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How to Fast Travel in Albion Online

Albion Online is an addictive cross-platform MMORPG game. Players are free to do whatever they want and play any role, for example, you can be a craftsman. For this class, it is vital to quickly get to different cities to sell goods. Therefore, in this guide, we will tell you how Fast Travel works.

How to Use Fast Travel

As in the real world, territories in Albion Online are divided into different biomes with different resources. Therefore, the game has a good economic system, thanks to which players can sell rare goods for a specific region at a high price. And of course, such an economy would collapse if the game had the classic Fast Travel function. So the game has several different ways of moving between cities.

The first way is to use Ships. You will be able to travel on them, but the cost will depend on the weight of the items you will take with you.

RELATED: How to Get Learning Points and Crafting Focus Fast in Albion Online

For the second method, you must find a Travel Planner . This way allows you to travel wherever you go, absolutely free of charge. But this is possible if you have nothing, not clothes, not inventory. This method is more suitable for beginner players.

The third way is Carriage . You can also find this in the city. Using a Carriage, you can get to any city by paying a certain amount of silver, depending on the things in your inventory.

And the last way is Realmgates . With this, you can move between Realmgates on one specific continent within 10 minutes.

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Albion Online Personal & Guild Islands - The Complete Guide

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I slands in Albion Online constitute of instanced areas where players can build crafting stations, houses and farms, as well as decorate to their heart’s content! There are two different types of islands, Personal Islands & Guild Islands, and while they share many similarities, there are also some core differences:

• You can buy & upgrade both types of islands from every main city’s Island Merchant NPC.
• They will both be built in the vicinity of the main city you bought them from, which means you can teleport to them without any cost, as long as you are in the same city, while teleporting from anywhere else will incur teleport costs based on your inventory items, same as using the Travel Planner NPC anywhere. So choose wisely!
• The only way to move a Personal or Guild island, is to Abandon it from the Island Merchant, and then start again in the new city. You will lose everything that exists on the island. That includes items, buildings, and any Silver you paid to buy and upgrade it.
• While you can build all types of crafting stations and houses on both islands, farms & pastures are exclusive to Personal Islands (as well as Guild-controlled territory, but this is outside of this guide’s scope).
• In order to purchase a Personal Island, your character must have at least 30 days’ worth of Premium . This restriction applies only to the 1st time you buy your character’s Personal Island, and you can use, manage & upgrade it without Premium from this point forward. Guild Islands don’t require Premium time in order to be purchased.
• Access permissions are very advanced for both islands, and can be tailored up to the last container & user. More on that below, but make sure you don’t give full access to your Personal Island to anyone!

How to Choose Your Island’s Main City

As mentioned, choosing the Island’s main city is a crucial decision , since moving it to another one will make you lose all progress you have made so far, including buildings, building materials, and the Silver you’ve spent on buying & upgrading the Island.

Therefore, you need to ensure you’ve chosen your main city wisely based on your game goals, your friends, or your Guild.

As a quick reference, these are the main cities, and the biomes they offer in close proximity:

Personal Island

Each one of your characters can own his personal island, and to buy it you need to have purchased 30 days’ worth of Premium time. You can keep using, managing and upgrading your island without Premium afterward.

Especially as a new player, your first goal should be to get enough Silver for Premium (or buy it with real money if you’d like), and buy your first island.

There are 6 levels you can upgrade your Island to, with a total cost of 6,450,000 Silver , and a total number of 11 Building Plots , 2 Small Building Plots and 5 Farming Plots :

Even though that may sound like a big money investment, it still costs less than 1 month of premium, and just by owning an island you can easily make enough to replenish Premium with Silver every month, without any more activities involved.

The two main benefits of owning a personal island, are “passive” money-making through farming / animal breeding, and “active” money-making through the use of Laborers.

Of course, everything takes time and grind in Albion, so the more you advance on your relevant Farming / Animal Breeding skills, the more you can make, with less effort, since your Focus costs will be way more efficient than when starting out.

Guild Island

Guild Islands are bigger, better, and more expensive! You don’t even need Premium time activated to buy one, and they can serve as a hub of convenience for a Guild, or even be exploited for your own use as a Solo player!

