Express ProductsWith over two million* pets and animals transported by air in the U.S every year, you could definitely say we’re a nation of animal lovers!
With this in mind, we’ve compiled some tips and advice to help keep your airport pawsengers and their owners happy, from choosing your ideal dog poop station, to creating a designated pet-friendly zone.
Designate an animal-friendly area
The Department of Transportation** states that any airport with over 10,000 annual passengers should provide at least one service animal relief area within each terminal. So, it is important to ensure that your airport facilities are appropriately equipped to look after your passengers and their pets.
Providing simple amenities such as a water bowl, some doggie treats and space for the animals to stretch their legs can go a long way with both the pets and their owners. Make sure you have some dog poo bags on hand to help the owners clean up any mess that is left behind, as well as a pet waste station to deposit the bags in afterwards.
The Fido™ Pet Waste Station is an ideal dog waste station for dealing with animal waste at airports. With options available for post, wall or rail mounted fixings, this pet waste station can be sited indoors or outdoors to integrate with any surroundings. The self-returning lid ensures that any odors are locked in to minimize the risk of unwanted smells.
It is recommended to create your pet-friendly zone in a solitary area, where the dogs can roam around and do their business without disturbing other passengers. This could involve designating an area or room inside the airport terminal, or cornering off a safe space just outside where your visitors can invite their furry friends to take full advantage of your pet waste stations.
Keep it clean and maintain hygiene
When creating your pet-friendly zone, it is essential to ensure hygiene levels are kept at a maximum for both your airport staff and your passengers.
Make sure you choose a pet waste station with a large capacity to reduce the frequent need of emptying whilst minimizing the risk of overflowing. A dog poop station with integrated chute systems and closed apertures may also be ideal to maintain maximum hygiene levels when depositing waste into the bin.
We supplied pet waste stations to Baltimore & Washington International (BWI) Airport to help them create designated animal relief areas for their passengers. With an integrated bag dispenser and closed aperture chute system, BWI Marshall Airport chose our Retriever City™ Pet Waste Stations as the ideal sanitary solution for animal waste.
BWI Airport sited their Retriever City dog waste receptacle in a pet-friendly zone complete with a grass area and mini fire hydrant to make the animals feel at ease. For enhanced hygiene, BWI also provide a pooper scooper and a rake to enable owners to scoop, bag and trash any animal mess using the dog poo bags provided with the pet waste station. Additional handwashing facilities help to ensure that sanitation levels are maintained at all times.
Pave the way to your pet-friendly zone
Displaying visible signage indicating where your pet-friendly zones are within the airport, pre and post-security, can help to keep your passengers organized and happy. Use signposts and directional arrows to help navigate dog owners to the correct locations and make sure you have staff on hand to help.
Clear signage should also be utilized in the entrance to your pet friendly area in order to clearly inform passengers which area is intended for animals and their owners. Our pet waste stations are supplied with an easily identifiable dog waste logo to help users recognize that the receptacle is intended for animal waste only. This decal can be replicated on your airport signage to clearly indicate where your pet-relief areas are situated.
For animal owners looking for pet-friendly reassurance before booking their flights, make sure you include information on your airport website or page, to put animal owners at ease when arranging their travel itinerary.
For more information on how you can cater for pets and their owners at your domestic or international airport, please feel free to view our selection of pet waste stations or contact us today!
