Los Angeles-Airport officials today announced the opening of seven indoor animal-relief stations at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). These seven new stations — plus an existing one in the Tom Bradley International Terminal — are located beyond federal passenger security screening checkpoints in all the terminals. Guests traveling with service animals or pets now have the convenience of staying inside the terminal concourses and boarding-gate areas to take care of their animals. They no longer need to leave the terminals and be rescreened in order to return to their boarding gates.
In addition to the eight indoor stations, there are three outdoor stations located on the Lower/Arrivals Level. This brings the total number of service-animal/pet relief stations at LAX to 11, more than any other U.S. airport.
“This expanded passenger amenity demonstrates Los Angeles World Airports’ (LAWA) commitment to making LAX more accessible to the traveling public and to creating a more welcoming environment for our guests,” said LAWA Chief Executive Officer Deborah Flint. “We’re committed to providing airport guests – whether two-legged or four-legged – with an exceptional travel experience.”
The opening ceremony today in front of the new animal-relief station in Terminal 3 coincided with this year’s National Work Like A Dog Day. Airport officials are taking the occasion to honor the many service, law-enforcement, and therapy animals, as well as their handlers and/or owners, who work hard at LAX every day.
In addition to addressing the needs of the growing number of guests traveling with service animals and pets, the new animal-relief stations will also be convenient for the many K-9 teams deployed at LAX by local and federal law-enforcement agencies to ensure the public’s safety and security. Los Angeles Airport Police, Los Angeles Police Department, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency all use canines to perform daily duties at LAX, such as detecting contraband; explosives; and prohibited food, plants, insects, and animals. They also assist in police situations.
The new facilities will also be available to the 55 volunteer PUP (Pets Unstressing Passengers) therapy-dog teams that roam terminal areas to provide affection and comfort to help alleviate stress that passengers may experience during travel. The LAX PUP Program is the largest therapy-dog program among all U.S. airports.
The service-animal/pet relief stations are designated by the universal icon of a dog on a leash. All the indoor stations are in rooms behind solid or glass doors, and the outdoor stations are fenced. The stations are located at the following locations:
- Terminal 1 near Gate 13
- Terminal 2 near Gate 21
- Terminal 3 inside the open-air atrium
- Tom Bradley International Terminal near the entrance to the connector/walkway to Terminal 4
- Terminal 4 along the connector/walkway to the Tom Bradley International Terminal
- Terminal 5 near Gate 52B
- Terminal 6 inside the open-air atrium
- Terminals 7/8 between Gates 73 and 75B near the public telephones
- Outdoor Lower/Arrivals Level between Terminals 1 and 2
- Outdoor Lower/Arrivals Level between Parking Structures 5 and 6
- Outdoor Lower/Arrivals Level at the east end of Terminals 7/8
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was followed by LAX’s first-ever “Yappy Hour” when more than 30 PUP dogs were recognized for their work in uplifting travelers’ spirits. During the canine social, PUPs were treated to massages and grooming donated by Happy Tails 2 You and Doggie Glam Squad of The Pet Care Foundation.
