How to Choose a Pet Charter Flight: What Actually Matters

Flying your pet overseas is no small feat, which is why choosing the right pet charter service matters. The options can look alike, each offering shared private-jet charter as an alternative to commercial cargo, but the details set them apart.

Below, we compare Vicuna Air, Bark Air and K9 Jets across the details that make the biggest difference in practice. These include how each service works and whether your pet can travel without you, who handles the documentation and how each one looks after dogs, cats and smaller pets alike.

Based on publicly available operator information at the time of writing, checked Oct 2026. Always check current terms before booking.

Unaccompanied pet travel:
- Vicuna Air – built in (Biscuit Class)
- Bark Air – paid add-on
- K9 Jets – not available

Documentation support:
- Vicuna Air – included, in-house, reviewed before endorsement
- Bark Air – paid add-on
- K9 Jets – referred to a third party

Ground transport:
- Vicuna Air – arrival chauffeur included (up to 25 miles)
- Bark Air – paid add-on
- K9 Jets – not included

Pricing structure:
- Vicuna Air – extra people and pets added at reduced cost
- Bark Air – extra people and pets cost a full ticket
- K9 Jets – extra people and pets cost a full seat

Cats:
- Vicuna Air – carried as standard, Biscuit Class included
- Bark Air – by arrangement, not a standard booking
- K9 Jets – carried as standard

Aircraft:
- Vicuna Air – Gulfstream V
- Bark Air – varies, often Gulfstream IV
- K9 Jets – varies, often Gulfstream IV

Baggage:
- Vicuna Air – one 60 lb and one 30 lb hold bag, plus a 15 lb cabin bag; extra charged
- Bark Air – one 50 lb wheeled bag and a small duffle, plus a carry-on
- K9 Jets – 30 kg (66 lb) across up to two bags, plus a small personal item; no extras

This is the single biggest structural difference in the market, and it is worth delving into.

K9 Jets is upfront about it in their FAQ: their model is built for owners flying alongside their pet in the cabin, and they do not carry pets unaccompanied or provide a handler to travel in your place.

Bark Air does offer a chaperone through their Companion Concierge service, but it sits outside a standard ticket and is charged separately on top of the full-price ticket. It is a genuine option, just a separate, paid one rather than part of how they fly.

Vicuna Air’s Biscuit Class is a dedicated, unaccompanied service rather than an add-on. Your pet flies in the cabin with a Vicuna Concierge, without requiring you to be on the same flight and without anything bolted on to make it work. There is no human seat to pay for, and no separate fee for the person in it. If your pet needs to travel ahead of a move, or you simply cannot be on the flight, that is what Biscuit Class is for.

This is important to consider, as it is where international pet travel most often comes unstuck.

K9 Jets is clear that they do not manage your pet’s paperwork. Owners are responsible for all health certificates and entry permits, unless they go through a paid third party.

Bark Air’s Companion Concierge does offer paperwork support, as a paid add-on charged separately from the fare.

Vicuna Air offers in-house documentation support, built into the booking at no extra cost. All documentation is checked against the destination requirements before it goes for endorsement, and you will be guided through the process with reminders when each veterinary step is due.

Cats are a standard booking with Vicuna Air, not an exception, and Biscuit Class is open to them. A cat can fly in the cabin with a Vicuna Concierge, exactly as a dog can. The same also goes for rabbits and guinea pigs.

K9 Jets is also feline friendly, though it does not carry any pet unaccompanied.

Bark Air’s scheduled flights are built around dogs; their FAQ says they are happy to explore the possibility of carrying non-canine passengers. On a private charter they take cats and others outright.

Whoever you fly with, a cat travels in a carrier throughout the whole flight.

Bark Air, Vicuna Air and K9 Jets all operate as charter brokers, arranging flights through licensed operators, rather than running an airline outright.

Bark Air’s booking page shows Gulfstream IV on the transatlantic routes and Challenger 601 on the US domestic ones.

K9 Jets lists a typical fleet of Gulfstream IV, Gulfstream V and two Embraer types, and says the aircraft varies by operator and destination, confirmed in your flight brief rather than at booking.

Vicuna Air flies a Gulfstream V on every route, and you know that when you book. The GV is faster and longer-range than the GIV, with a wider cabin, which suits the transatlantic flying this market is mostly built around.

If your pet is travelling with you and you are happy handling the paperwork, Bark Air and K9 Jets are both established options worth weighing up alongside Vicuna Air.

Vicuna Air is for the journeys that need more built in: a pet that flies without you, in-house documentation support, and journeys built around cats or other pets rather than adapted for them. Vicuna Air is built for the whole journey, not just the seat on the aircraft.

Can my dog fly without me?

With Vicuna Air, yes. Biscuit Class is a dedicated unaccompanied service, and your dog flies in the cabin with a Vicuna Concierge. Bark Air offers a chaperone as a paid add-on. K9 Jets does not carry pets unaccompanied.

Do pet charter flights take cats?

Cats are a standard booking with Vicuna Air and K9 Jets. Bark Air’s scheduled flights are built around dogs, and other animals are taken by arrangement. Whoever you fly with, a cat travels in a carrier throughout.

Is Vicuna Air an airline?

No. Vicuna Air is a charter broker, arranging flights through licensed operators. Our flights are operated by Talon Air on a Gulfstream V. Bark Air and K9 Jets work the same way.