This ‘Shark Tank’-Backed Airline Lets Big Dogs Fly in the Cabin

Traveling with large dogs is a nightmare. Airline restrictions force heavier dogs into the often unsafe cargo hold, and only the uberrich can afford to ferry their furbabies on a private jet.

Frustrated by how hard it was to fly with his own Labradors, Maple and Willow — and often having to leave them behind — entrepreneur Benton Miller founded RetrievAir, a pet airline that lets oversized dogs (or any-sized dog or cat) ride in the cabin alongside their owners.

In an interview with Business Insider, Miller said the pet-air-travel sector represents a $5.5 billion US market with plenty of room for more players. RetrievAir fares average $775 per seat.

Miller recently turned to ABC’s “Shark Tank” reality show for funding and secured $776,000 from guest Shark and Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian in exchange for a 15% stake — a nod to Ohanian’s “Seven Seven Six” venture fund. Ohanian has a 100-pound dog named Adora.

Miller said Ohanian “understands burn” because of his tech background and “knows how to scale to a billion-dollar company.” RetrievAir, which launched in May, secured over $500,000 in sales within weeks of opening bookings.

Some veteran Sharks, including Kevin O’Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful, were skeptical of RetrievAir’s $80,000-a-week operating costs. But Miller said sales have since picked up, more cities have been added, and some routes — like New York to Florida — are even selling out.

RetrievAir is not your typical flight experience: Customers book flights online, but instead of navigating a crowded terminal, flyers and their pets meet at a small private airport about 45 minutes before takeoff. Security is faster and tailored to animals.

The pets don’t have to be caged and stuffed under the seat in front of you, and Miller said the chartered 30-seater Embraer E135 jet was modified from a 50-seater — giving each seat ample room for humans and animals to spread out.

Dogs over 40 pounds must sit in a paid, assigned seat next to their owner. Lighter pets can sit on their owner’s lap or at their feet, and each seat has a leash to secure the animal.

And there’s a flight attendant — trained in basic pet behavior — to keep everyone safe, watered, and full of treats.

Miller said the white noise from the engines relaxes most dogs, and they commonly sleep during the flight. They recommend owners of more anxious dogs bring a familiar toy or blanket to help comfort them.

Dogs must have their Rabies vaccine to fly. Luggage, snacks, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are included for human passengers.

The plane makes a pit stop on the ground every two hours so the animals can use the bathroom (Miller said pet accidents are rare) and the jet can be cleaned. A flight from New York to Denver, for example, would stop in Chicago.

It’s less convenient than a nonstop, but it serves two purposes: It protects the health and comfort of the animals, and it allows RetrievAir to sell the trip as one long, single itinerary or split it into individual legs to capture more potential customers.

Pet-focused public charter carriers aren’t new. Companies like BarkAir and K9 Jets already schedule shared flights for humans and their pets. Miller said Ohanian’s involvement — paired with RetrievAir’s efficiency-focused model — has helped put the company on a stronger footing.

“We’ve had profitable days, profitable weeks,” he said. However, he added that their load factor, or the percentage of seats sold, still does not consistently reach the 50% level needed across all routes to reliably generate revenue.

Still, he said he’s focused on keeping the service accessible to everyday pet owners by offering lower fares and opening new routes, while maintaining the semi-private jet experience that makes the model work.

Fares range from $300 to over $3,000 per seat

Miller said the average fare is around $775 one-way per seat.

Some shorter upcoming trips, like New York to Washington, DC, in February 2026, are priced as low as $300. He said the lower DC price is possible because the plane flies into a smaller, less expensive airport about 30 miles from the city.

This could be a pain for travelers, but Miller said the location saves money. He added that he prefers these out-of-the-way airports because they’re also less congested and cover broader areas.

“Waukegan National Airport in Illinois is 45 minutes north of Chicago, but it’s also 45 minutes from Milwaukee,” Miller said, adding that smaller airports also reduce the risk of air-traffic delays.

Some RetrievAir trips are more expensive, such as the New York to Los Angeles route, which costs a little over $3,000 one-way per seat in February, or around $6,000 if the dog is over 40 pounds and requires its own seat.

That compares with the roughly $6,700 one-way ticket on BarkAir or K9 Jets on the same route for one seat. The two competitors charter Bombardier and Gulfstream jets that are half the capacity or smaller than the Embraer jet that RetrievAir uses.

RetrievAir flies to six US destinations and plans to add six more in 2026. Unlike both BarkAir and K9Jets, RetrievAir does not fly internationally, but plans to do so in the future. Miller said Seattle is among its highest-requested destinations.

“There are more pets than kids in the city,” he said. “Seattle attracts Canadians, especially in the Vancouver area, who may have a vacation home in Arizona or California and need our service.”

Specific boarding and seating strategies

RetrievAir’s Embraer jet is operated by the third-party carrier RVR Aviation. Miller’s team handles scheduling and bookings, while RVR manages the aircraft, maintenance, and crew.

The plane has three seats per row: a single seat on one side of the aisle (seat A) and two seats on the other (seats B and C). Miller said dogs up to 40 pounds can share their owner’s seat space and are placed in the A seats by the window.

Bigger dogs, however, need their own seat and are placed in B and C with their owner — with the pup riding in the window seat and away from where they could more easily sniff their neighbor.

Miller said there are precautions to ensure that aggressive or reactive dogs are kept away from other pets, like boarding back to front to minimize interactions. Pets and their owners are denied boarding if the crew anticipates an issue.

“There’s a bit of an honor system when booking, that’s when we ask for the temperament of the pup,” Miller said. “We will talk with the owner if the pet is not friendly, but if we think the pup may be too aggressive, we will ask them not to fly and refund their ticket.”