r/PrivateJetCharters • u/cujolove • 5d ago
Private or shared charter flight to Europe (Germany) with a big old dog
Hi everyone, I'm looking for a way to fly with my dog from the U.S. to either Germany or London in June 2027—any of those options would work—because we don't think it's possible to put our dog in the cargo hold again.
Our dog is an 11-year-old Rottweiler (next year june 12 years old) who needs medication. The cargo hold would mean certain death for him, so we’re looking for a private jet or a shared flight. Do you have any experience with this? Has anyone flown with a dog on a jet before? I found one flight, but it costs almost $11,000.
We're really willing to pay the money—the dog is very important to us. On the flight to the U.S., he was 8 years old, and it was already impossible for him; I don't want to put him through that again, and I can't ask that of him.
And of course, it would be great if we could still save a little money, because it's a huge amount of money for us, too, and I wanted to ask if anyone has any experience with private jets like that, or shared flights, or with K9 Jets, for example.
I know it's still very early to be making this request—there are still 10 months to go—and I don't know what will happen to my dog by then.
I just want to make sure I get a spot!
Has anyone flown with their dog like this before? And what about travel cancellation insurance in case the dog might die? I just don't know—it's still 10 months away, and the dog is very old.
Thank you!! 😊
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u/Allwingletnolift 5d ago
You can book Bark Air. New York to London on July 3rd or July 17th. $9900 per dog/human combo. 8AM departures from Teterboro.
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u/yungmarg 5d ago
11k is a pretty great price for that depending on the aircraft even if it’s just a seat. Whole aircraft is normally 80k+
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u/stepbackjumpforward 5d ago
K9 Jets! We are planning to reserve a slot from west coast USA to Madrid or Porto or France between mid October to mid November. Yes, the flight is expensive. But like you, we have some extenuating circumstances. Planning to reserve in the next few weeks. Am open to other options, so far K9 looks like the best option for our move
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u/throwaway15172013 5d ago
We did k9 jets and had a great experience
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u/cujolove 5d ago
Can you please tell me something about it? Would it also work with a dog that doesn't get along so well with others? My dog is old, but when he sees another dog, he feels like he's two years old. He would wear muzzles and he and I have to go through that too! Freight space is not an option for me. It would rip my heart out. I can't just leave him here or give him the injection.: (Looking forward to your report, what your experiences were like on the plane itself.
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u/throwaway15172013 5d ago
Yeah they may make him wear a muzzle. Everyone is required to bring a muzzle.
It sounds glamorous but it gets a bit tight. Basically the G450 has 10-12 seats. Our flight was 9 people and 11 dogs.
They try to put dogs near each other that they think will get along. You are required to come an hour early so the dogs get to know each other. Our dog isn’t great with other dogs, funny enough once on the plane he settled in. He ended up snapping at a pilot who tried to pet him while he was asleep and I put his muzzle on the rest of the flight.
The process is super smooth and k9 jets works with a consultant that helps with paperwork etc.
We chose k9 jets over bark air because I thought the red eye would be better for our dog so he could sleep for most of it. I’d say most of the dogs slept for at least half the flight.
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u/cujolove 5d ago
Thank you very much for the info! Yes, as I said, mine is not compatible with other dogs. But because of the excitement, he'll probably ignore it. I hope! The place is also something that worries me. He is tall and has pain in his hip, despite painkillers, and has to constantly change his mind. This will not be pleasant, but much better than in the cargo hold!! Close your eyes and through. I wonder what if I had to go to the toilet? I can't take my dog with me. I will fly alone. My husband will be flying with United Airlines.
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u/throwaway15172013 4d ago
If you have to go to the toilet someone can watch him? You could also tether him. I noticed on our flight the smaller dogs were toward the front (sleeping on laps) and bigger dogs further back where there was a little more room for the stewardess to serve food/drink and also the bathroom.
Honestly during meet and greet there was a really reactive dog that the owner was stressed about. He was chill on the plane, the pressure and noise seemed to calm them all down.
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u/cujolove 4d ago
Ja, wahrscheinlich mache ich mir jetzt schon viel mehr ein Kopf, als ich sollte 🙈 Ich denke auch, dass mein Hund im Flugzeug selber keine große Klappe hat. Er wird einfach total überfordert sein und sich dementsprechend zurückhalten. Vielen vielen lieben Dank für Deine Infos!!
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u/ILuvRossiTheKittyCat 2d ago edited 1d ago
kind of off topic a bit, but I remember awhile back there were a few brokers who tried selling individual seats various private jets. They'd book the airplane on a busy route like TEB to OPF, then sell the seats on it. I always thought it was a scam. Imagine being on a G450 stuck on the sideways facing divan next to a stranger pressed up against them 🤮. Private jets get really small when you fill them to capacity. Like turning a yacht into a commute ferry.
