Austin Airport Service Animal Policies
Assistance animals are welcome to travel with passengers who have disabilities. Certain exemptions are provided to these animals, but some rules and restrictions still apply. To determine if your dog qualifies to be certified as a Psychiatric Service Dog and can be accepted as such for air travel, you can visit Pettable’s PSD service.
Austin Airport Pet Relief Areas
As part of its pet policy, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) offers two outdoor pet relief areas for the comfort of you and your animals. This is slightly fewer than most major U.S. airports. These Dog Parks are the designated areas for your pets to relieve themselves after landing or before boarding a plane. It is located directly across the street from the arrivals entrance, so you may have to exit and reenter the secured area if you are passing through AUS on a connecting flight. You can find it on the lowermost level on the eastern side of the airport, next to the parking garage and car rental offices.
When you are exiting the terminal, take a right and go all the way to the parking garages. The dog park is a fenced-in area with grass and shady trees. Although we always recommend that pet parents keep plastic baggies on hand, the Dog Park supplies waste bags and bins, as well as a water fountain that is accessible by your dog.
Find more information and an airport map for Austin Airport pet relief areas.
AUS Airport Security and Terminal Policies
Each airport can have slightly different policies when it comes to pets in the terminals. With the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport pet policies, ticketed passengers can have their registered pets with them, but they must remain in their carriers at all times. If you are flying your pet as cargo, the policies are a little different. You will need to check your pet in at the airline desk and follow that company’s specific directions.
If you are flying your pet in the cabin, you will bring your pet to the security checkpoint and present him to the officers. He should be inside his crate or on a leash at this time. Your animal will not have to go through the X-ray, but his carrier will. You will have to bring him through the metal detector. Service animals will also be subject to security checks, but they can be on a leash instead of in a crate.
Austin Airport Pet Cargo and Airline Locations
When you need to fly your animal as unaccompanied cargo, you will not have to go to the main airport terminal at all, but instead drop him off at the cargo facility. There are two multi-tenant cargo facilities that are serviced through AUS. The airport can be found on state highway 71, and the cargo facilities are close by on Spirit of Texas Drive. This is a fairly well-trafficked airport, especially for cargo, so be sure to bring your pet in at the recommended time. Most major airliners can be found in Cargo Building 1 and are most easily accessed by car.
Austin Cargo Building 1
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
3400 Spirit of Texas Dr
Austin, TX 7871
Austin Cargo Building 2
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
3600 Presidential Blvd
Austin, TX 78719
Delta
3400 Spirit of Texas Dr
Suite 160
Austin, TX 78665
(800) 352-2746
American Airlines
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
3400 Spirit of Texas Dr
Suite 190
Austin, TX 78719
(800) 227-4622
United Airlines
3400 Spirit of Texas Dr.
Suite 100
Austin, TX 78719 US
(512) 530-0531
More Austin (AUS) Airport Pet Policies
As part of the pet policies established by the City of Austin, all animals must be on a leash or in their carriers at all times. Some exceptions apply, such as service animals. If you are unsure if your animal applies as a service animal, be sure to call and check with the airport ahead of time. AUS does not recommend sedating or tranquilizing your pet before flying. Instead, it might be a good idea to help your animal become acclimated to the crate or carrier that he will be making the journey in ahead of time.