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Have you ever wondered how you would fly your dog across the country without navigating the farrago of rules and rigmarole that characterizes commercial air travel? Well, I sure did when I was considering how to get Alfie, my eight-year-old Westie, safely from our home in Los Angeles to our new home in New York City this spring.

At 23 pounds, Alfie exceeded the 20-pound maximum allowed for in-cabin pets on most commercial airlines, and crating him in cargo was a hard no. Alfie’s only other experience with air travel was when, at 10 weeks old, he’d flown alone in the bowels of a United Airline flight from his birthplace in Arkansas (with a pit-stop in Houston) to Los Angeles—an ordeal from which neither of us has ever recovered.

So, a few months ago, when I stumbled onto the website for , a year-old, semi-private, charter airline for dogs who, with the purchase of their ticket, are permitted to bring one human companion with them on board, Alfie and I were totally in.

Courtesy Nancy Balbirer Alfie and his human companion took a Bark Air flight from Los Angeles to New York City. The new airline offers semi-private flights for dogs and their people to destinations including Paris, London, Lisbon, San Francisco, and Madrid.

Bark Air, which travels between LA and New York City but also to Paris, London, Lisbon, San Francisco, and Madrid, describes its “world-class, white-paw” flight experience as “for dogs first, from the ground up.” Even its website FAQ page is fully addressed to dogs i.e. “Your human needs to have valid identification; Dogs are required to have up-to-date vaccination records. If you don’t know what a vaccination is, it’s best not to ask…” As someone who anthropomorphizes her dog on the daily, I was very much here for it.

Once Alfie and I booked our flight, a Bark concierge reached out to do an intake during which I was asked about Alfie’s temperament: How does he do with other dogs? What’s he like with humans? Does he have any food allergies? (He does; Alfie is allergic to chicken which was accommodated by making sure that all his in-flight treats were either duck or salmon).

I was asked what music Alfie enjoys. “He mostly listens to Barbra Streisand,” I told them, “But lately, he’s been listening to a lot of Roberta Flack….”

Despite Alfie’s predilection for gay icons, according to research, the music that soothes most dogs is, in fact, Reggae, and a pop genre commonly known as “yacht rock.” This may have been why on the day of travel, as we were ferried to Van Nuys Airport in our Bark Air-arranged, chauffeured SUV, we were treated to the stylings of Stevie Nicks and Supertramp. No notes.

Courtesy Bark Air Tickets for the L.A. to New York flight on Bark Air cost around $6,000 per dog—human companions, the company will tell you, fly free.

Arriving 45 minutes prior to boarding, Alfie and I were promptly whisked to the lounge by Shawn, a Bark Air dog behaviorist who facilitated socialization; assessed doggie dynamics and curated the seating chart accordingly. Alfie instantly bonded with Scout, a formidable mixed-breed (44% of Bark’s clientele are large breeds), who, along with her human, was relocating to London.

Once Pilot Kim checked each human’s ID, and Oliver, a DOT certified Labrador Retriever sniff-screened our bags, it was time for the 12 dogs and 11 humans to trot out to the tarmac.

After de rigueur photo-ops, Alfie and I climbed aboard the sleek Bombardier Global Express and were led to a quad of spacious leather chairs equipped with blankets and pillows—both of which, like the cabin itself, had been pre-sprayed with “calming pheromones.”

I was seated across from Scout’s human; across the aisle from Roger’s and Hugo’s humans, our dogs, meanwhile, draped themselves over each other in the aisle.

Courtesy Nancy Balbirer Happy customers: The author and her dog aboard a Bark Air flight.

Accompanying us on our four-and-a-half-hour flight were Greer and Marie, fantabulous Bark Air concierges there to assist the dogs, while the equally delightful FAA-certified flight attendant, Melissa, tended to the humans.

On ascent, beverage service began: For dogs, “CHOMPagne,” (AKA doggie bone broth) to help with ear discomfort due to changes in cabin pressure, and, for humans, bottomless mimosas to help with psychic discomfort due to changes in the general state of the world.

While Melissa served the humans a pre-selected lunch (plenty of options, including plant-based and gluten-free), Greer and Marie plied our dogs with a steady stream of Bark-branded treats, snacks, toys and special surprises. Some of the biggest surprises, however, were my own.

First, I never knew Alfie to be such a joiner; he behaved like the dogs in our quad were his forever besties and he knocked back his (then helped himself to some of Scout’s) “CHOMPagne” as if he were Ray Milland on a bender in The Lost Weekend.

“It’s possible that dog people are just better humans—or at least a better breed of traveler.”

The human food was shockingly good. So good that despite my edict to never, even in a first-class seat, eat the plane food, I not only inhaled my Italian sandwich, but felt wistful when it was gone.

I was also struck by how affable, chatty, and just generally lovely everyone on this flight was—the Bark concierges, the flight attendant, and my fellow human passengers. It’s possible that dog people are just better humans—or at least a better breed of traveler.

And finally, Alfie was so loved-up: Belly-rubbed, head scratched, fawned over for the chic man bun he’s been rocking ever since he watched Shōgun. In the nearly nine years I’ve known him I have never seen him so relaxed.

In fact, all of the dogs on our flight were remarkably chill. Even when the puppy up front let out the occasional yelp, none of the other dogs were triggered including (incredibly!) mine. In his earthbound life, Alfie barks so much he sometimes barks just to hear himself bark. But on Bark Air he didn’t bark once.

Shortly before landing, each dog was tricked out with a pilot hat, a Bark Air bandana and gold wings bling for their collar, which, after however many mimosas, had the humans howling with laughter.

At Teterboro, Alfie and I were met by José, a Bark arranged driver bearing a sign that read: “Bark Air Welcomes Alfie!”

We were almost disappointed to be back on the ground.