BARK Air Introduces Select Flights on Larger Planes with Lower Fares, Uniting More Dogs and Their People in the Skies

Rhea-AI Summary

BARK (NYSE: BARK) has announced an expansion of BARK Air, the first air travel experience designed for dogs and their owners, through direct air carrier Air Wisconsin. This expansion includes trial flights on larger CRJ-200 aircraft, doubling capacity and offering fares under $1,000. Flights will run between New York City and Miami/Fort Lauderdale starting in February 2025, and bookings are currently open. The expanded service aims to make dog-friendly travel more affordable while maintaining BARK's signature 'white paw' service. The route was chosen based on demand for winter getaways to Florida. BARK’s CEO, Matt Meeker, highlighted that this collaboration with Air Wisconsin will allow the company to serve more passengers at lower prices. Air Wisconsin will manage all aircraft operations, ensuring safety and seamless travel. BARK Air, launched in May 2024, has already offered premium flights to destinations like Los Angeles, New York, London, and Paris. For more details and bookings, visit air.bark.co.

Positive

• Expansion of BARK Air with larger aircraft, doubling capacity.
• Fares under $1,000, making travel more affordable.
• Flights between New York City and Miami/Fort Lauderdale starting February 2025.
• Air Wisconsin to manage aircraft operations, ensuring safety and reliability.

Negative

• None.

Insights

Financial Analyst

The expansion of BARK Air with larger planes and lower fares represents a strategic pivot that could significantly impact BARK's revenue model. Reducing fares to under $1,000 while doubling capacity on CRJ-200 aircraft suggests improved operational efficiency and potential for better unit economics. However, the February 2025 launch timeline means no immediate revenue impact and the capital requirements for larger aircraft operations could strain BARK's resources.

Given BARK's current market cap of $372.3M, this expansion into air travel services remains an experimental venture rather than a core business driver. The focus on the high-demand NYC-Miami route during winter months shows smart market targeting, but success will depend on sustained demand and operational execution. The partnership with Air Wisconsin reduces operational risks but also shares potential profits.

Market Research Analyst

The pet travel market shows promising growth potential, with pet-friendly travel becoming increasingly mainstream. BARK Air's expansion addresses key consumer pain points - cost and accessibility - in the pet air travel segment. The timing of winter flights between NYC and Miami demonstrates strategic route planning based on seasonal demand patterns.

The reduced pricing strategy (sub-$1,000) could significantly expand the addressable market, moving from luxury to premium-mainstream positioning. However, competition from traditional airlines expanding pet services and the niche nature of dedicated pet travel services present market penetration challenges. The success of this expansion will largely depend on maintaining service quality while scaling operations.

BARK Air, through direct air carrier Air Wisconsin, brings its signature “white paw” experience to more dogs and their humans— under $1,000

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BARK (NYSE: BARK), a leading global omnichannel dog brand with a mission to make all dogs happy, today announced an expansion of BARK Air, the world’s first air travel experience designed specifically for dogs and dog parents, through direct air carrier Air Wisconsin to explore trial flights on larger planes – with at least double the capacity and fares under $1,000. Dogs and their humans can travel comfortably and conveniently between New York City and Miami/Fort Lauderdale. Flights take off in February 2025 and are available for booking now at air.bark.co/pages/februarygetaway.

(Photo: Business Wire)

BARK Air, through direct air carrier Air Wisconsin, will deploy CRJ-200 aircraft to expand capacity, accommodating at least double the number of dogs per flight. The flights in February are part of the company’s long-term goal to make dog-friendly air travel more affordable while maintaining the company’s signature “white paw” service. The route was chosen based on consumer demand, focusing on dogs and their humans looking for winter getaways in sunny Florida destinations.

“Since May 2024, we’ve had the honor of flying dogs and their families together, and we’ve listened to their feedback and learned how best to serve our passengers,” said Matt Meeker, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BARK. “Working with Air Wisconsin marks an exciting step forward, allowing us to accommodate more passengers on a larger aircraft while significantly reducing our prices. These flights are a major milestone in bringing our dream of dog-centric air travel to even more families.”

Passengers can reserve their space online by visiting air.bark.co/pages/februarygetaway to start their booking process. Once booked, a dedicated flight concierge will reach out to start the onboarding process for each dog passenger. Air Wisconsin will manage aircraft operations, including crew, maintenance, and insurance, ensuring a seamless and safe travel experience.

Launched in May 2024, BARK Air has already transformed air travel for dogs and their humans, offering premium flights to destinations like Los Angeles, New York, London, and Paris. For more information on BARK Air and to book upcoming flights, visit air.bark.co.

About BARK

BARK is the world’s most dog-centric company, devoted to making all dogs happy with the best products, services, and content. BARK’s dog-obsessed team leverages its unique, data-driven understanding of what makes each dog special to design playstyle-specific toys, wildly satisfying treats, dog-first experiences that foster the health and happiness of dogs everywhere, and more. Founded in 2011, BARK loyally serves millions of dogs nationwide with BarkBox and Super Chewer, its themed toys and treats subscriptions; custom product collections through its retail partner network, including Target, Chewy, and Amazon; and BARK Air, the first air travel experience designed specifically for dogs first. 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.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241205163917/en/

Investors:

Michael Mougias

investors@barkbox.com



Media:

Garland Harwood

press@barkbox.com

Source: BARK, Inc.

FAQ

What is the new expansion announced by BARK Air?

BARK Air has announced an expansion through direct air carrier Air Wisconsin, including trial flights on larger planes with double the capacity and fares under $1,000.

When will the new BARK Air flights start?

The new BARK Air flights will start in February 2025.

What destinations will BARK Air's new flights cover?

The new BARK Air flights will cover routes between New York City and Miami/Fort Lauderdale.

How much will BARK Air's new flights cost?

The new BARK Air flights will have fares under $1,000.

Who will manage the aircraft operations for BARK Air's new flights?

Air Wisconsin will manage the aircraft operations for BARK Air's new flights.