A fully upgraded Guild Island goes again through 6 levels of upgrades, with a total cost of 27,462,500 Silver , and a total number of 1 Large Building Plot (to place the Guild Hall), 16 Building Plots , 2 Small Building Plots , a common storage chest serving as a Guild Bank , a Guild Marketplace where members can trade items between them (or even other players visiting), and last but not least, a Guild Stadium where you can train your tactics!

A good way of using the Guild Island, is building all the crafting stations in it, since you never know which ones will be usable in your town, and which ones will have outrageous usage fees, that make using them unprofitable.

Keep in mind that crafting stations in Personal & Guild Islands don’t include any refining or crafting bonuses from their cities (but you can still use Focus), therefore – and depending on your case – if you find crafting stations with less than 25%~ usage fees in town, it’s better to use them. Otherwise, you would make more profit using your own crafting stations.

Don’t forget that you also have to keep the NPCs running the stations fed in order to use them, so if you’re part of a Guild, it’s one of the places your Guild Tax goes towards.

Island Buildings

There are many different ways to exploit your islands for profit, convenience, or just plain fun, so let’s dive into all the buildings, what they offer, and what they cost!

All building require a Building Plot available on your island, except the Smelter & Butcher that require a Small Building Plot , and the Farm, Herb Garden, Pasture & Kennel that require a Farming Plot.

Refining Stations

These stations will let you turn raw resources into processed ones, which you can then use as ingredients for more advanced recipes on the crafting stations.

You can refine raw Wood into Planks.

You can refine raw Ore into Bars.

You can refine raw Hide into Leather.

You can refine raw Fiber into Cloth.

You can refine raw Stone into Blocks.

You can refine Wheat into Flour, and Milk into Butter, used mainly for Cooking.

You can slaughter Animals for Meat, used mainly for Cooking.

Crafting Stations

These stations will let you craft any gear piece that is used in Albion, from the lowest tier, to the highest tier!

Alchemist’s Lab

You can brew potions from ingredients, mainly from Herbs grown at Herb Gardens, and feeding Animals grown in Pastures.

You can cook food from raw ingredients, mainly from feeding & slaughtering Animals grown in Pastures, and Fish caught from Fishing.

You can craft all types of gathering tools, gathering gear, house furniture, bags and capes.

You can turn suitable Animals into Mounts, mainly Horses & Oxen raised in Pastures, as well as Exotic Animals raised in Kennels.

Warrior’s Forge

You can craft all weapons from the Warrior’s path, as well as all Plate Armors.

Hunter’s Lodge

You can craft all weapons from the Hunter’s path, as well as all Leather Armors.

Mage’s Tower

You can craft all weapons from the Mage’s path, as well as all Cloth Armors.

Repair Station

You can repair, reroll or salvage your items.

Farming Stations

These buildings will enable you to use the Farming system, which for the most part requires Focus in order to be profitable.

You can either plant vegetables & herbs, used in multiple recipes or as animal food, or breed animals & exotic animals for resources, or create mounts.

You can plant and grow crops, used mainly as Food for Animals, and ingredients for Cooking.

Herb Garden

You can plant and grow herbs, used mainly as Food for Animals, and ingredients for Alchemy.

You can raise animals that can be turned into Mounts in the Saddler, or produce resources that are mostly used for Cooking.

You can raise wild animals that can be turned into Mounts in the Saddler, by earning them as rare drops in the open world.

Houses serve as respawn points for you and your friends, can accommodate extra storage chests, and more importantly let you hire laborers that can get you extra resources from your gathering, crafting and combat activities.

I personally suggest you devote your 1st personal island to only include Houses in its 11 building plots, and incorporate the laborers’ journal farming into your daily gameplay.

There are 11 different laborers you can hire, 1 for each gathering & crafting type, 1 for combat & 1 for fishing. It’s not optimal to get one of each as you would have to farm many different activities, but it’s not a bad idea either as a new player, since you will get to experience how each one works for your taste.

Keep in mind that you can move laborers inside a house like furniture, but if you want to place them in a different house, you will have to pick them up, and doing so will reset all their level progress .

