Do you travel by air with your assistance dog? Would you like to have some say in what the animal relief areas at airports will be like?
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is asking for input from service animal partners, and organizations about the issues related to service animal relief areas at airports.
Standards are being developed for relief areas for airports to follow. The standardization would include signing, and guidance for people with vision impairments.
A proposed rule was published in 2011 that would require relief areas at certain airports. The rule also requires that airports consult with service animal training organization(s) about these areas. Consensus standards are being developed in hopes that the standards would satisfy the requirement for consultation. The FAA believes that by having standards, the development of relief areas will be sped up.
The FAA is also asking about the needs of service animals and their partners. In particular, they would like input on the use of artificial turf, gravel or other materials that could be used for relief areas within secure areas at airports. We understand that it’s tough to grow grass indoors, so it’s great that the FAA is asking us our opinion about what materials would be best to use.
Submit your ideas by commenting on this blog post at the bottom of the page. We’ll send in all of your ideas by the January 2nd deadline
If you want help in finding relief areas at airports, you can use the free Working Like Dogs “Where to Go” app. Find out more and download the free app.
