Pet-Friendly Airport Toolkit

Pets are now part of nearly 87 million U.S. households, and more people than ever want to bring pets with them as they travel.

Recent research showed 65% of pet parents say they’re likely to bring pets with them on future travel. That number is even higher among Millennials (84%) and Gen Z (77%). In fact, nearly 47% of pet parents said they would cancel a vacation that wasn’t pet friendly to avoid leaving their best friend behind.

While U.S. Department of Transportation requires airports to accommodate service dogs, there are additional steps airports can take to welcome and support the increasing number of travelers with pets, while maintaining the safety and comfort of all travelers.

This toolkit provides how-to’s and best practices to help you plan pet-friendly policies, amenities and programming for your airport.

New airport certification

In 2021, Mars Petcare introduced airport certification from its BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ program, which now highlights more than 60 cities across the U.S. and Canada that are working to make pets welcome.

The new certification¹ recognizes airports that are working toward easier, more responsible and safer pet travel experiences. This includes welcoming pet travelers, having clear signage, accommodating pet needs, having a process for pet-related incidents and ensuring a positive customer experience related to pets.

To be eligible for certification, airports must be within 90 miles of a BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ certified city and meet benchmarks for pet-friendliness as measured by our airport assessment.

Tools to help you get started

More resources from our Pets Welcome toolkit

1 Mars Petcare is not a certifying body or entity and the “Better Cities for Pets Certified Airport” designation is a certification in name only for marketing purposes. The “Better Cities for Pets Certified Airport” designation is provided AS-IS, without any representation, warranty (implied or express), or guarantee of any kind. Mars Petcare expressly and fully disclaims any and all liability arising out of or related to the “Better Cities for Pets Certified Airport” designation. Applicants acknowledge and agree that they remain fully and solely responsible for all aspects of the operations of their airport facility, and Mars Petcare shall have no liability to them or to any other party for anything arising out of or related to their facility or the “Better Cities for Pets Certified Airport” designation.