The Guild Hall is almost as big as 4 Houses, and it can fit a huge amount of Furniture, Residents, and most importantly Laborers!

It’s quite expensive to level it up, so if you’re doing this Solo it will cut a lot into your profits at first.

Getting the Guild Hall to Level 5 will make it “as big as possible”, so it won’t move your furniture around with further upgrades, which is also true for normal Houses.

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The 7 Most Beautiful Places to Live In Michigan That Are Still Affordable

T he beautiful state of Michigan has plenty of appeal by itself to bring residents to its gates — the nature, recreation, industry, and activities are hard to match with similar weather and sports teams. Some homeowners and renters, however, want to live somewhere strikingly beautiful and affordable, which shrinks the pool of available places to live considerably — especially after the pandemic.

Not to worry, though. Michigan still has plenty of cities and towns with costs of living well under the national average that remain affordable , beautiful, and fun.

Discover the seven most beautiful places to live in Michigan that are still affordable, as outlined by recent statistics and local real estate expert Chenise Hinds — an interior designer, home stager, licensed realtor, and senior contributor at Momooze .

“As a realtor and native Michigander, I’ve had the pleasure of living in and exploring many beautiful cities across the state,” said Hinds. “In my experience, Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Benton Harbor, and Lansing are amongst the most naturally stunning.”

Affordability: 21% lower cost of living than the national average.

The county of Kalamazoo, Michigan provides all the greenery you’ll need for a morning hike with the exciting dichotomy of a glamorous, eclectic downtown for afternoon activities. After all, not many places can say they made it onto the list of the Best Places to Live in Michigan in 2023 and 2024.

Kalamazoo has just under 75,000 residents and offers an urban/suburban feel to those who move there. You’ll find great schools, delicious restaurants, varied nightlife, wonder-inducing museums, and a young professional environment. 

The median home value is around $125,000 and the median rent hovers at $870 a month.

Affordability: 17.5% lower cost of living than the national average. 

The city of Albion in Michigan remains a beautiful, diverse, and culturally rich place to live. The Albion River Trail and Whitehouse Nature Center place the environment of the town in the spotlight, providing its 8,000 residents with exciting alternatives when they’ve had their fill of Albion’s many community parks. The town also has shopping, a Farmer’s Market, and a children’s museum. 

The median home value is around $66,000 and the median rent hovers at $730 a month.

Affordability: 15.9% lower cost of living than the national average. 

Abutting the harbor of Lake Michigan, 38,000-resident-strong Muskegon has the natural beauty to rival the most expensive lakeside communities at a fraction of the price. Complete with rich history, a rocky, miles-long coastline, and boundless outdoor recreational opportunities, Muskegon ranks as one of Michigan’s top most affordable, beautiful places to live in 2024.

“Muskegon is a beach lover’s dream. The stunning Lake Michigan shoreline seems endless there,” said Hinds. “The soft sand beaches and rolling dunes create a peaceful, beautiful setting. It’s a fantastic place to live if you enjoy water activities and beachcombing.”

Between the schools and the 30+ public parks, Muskegon residents and children can enjoy the town’s massive sports facilities and boating activities when they’re not going downtown for a movie, performance, or art show.

The median home value is around $85,000 and the median rent hovers at $780 a month.

Benton Harbor

Affordability: 11% lower cost of living than the national average.

Benton Harbor’s small, 10,000-resident town sits on the shores of Lake Michigan close to Kalamazoo and offers dozens of outdoor recreational activities like golf and various water sports. As a burgeoning town, the arts and restaurant districts have also gained steam — several new breweries have opened to suit the variety of palates of the young professionals and families moving to the area.

“Benton Harbor has an adorable downtown right along the shores of Lake Michigan,” Hinds mentioned. “The harbor creates a quaint, nautical vibe while the adjacent beach park is perfect for picnics and sunsets. The lush greenery contrasts beautifully with the blue water.”

The median home value is around $61,000 and the median rent hovers at $730 a month.

Affordability: 9% lower cost of living than the national average. 

