Does Your Pet Need a Pit Stop?

  Posted on July 25, 2010  by Joy of Living  No comments

When traveling, we occasionally need a pit stop, but what options does your pet have when waiting at the airport for your flight?

With the number of pet owners that travel with their pets on the rise, many airports are adding pet relief areas or lounges to give pets the opportunity for bathroom breaks and a little exercise.  The pet areas were originally developed to assist travelers with service dogs, convenient relief areas weren’t required until the department published changes last year to the Air Carrier Access Act, which spells out travel rights for people who have physical disabilities.

These pet areas are often outside but within walking distance of the terminal.  A few airports such as Dulles International in Washington DC have indoor pet areas within its security zone, in addition to three relief areas outside. Engineers designed them after studying other dog parks. They contain ventilation and wall-mounted water-distribution systems for cleaning.

If you’re planning to take your pet with you on a flight, you can check petfriendlytravel.com to see if your destination or layover point has a pet relief area, and where it’s located in relation to the airport terminal.

Bon voyage!

Some information for this post from USAToday.com