Norfolk International Airport has opened indoor pet relief rooms in both its A and B gates, giving traveling dogs a place to go without forcing their owners to leave the secure side of the terminal. The rooms come stocked with a small patch of K9 turf, a hose for cleanup, a dog-bag dispenser, a small water station and a decorative fire hydrant.
The addition means passengers flying with pets no longer have to choose between a long layover and a long walk back through security. As WAVY.com reported, travelers whose dogs need a bathroom break during a delay or an extended stay can now use the indoor rooms instead of exiting the terminal and going back through screening. The station also noted the rooms are built to be ADA compliant for service dogs visiting the airport.
One airport visitor told the station their pup approved of the setup in Terminal B, though they did offer a suggestion for improvement — adding a chair and some wet wipes to the rooms, per the same report.
How It Fits With Existing Outdoor Options
The indoor rooms supplement outdoor pet relief areas the airport already maintains, including a fenced-in spot outside the Departures south Door A. Separately, Norfolk International Airport's own guidance lists outdoor relief areas in grassy sections near Door A, Door C and Door D at the Departures Terminal, plus a spot near Door 0 at the Arrivals Terminal, according to the Norfolk International Airport website.
That same guidance spells out the rules for animals inside the terminal more broadly: pets are not permitted inside unless they are traveling by air in a kennel or carrier, or are needed to perform an essential service for their owner. Service and emotional support animals, the airport says, must stay on a leash at all times while on the premises.
Part Of A Larger Modernization Effort
The new pet rooms arrive on the heels of the airport's Concourse A expansion, which wrapped up in April, according to TransformORF. That project included an indoor pet relief area among its added amenities, as reported by Facilities Dive, which described the broader undertaking as the airport's largest modernization push since 1974.
How Norfolk Compares To Other Airports
Norfolk isn't alone in rethinking how it accommodates traveling pets. Denver International Airport operates indoor pet relief rooms post-security in the center cores of its A, B and C gates, according to its own guidance, which also notes all of its pet relief areas comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Denver's indoor rooms feature artificial turf flooring with a drainage system and an artificial rock, and the airport provides bags and disposal containers for cleanup. Denver also maintains an outdoor relief area outside Jeppesen Terminal that is fenced in with a bench for owners to sit.