Urban beauty abounds in Lansing, the affordable capital city of Michigan. Its 113,000 residents agree, too, because the city made the list of the 30 cities with the lowest cost of living in America. It’s also culturally and environmentally diverse — catering to a blend of families, palates, and activity levels. The city has dozens of great dining options, outdoor recreation, activities like zoos and sporting events, and a reliable school system that prepares students for future careers.

“In Lansing, the Grand River and the many parks, like Potter Park and Riverfront Park, add incredible natural beauty to the city. The riverwalk allows you to immerse yourself in nature right in the heart of downtown. The parks provide access to trails, gardens, and scenic views,” said Hinds.

The median home value is around $95,000 and the median rent hovers at $890 a month.

Affordability: 7% lower cost of living than the national average.

On the shores of Lake Superior sit Michigan’s most beautiful, largest city in its upper peninsula. The 20,000-resident city of Marquette is known for its outdoor adventures and recreation options including boating, skiing, hiking, and more. It’s hard to find a more beautiful setting than Marquette’s many hiking and biking trails, snow-capped mountains, and dense hardwood forests.

During the winter, skiing and snowshoeing take center stage when it comes to outdoor recreation. When the day is done, though, immerse yourself in the cozy and historic beauty of suburban downtown, where you can grab a beer from a local brewery or a unique plate of tapas from one of the many boutique restaurants.

The median home value is around $192,000 and the median rent hovers at $860 a month.

Grand Rapids

Affordability: 4% lower cost of living than the national average. 

Grand Rapids has a truly magical feel to it in the winter — whether you’re ice skating outside at a rink, taking in a local drink at the igloo spots, or sledding down the snowy side of a mountain. It doesn’t need to be cold to enjoy Grand Rapids, though. The bustling city of 200,000 delights its residents with outdoor recreation opportunities like snow biking, breweries with next-level dishes, and unique shopping and dining packages that let you experience all that the city has to offer.

“Grand Rapids’ downtown is simply lovely,” asserted Hinds. “The Grand River that runs through it adds so much vibrancy. You can walk along the riverbanks downtown while appreciating the charming skyline. The many parks also provide an urban escape into nature.”

The median home value is around $169,000 and the median rent hovers at $1,000 a month.

A Great View in Michigan Doesn’t Have to Cost an Arm and a Leg

Based on the options listed above, several beautiful places in Michigan still exist that are affordable to live in. Whether you want to buy a home or rent an apartment, Michigan has an option for you in rural, suburban, and urban settings.

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• The 9 Best Places in Michigan to Raise a Family
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Three Places To Travel That Are Like California But Way Cheaper

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With its beaches, parks, lakes, deserts, mountains and bustling city feel, California is a diverse juggernaut for tourism. Yosemite National Park is a stunning vista featuring immense cliffs and beautiful waterfalls among the sequoia trees. San Francisco is a foodie paradise and Laguna Beach has top-tier waves for surfing. All of the sights and activities come with a hefty price, though. A week-long trip for two people costs an average of $3,500, factoring in hotels, transportation and food, according to  Budget Your Trip . Fortunately, there are other great places to travel with offerings like California, minus the high cost, from most to least average expense. 

There are many opportunities for outdoor activities in New Mexico. The White Sands National Park is a unique hiking spot, and you can sled down its dune-field hills. You can visit the Rio Grande river for white-water rafting or kayaking in the corresponding intense and calm areas, and help yourself to any of the wineries open to the public, according to  Lonely Planet . A two-person weeklong visit to Santa Fe costs an average of $2,200, while Albuquerque costs $1,900.

Bordering the Atlantic Ocean, Portugal features a number of amazing beaches. Praia de Falésia is a spacious coastline for families, according to  Hotels.com . Praia São Rafael is a budget-friendly cove and a great choice for kayaking or paddleboarding. You don’t even need to bring much with you, as these beaches offer rentals of chairs and parasols. Portugal also offers wonderful cuisine, like the Francesinha and Bifanas sandwiches or the Cozido à Portuguesa stew, per  Food & Wine . And the cost? A one-week trip for two people averages around $2,000, or $1,500 cheaper than in California.

