Flying out of Atlanta with a pet: relief areas, security and what airlines require

ATL’s amenities page leaves pet rules to the airlines. It says pet transport policies vary by airline and time of year, so contact yours directly. ATL does provide places to take your pet. They are outside before check-in, and indoors on every concourse once you’re through security.

Before check-in, relief is outdoors

The airport lists two outdoor spots. Poochie Park is a fenced dog park outside doors W1 and W2 in the Domestic Terminal South Ground Transportation area. The other is right outside door A1 on the International Terminal arrivals level.

American Airlines’ ATL page adds grass on the Domestic Terminal upper level. Leave by door N-6 and turn right, and it’s beyond Skycap check-in.

How early to arrive, and what security says about pets

ATL’s security page says to arrive at least two hours before a domestic departure. Alaska’s ATL page asks for three hours when you travel with a pet, and says a pet in the baggage compartment has an earlier check-in cut-off. It doesn’t give that time.

ATL’s security page doesn’t mention pets. It lists TSA’s toll-free line, (866) 289-9673, for restricted-item questions, so call there or your airline to ask how a pet carrier is screened. Our security page lists each checkpoint and its hours.

After security, every concourse has an area

Each indoor relief area is open at all hours, and every concourse has one.

ATL’s pages disagree on Concourses C and E. The amenities page says gates C17 and E15, and the relief-areas article says C19 and E14, so look near both.

If you can’t find it, American Airlines tells passengers at the gate to ask a supervisor for an escort to the animal relief area. Southwest Airlines says its employees will direct you to one on request.

What the airlines require

ATL’s pages don’t publish fees, carrier sizes or breed limits for any airline. They do list a main number for each, and each airline’s own site holds its pet rules. Our airlines pages show where each one checks in.

What Alaska publishes

Alaska’s pet page lists these:

• Pets that fit in an under-seat carrier can travel in the cabin, and others can go in the climate-controlled baggage compartment.
• Fees run $100 to $200 each way per kennel or carrier on Alaska or Hawaiian flights. Another airline on your itinerary may charge its own.
• Space in the cabin or baggage compartment depends on availability.
• Baggage-compartment pets face breed restrictions, travel date embargoes and fleet restrictions.
• You book your ticket first, then start a chat or call to reserve space for the pet.
• Alaska doesn’t transfer a baggage-compartment pet to another carrier, so you claim it and recheck it with the connecting one.
• Its day-of tips include a pre-flight potty trip at an airport animal relief area and extra time at the counter.

Pets in Delta Sky Clubs

Delta’s Sky Club house rules let dogs, cats and household birds in if they’re at least 8 weeks old and stay inside the kennel with the door secured. Delta can ask an owner to remove a pet from the lounge. Our lounges page lists the clubs at ATL.

Sources

• Our pet relief page, security page, airlines page and lounges page
• ATL’s airport amenities page, its relief areas news item, its passenger security page and its airlines page
• American Airlines’ ATL airport page and customer service page, Southwest Airlines’ airport information page, Delta’s Sky Club house rules and help center, United’s help center
• Alaska Airlines’ pet travel page and its Atlanta airport page