Cranborne pet airline flies David Beckham's dog from London to LA (From Bournemouth Echo)

Cranborne pet airline flies David Beckham's dog from London to LA

8:30am Wednesday 20th January 2010 in

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IT’S not just David Beckham who gets to fly first class – his new puppy has experienced the VIP treatment.

The England star splashed out more than £2,000 to fly his British bulldog puppy Coco from London to Los Angeles.

PetAir UK, based in Cranborne, were chosen by the Beckhams’ management company to care for four-month-old Coco during her 5,500-mile journey from London’s Heathrow.

The pooch was treated to the company’s Gold Standard service – which costs on average between £2,500 and £3,000 and involves a complete door-to-door service along with an airline ticket for cargo travel, vet checks and a custom-made travel crate with bedding and water. Coco is the latest addition to the Beckham family and was bought as a Christmas gift for David by wife Victoria.

But she had to stay behind with the Beckham’s celebrity chef friend Gordon Ramsay while Victoria, 35, and their children Brooklyn, 10, Romeo, seven, and four-year-old Cruz jetted off to America.

David, 34, had to fly to Italy to start training for new club AC Milan.

PetAir UK director Bob Ghandour said they collected Coco from Gordon Ramsay’s house in Wandsworth, London, where she had been staying after her Christmas break with her new owners.

It has been rumoured that the chef treated Coco to a slap-up meal before her long journey.

Mr Ghandour said: “She went to Beckingham Palace over Christmas but then she became a bit poorly so she couldn’t fly as planned.

“She went to Gordon Ramsay’s house as they are buddies with the Beckhams and she flew out to America on Friday. She is a gorgeous little dog.”

He said the company flies 1,500 to 2,000 pets all over the world each year and a small handful have belonged to some famous faces.

“None as big as the Beckhams though,” said Mr Ghandour.

“I don’t quite know how we are going to top that – the Queen or Barack Obama?” He added: “When people are emigrating or moving abroad for work, they have enough to deal with without worrying about how their pets are going to get there. We can do it all for them.”

Mr Ghandour said: “Flying pets is really expensive so an average gold standard service is £2,500 to £3,000.

“Everyone is saying the Beckhams splashed out lots of money but they probably paid less than average.”