British Columbia

British Columbia’s Stanley Park is an impressive forest with wooded trails for hiking and cycling. At the same time, the Pacific Rim National Park has kilometers of beaches and its share of lush forested areas, according to  Hello BC . Downtown Vancouver has city lights, shopping opportunities, and varied restaurant selections. Vancouver has something for you whether you’re in the mood for Japanese or Italian. One-week visitors will be looking to spend around $1,950 for two.

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BARK Air, world's first airline for dogs, flies out of Westchester County Airport

Local pups can now fly fur-st class with BARK Air out of Westchester County Airport.

Tickets sold out for the world's first luxury airline flight for dogs from Westchester to Los Angeles at 4 p.m. Thursday.

Traveling with dogs is usually a hassle depending on each airline's travel policies. Some airlines have even come under fire in recent years for their treatment of furry companions, whether they're small lap dogs or bigger dogs forced to ride as cargo .

However this airline, created by dog toy brand BARK, partnered with a jet charter service to transport man's best friend and their owners "in comfort and style" for a stress-free flight, said CEO Matt Meeker in a video about the airline from Reuters.

The company said on its website that it takes the “white glove experience typical of a human’s first-class experience and redirected all that pampering to pooches.”

“We are excited to take the insights we’ve learned over years to create an experience that is truly dog-first, which is drastically different from just accepting dogs – from the ground to the skies,” Meeker said in a news release Wednesday.

Where does BARK Air travel and how much does it cost?

Flights are currently available from Westchester County Airport to Biggin Hill Airport in London and Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles.

A "white paw" experience may even be an understatement. As of its first flight, a ticket for a dog and their human is at least $6,000 one way for domestic flights and $8,000 for international flights.

BARK Air passengers can also skip TSA screenings in favor of a simple check-in process, dogs are able to mingle with their fellow passengers before the flight and humans will be served a meal cooked by chefs at the airport.

What amenities does BARK Air feature?

The airline said flight attendants are also trained to handle dogs and their needs while adjusting to the travel experience. A "Dogs Fly First" routine at the beginning of the flight will include calming music, scents and colors that cater to quell canine anxiety and pups will be provided with noise cancelling earmuffs, anxiety jackets and all the treats they can imagine.

During takeoff and landing, dogs can also sip on their own fancy beverage that will help their ears adjust to cabin pressure. Meeker said dogs will even be treated to a spa experience 3,000 feet in the air. No cages to be seen on a Bark Air flight. Dogs are free to sit on the seat, a bed or even their owner.

In case of a bathroom emergency, Bark Air will have designated areas for pups to do their business before the flight and emergency pads during the flight.

Bark Air said 15 dogs and their humans are welcome on each flight, but it never sells more than 10 tickets per flight in order to give the pups space to roam. Children are also not allowed to accompany their furry friends on the flight. Each passenger must be at least 18 years old.

For more information about tickets and documents for a Bark Air flight, visit the airline's website .

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Norfolk Southern will pay $15 million fine as part of federal settlement over Ohio derailment

FILE - Debris from a Norfolk Southern freight train lies scattered and burning along the tracks on Feb. 4, 2023, the day after it derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. A federal judge has signed off Tuesday, May 21, 2024, on the $600 million class action settlement over last year’s disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment in eastern Ohio, but many people who live near East Palestine are still wondering how much they will end up with out of the deal. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

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The federal government agreed to a $15 million fine for Norfolk Southern over last year’s disastrous derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and the railroad promised to pay more than $500 million to complete the efforts to improve safety that it announced after the crash and address community health concerns.

Residents who had to evacuate their homes after the derailment were generally underwhelmed by the deal the Environmental Protection Agency and Justice Department announced Thursday that doesn’t include any criminal charges. This federal settlement comes two days after a federal judge signed off on the railroad’s $600 million class action settlement with residents whose lives were disrupted.

In addition to the civil penalty, Norfolk Southern agreed to pay $235 million in past and future cleanup costs — on top of what they’ve already paid for cleanup — and set up a $25 million health care fund to pay for 20 years of medical exams in the community. The railroad will also pay about $30 million for long-term monitoring of drinking water, groundwater and surface water in the area. The agreement also says the railroad will pay $244 million for previously promised railroad improvements through 2025.

