Pets and long layovers: how to manage transit

Pet Relief Areas: where they are and how they work

Airports like San Francisco (five areas distributed throughout terminals), New York JFK (a dedicated room at Terminal 4), or Washington Dulles (two areas, including before security checks) offer fenced spaces or indoor facilities designed for dogs and cats in transit. Their location varies from terminal to terminal: it's worth checking the specific stopover airport map, not just the airline website, before departure.

If the stopover is in a different country from your final destination

When the transit area has no indoor facilities for animals and the stopover exceeds six hours, the alternative is to leave the airport, but this requires going through customs again and, at some stops, animal health checks. Rules on who can leave the transit area with an animal and how to re-enter vary greatly from airport to airport and country to country: this is a point to verify with the specific stopover and the airline before planning to leave, not something to take for granted. However, if your stopover is short, the logic changes dramatically: see our guide on how to manage a short stopover with an animal.

Hydration and care during the wait

After hours of dry air in the cabin or hold, the animal needs to drink, but it is better to offer water in small quantities to avoid stomach problems related to the excitement of the moment. If the animal is traveling in the hold, it's worth asking the airline if it will be supplied with water and food in the kennel during the stopover: this is information that not all airlines provide in the same way, so it's worth checking before departure. A quick cleaning kit (wipes, bags, spare pads) allows you to refresh the carrier during the stop.

The most practical advice is to check, on the stopover airport website (not the airline's), if a pet relief area exists and in which terminal it is exactly located: with a tight stopover, knowing this in advance avoids wasting precious time looking for it.