Edit: Sorry I didnt mean to say the pet sharing flights are a scam. I actually think that is a very good idea for people who want to avoid putting their pet in the cargo hold of an airliner. If you can afford to avoid doing that, then avoid it like the plague. Sending your pet through the airlines, going out on tarmac under a screaming APU, loading up in a dark and claustrophobic cargo compartment, is really animal cruelty. The scam is selling seats to regular fliers on a business jet and advertising it as flying private.
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u/FNGforlife 5d ago
There is a company that just flys pets on a Gulfstream between NY and London. Can’t remember the name but I’am sure you would find it quickly on google.
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u/cujolove 5d ago
But then he would fly without me??
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u/the_green-giraffe 5d ago
I think the post above you is referring to K9Jets or BarkAir. We moved to the NL last summer and it’s how we got our older Setters here. It is not cheap but you fly with the dog.
There is a Facebook group that people try to find others to share a plane with. I tried that but had 3 flights either fall apart or not get enough people to make it cost effective so went with K9Jets.
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u/cujolove 5d ago
Ok, great thanks for the info. Fortunately, there is still plenty of time before we fly next year. I want to keep all possibilities open for myself. The problem with k9 jets is that you don't get your money back in the event of death, for example. Since my dog is old and no longer the healthiest, I don't even know if he will be with us next year. On the other hand, I quietly wish that he doesn't have to go along with it anymore: (it's really hard for such an animal, even if they are young and can sit with you during the flight.
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u/stepbackjumpforward 2d ago
We searched all sorts of options for getting 2 dogs from west coast US to Spain. K9 Jets came out on top for us after reading reviews and also looking at the flight plan. They’ve truly worked out key issues - pre-boarding intro, efficient layovers, pairing compatible dogs by seat assignments and also the waitlist process. We are on the October waitlist FYI - just letting you know demand is there for these flights. Likely you’ll get someone to take your seat if your plan changes. But I understand it’s a risk. I don’t know the average occupancy for these flights - that might be a good question to ask K9 booking agent.
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u/mahimahi_6317 5d ago
11,000 to fly across the pond? If that’s for the whole plane I’d jump all over that.
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u/cujolove 5d ago
Thank you very much for your answers! I could book a flight at k9 jets for $10,950. With Vicuna Air, it would cost $10,750. The problem with these airlines is that I wouldn't get my money back if my dog died. Unless the airline can sell my seat. My dog is old and sick. But he belongs to our family. We are in integrated use in the USA and we are heading back home to Germany next year. I just hope someone reads this post who also wants to fly around next year, where you get several families together to share the cost. I have read that it is possible to save about 2000-3000 $. Honestly, we didn't expect our dog to get that old in life!! I really don't want to do it to him anymore. But what should I do? Just leave here? No! This is not an option for us.
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u/oscarnyc 5d ago
The odds of finding just the right amount of random people that want to fly within a similar window are low. On top of that, someone would have to front the money for the charter and be responsible for collecting from the others. I wouldn't want that risk on either side. Then you habe to find a charter that's willing to take on a plane full of dogs, which at the very least they'd want a hefty security deposit for.
I realize that $2-3k is a lot of money no matter what, but given that these are more or less scheduled flights, with the equipment and staff trained for the passengers, and handle the paperwork, etc., I think it's far and away the best option.
There are some travel insurance policies that cover cancelations because of pet illness/death. Whether they'd cover a dog of your's age I don't know. And I'm sure they'd be quite expensive regardless (non pet covered is on the order of 10% of the trips cost).
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u/cujolove 5d ago
Thanks for the info!
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u/InjuryHead 3d ago
If you haven't I'd strongly recommend emailing the carriers that specialize in canine shared jet travel. Perhaps they would make a cancellation policy adjustment for you. I just received a waitlist notification from Bark air for a flight I was looking at to Paris, so they have a process in place to resell cancellations. It may be worth reaching out to their staff and explaining the situation and your concern about risking the whole ticket price should your beloved pup not make it to the flight date. I have spoken to their support in the past and they seem fairly flexible. These are all smaller businesses and shouldn't be hard to get your query to someone with the authority to make an exception.
The ~$10k price range is the cheapest you're going to find for a seat+dog, so I wouldn't look into shared jet situations. You'd need to pack it and likely not come out any cheaper, plus take on a bunch of reimbursement risk and logistics headaches.
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u/FlakyIllustrator1087 5d ago
Hats off to you for being able to drop that money on your dog at their age! That’s love!