Many East Palestine residents feel this settlement doesn’t do nearly enough to a company that just reported a $527 million profit in the fourth quarter of last year and $53 million in the first quarter after the derailment costs. The railroad’s CEO received $13.4 million in total compensation last year.

“Honestly, no amount can ever make this right, but it should be at least enough to hurt them a little bit. I’m sure that’s not going to hurt their bottom line at all,” Jami Wallace said.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan said the fine is the largest allowed under the Clean Water Act, and the railroad agreed to continue paying all of the cleanup costs. Plus he said Norfolk Southern committed to meaningful safety improvements

“This settlement is historic in many ways and will begin to make up for some of the damage caused to the residents of East Palestine. And it would absolutely push the industry in the direction that we would like for the industry to go,” Regan said. “Again, if some of these provisions that we’ve secured and locked in had been in place, we may not even be where we are today. ”

But the railroad won’t face criminal charges, and this latest settlement won’t add anything to Norfolk Southern’s roughly $1.7 billion in total costs related to the derailment because the Atlanta-based company was already anticipating those costs.

Neither this federal settlement nor the class action settlement seem like enough to Krissy Ferguson.

“Slaps on the wrist. A $15 million fine? And I can never go back to my home again?” Ferguson said.

But resident Misti Allison said it is encouraging to see the investigations and lawsuits against the railroad start to wrap up, and the cleanup is expected to be done sometime later this year.

“I think this is a great step, but let’s continue to make sure the community is made whole,” Allison said.

Many in the small town near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border are eager to put the derailment behind them, but fears about the possibility of developing cancer down the road hang over residents. Allison said she wants to make sure health needs are addressed. But this federal settlement primarily includes only money for exams while the class action settlement includes money for health problems that developed over the past year. Neither deal addresses potential long-term health problems that might develop.

The safety improvements Norfolk Southern promised include adding about 200 more trackside detectors to spot overheating bearings. It has also promised to invest in more than a dozen advanced inspection portals that use an array of cameras to take hundreds of pictures of every passing railcar.

A bill in Congress that would require Norfolk Southern and the rest of the major freight railroads to make more significant changes has stalled , although the industry has promised to make improvements on its own.

Norfolk Southern officials said they believe the relatively small size of this settlement reflects how much the railroad has already done, including paying $780 million in cleanup costs and providing $107 million in aid to residents and the communities affected.

“We are pleased we were able to reach a timely resolution of these investigations that recognizes our comprehensive response to the community’s needs and our mission to be the gold standard of safety in the rail industry,” CEO Alan Shaw said. “We will continue keeping our promises and are invested in the community’s future for the long haul.”

After Thursday’s announcement, the only remaining federal investigation is the National Transportation Safety Board’s probe into the cause of the Feb. 3, 2023, derailment. That agency plans to announce its conclusions at a hearing in East Palestine on June 25 . Republicans in Congress have said they might be willing to look at rail safety reforms after that report.

Ferguson said it feels like Norfolk Southern is rushing to resolve things before the NTSB report comes out. U.S. Sen. JD Vance and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a joint statement that they think the government should have waited to settle.

“The residents of East Palestine deserve full compensation to account for the hardships they have faced in the months since the derailment, but they also deserve the full truth about why the derailment and vent and burn occurred,” the statement said. “With its decision to reach a settlement now, the DOJ may have sacrificed its opportunity to use the NTSB’s findings to impose maximum leverage on those responsible for any potential wrongdoing.”

The NTSB has said previously that the derailment was likely caused by an overheating bearing that wasn’t caught in time by the trackside detectors the railroad relies on to spot mechanical problems. The head of the NTSB also said that the five tank cars filled with vinyl chloride didn’t need to be blown open to prevent an explosion because they were actually starting to cool off even though the fire continued to burn around them.

The railroad is still working to resolve a lawsuit Ohio filed against it after the derailment.

A New Airline for Dogs Takes Flight

Bark Air made its inaugural flight from New York and Los Angeles this week. But seats are pricey, costing up to $8,000

Daily Correspondent

Ask any pet parent, and they’ll tell you the same thing: Traveling with dogs is complicated.

