new environment
and if additional attention and care is needed prior to boarding or
once on board.
- Also prior to boarding, the plane will be treated to a
“Dogs Fly First” flight prep with calming pheromones, music, and
colors that pups prefer. All furry passengers will have access to
various aids such as calming treats, noise-canceling ear muffs, and
calming jackets to ensure a stress-free and enjoyable flight.
- Once onboard, dogs will be served their beverage of
choice during ascent and descent to ensure they do not experience
any ear discomfort commonly caused by changes in cabin pressure.
Additionally, a variety of BARK-branded treats, snacks, and
surprises will be provided throughout the flight with the intent of
pampering furry passengers and their humans.
At launch, routes will serve the New York City metro area via
Westchester County Airport (HPN) with flights to the Los Angeles
area via Van Nuys (VNY) and London, England via Stansted Airport
(STN). Through the partnership, an Argus Platinum-rated charter
company is responsible for all aircraft, crew, maintenance, and
insurance-related matters, while BARK is focused on creating and
delivering a world-class air travel experience for dogs and their
people.
“We believe this initiative will raise awareness of BARK’s
mission in a cost-effective manner,” said Zahir Ibrahim, Chief
Financial Officer at BARK. “Given we are not committed to booking
flights far in advance, we have a lot of flexibility to
opportunistically charter flights during times of high demand. In
parallel, we believe the additional traffic to BARK.co will raise
awareness of our full offering, benefiting our core business in the
long term.”
For more information on BARK Air and booking, visit
DogsFlyFirst.com and follow along on Instagram @barkair.
About BARK
BARK is the world’s most dog-centric company, devoted to making
dogs happy with the best products, services and content. BARK’s
dog-obsessed team applies its unique, data-driven understanding of
what makes each dog special to design playstyle-specific toys,
wildly satisfying treats, great food for your dog’s breed,
effective and easy to use dental care, and dog-first experiences
that foster the health and happiness of dogs everywhere. Founded in
2011, BARK loyally serves dogs nationwide with themed toys and
treats subscriptions, BarkBox and BARK Super Chewer; custom product
collections through its retail partner network, including Target
and Amazon; its high-quality, nutritious meals made for your breed
with BARK Food; and products that meet dogs’ dental needs with BARK
Bright®. At BARK, we want to make dogs as happy as they make us
because dogs and humans are better together. Sniff around at
BARK.co for more information.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements relating
to, among other things, the future performance of BARK that are
based on the Company’s current expectations, forecasts and
assumptions and involve risks and uncertainties. In some cases, you
can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as
“may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “expect,” “plan,” "anticipate,”
“believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “intend,” “potential,”
“continue,” “ongoing” or the negative of these terms or other
comparable terminology. These statements include, but are not
limited to, statements about future operating results, including
our strategies, plans, commitments, objectives, and goals. Actual
results could differ materially from those predicted or implied and
reported results should not be considered as an indication of
future performance. Other factors that could cause or contribute to
such differences include, but are not limited to, risks relating to
the uncertainty of the projected financial information with respect
to BARK; the risk that spending on pets may not increase at
projected rates; that BARK subscriptions may not increase their
spending with BARK; BARK’s ability to continue to convert social
media followers and contacts into customers; BARK’s ability to
successfully expand its product lines and channel distribution;
competition; the uncertain effects of the COVID-19 pandemic or
other global or macroeconomic events or challenges.
More information about factors that could affect BARK's
operating results is included under the captions “Risk Factors” and
“Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations” in the Company's quarterly report on Form
10-Q, copies of which may be obtained by visiting the Company’s
Investor Relations website at https://investors.bark.co/ or the
SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Undue reliance should not be placed
on the forward-looking statements in this press release, which are
based on information available to the Company on the date hereof.
The Company assumes no obligation to update such statements.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240411566063/en/
Investors: Michael Mougias investors@barkbox.com
Media: Garland Harwood press@barkbox.com
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