Luxury Dog Airline BARK Air Is Being Sued After Just One Flight

Don’t worry: No dogs were harmed.

June 10, 2024

BARK, the petcare brand behind BarkBox and some of your pup’s favorite toys, made headlines in April after announcing their latest venture: The creation of the first ever airline focused on providing an ideal travel experience for dogs. But after just one flight, the company’s facing a lawsuit alleging that they violated county airport restrictions.

To be clear, no dogs were hurt during the flight. In fact, the journey itself reportedly went off without a hitch. The flight from New York City to Los Angeles held six dogs and nine humans. Pups were greeted by a concierge and offered a variety of calming services, including ear muffs, toys, and pheromone-sprayed blankets. A veterinary technician was on board, along with trained flight attendants, to keep an eye on the dogs’ needs. Pups snacked and socialized before landing safely in LA.

But just days after its first flight, Bark and Talon Air, the private charter company contracted by BARK Air, were hit with a lawsuit from Westchester County, reported CBS News. The charter plane section of Westchester County Airport is meant for planes with nine or fewer passengers, but BARK Air’s plane had 14 seats. According to their FAQ page, BARK Air never sells more than 10 tickets per flight to allow dogs plenty of space.

The result of the lawsuit is not yet known, but to comply with regulations, it’s possible that BARK Air may have to move to a new airport or switch to using the terminal meant for commercial airplanes. Moving to a commercial terminal would put a hitch in BARK Air’s mission, since it would limit their ability to provide some of the luxury, dog-focused options it currently does, such as quick, line-free, crate-free check-ins. A BARK spokesperson told Fortune that they don’t comment on litigation, but “we don’t believe this will impact our operations.”