Taking a road trip is one option, but driving can add hours or even days to the journey. And flying, while faster, presents its own set of challenges.

When it comes to pets who aren’t service animals, most commercial airlines only allow small dogs—typically, those weighing up to 20 pounds—to accompany their human owners in the aircraft’s cabin. And, even then, these companies require owners to keep their pup in a pet carrier that must be stowed under the seat in front of them for the entire flight. Larger dogs are relegated to the cargo hold beneath the plane—a terrifying and potentially dangerous experience.

Now, a new “ dog-first” airline aims to relieve all that stress. Bark Air , an airline created by the pet company Bark , took its inaugural flight on Thursday, transporting a sold-out plane full of pups and their human companions from New York to Los Angeles.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by BARK Air (@barkair)

“Right now, at an altitude of 30,000 feet, there is a flight filled with dogs,” the company wrote on Instagram . “Unlike any flight before it, these dogs are not merely an afterthought, nor are they treated as cargo or a burden to the crew and fellow travelers. Here, dogs are the foremost priority.”

To deliver its “white paw” service, the company is partnering with Talon Air , a private jet charter company that flies Gulfstream G500 jets.

Before takeoff, dogs can snack on treats and wear noise-canceling earmuffs and calming jackets to ensure they have a stress-free flight. Once in the air, flight attendants serve dogs their beverage of choice to help with any ear discomfort as the plane ascends and descends. Pups can choose whether to socialize with other dogs or stick close to their human.

“We think dogs should be right next to you on the seat, getting the same or—in our case—even better treatment and experiences than people do,” Dave Stangle, Bark’s vice president of brand marketing, tells the Points Guy ’s Harriet Baskas.

The flights aren’t cheap: It costs $6,000 for a dog and its human to book a one-way flight from New York to Los Angeles, or $8,000 for a ticket from New York to London.

The company’s executives acknowledged that the prices are “cost-prohibitive for most families,” but said they expect the flights to get cheaper as demand increases, CBS News ’ Megan Cerullo reports.

“Televisions, telephones, VCRs and DVD players, to automobiles, train and boat travel, and, yes, even human air travel—all of these started with very high prices until demand was proven and the costs could be brought lower by serving the masses,” wrote Matt Meeker, Bark’s chief executive officer and co-founder, in a May letter quoted by CBS News.

United States airlines transported 188,223 animals in 2022, the most recent year with available data from the Department of Transportation . Of those, seven animals died, one was injured and one was lost, resulting in an incident rate of 0.48 per 10,000. That’s similar to the prepandemic rate of 0.47 incidents per 10,000 animals in 2019, when U.S. airlines transported 404,556 animals.

Though the overall rate is low, airline incidents involving pets often make headlines . Even when flights go smoothly, many dogs experience discomfort and anxiety while flying in the cargo hold. To illustrate this point, Meeker volunteered to ride inside a crate in the cargo hold of a plane on a nearly four-hour flight from south Florida to New York City.

“I don’t know why any person would ever choose to do this to their dog,” Meeker said in a video posted on Instagram . “It’s an absolute horror show back here. There has to be a better way.”

Bark is not the first company to offer dog-friendly flights. K9 Jets , which launched in 2022 , offers pay-per-seat private jet service for dogs and their owners. The company flies to Dubai, Dublin, Florida, Frankfurt, Hawaii, Lisbon, London, Los Angeles, Milan, New Jersey and Paris. It can also accommodate cats, though it requires them to stay inside a carrier for the entire flight.

Some private jet companies, including NetJets and VistaJet, also cater to pets on flights. VistaJet , for example, serves “prime cuts of fresh meat and fish” upon request.

“I just don’t understand why the airlines don’t recognize the business opportunity,” Rusty Rueff, who has a French bulldog named Theo, told the New York Times ’ Christine Chung last year. “We’ll do anything for our pets, just like we’ll do anything for our children.”

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Sarah Kuta | READ MORE

Sarah Kuta is a writer and editor based in Longmont, Colorado. She covers history, science, travel, food and beverage, sustainability, economics and other topics.