Pet Safety Lady Kicks off National Airport Tour from LAX

Los Angeles Airport has gone to the DOGS this Holiday Season with a little help from Pet Safety Lady and her Pet Travel Tips

December 15, 2010 Los Angeles, CA - At the Holiday Season Air Travel Press Conference, representatives from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) spoke about how to prepare for going through security screening. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) shared the holiday travel forecast, while the Airport Police conveyed travel safety and Customs & Border Protection (CBP) showed us hands-on what “not” to bring into the country when returning from an overseas trip. In closing, Christina Selter “Pet Safety Lady” founder of Bark Buckle UP, the trusted authority for pet travel safety, shared with us some tips for traveling safe with pets. Her Furry friends helped her demonstrate airline approved pet carriers, crates and a “BONE”afide pet pat down, TSA style.

Pet Safety Lady emBARKed her national airport tour live from LAX. The tour was formed to help educate pet owners on how to travel safer with their pets. “Safety starts on the way to the airport. To ensure ultimate safety, comfort and convenience for two and four-legged passengers, be sure to plan, pack and follow the rules”, said Pet Safety Lady. Her airport tour will take a giant BITE out of pet air travel commotion.

Guests were chomping at the bit to hear her Pet Air Travel Safety Tips (PATST):

• Fees (average is 100.00)
• Cabin or cargo: A pet under 20lb,s, which includes carrier can go in cabin. Larger pets travel as cargo. Lock your carrier and keep ID on carrier.
• Check-in: A reservation for pets is required. Your pet will be your carry-on bag.
• Security: Pet Pat Down TSA style may be required for some pets. Your carrier goes through the x-ray machine, but your pet is removed from its carrier and walks through with you.
• Airports are required to have Pet Potty Parks (LAX has 5).*see below
  
• Packing for pets: Be sure to bring medicines, food, toy or chew bone, ID tag, collar/harness & leash.
• Size & health: Healthy to fly = current shots. All states require Rabies vaccinations and that the animal be at least eight weeks old.
• Snub nose pets like a Pug cannot fly as cargo.
• Airline transfers: Different carriers = you are required to pick up your pet at baggage and transfer to other carrier. When transferring with the same carrier, that airline will transfer your pet for you.
• Service dogs with proper ID travel in cabin free of charge.
• Weather safety restrictions apply: Above 85 degrees and below 20, degrees pets don’t fly.

*LAX has four "Pet Potty Park" where pets can take a potty break, stretch their legs while on a leash. All of the Pet Potty Parks have water-spouts with water bowls, doggie poop bag stand, trash receptacle and some have the doggie bone cement area and fire hydrant.
-One at the southeast end of the Central Terminal Area near Terminals 7-8 near
-One near TBIT (Tom Bradley International Terminal) between TBIT and Terminal 4.
-Twp fenced pet parks between Terminals 1 and 2 and across from Terminal 5 and 6 in a grass fenced in area.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) regulation designed to help airplane passengers with service animals has gone info effect. As of 2009 all airlines must make sure there are pet relief areas, and escorts to those relief areas, for any passenger traveling with a service animal. Airlines and airports have been instructed to work together to make this happen. As a result, airports everywhere are creating, upgrading and expanding pet relief areas that are open to all.

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Media Contact: Bark@BarkBuckleUP.com or 949-361-2275

For the full list of pet air travel tips, full release, video and quotes please visit http://www.PetSafetyLady.com and click on the airplane.
Included in the online press release are the LAX forecast, travel tips, CBP travel tips and TSA tips.

About: Christina Selter “Pet Safety Lady” founder of Bark Buckle UP® works with first responders nationwide teaching pet safety and has buckled UP more then 10,000 pets. Education is the first step to show that pet safety is connected to human safety, which helps to save lives. Christina has been featured in more then 1200 TV, radio, segments including print and online takes it over tens of thousands, Bark Buckle UP received more then 100 MILLION in circulations and impressions in the first year, she has directed, produced several pet safety PSA’s and created Be Smart Ride Safe-take the pledge Buckle Up the whole family.

About: The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created in the wake of 9/11 to movement for people and commerce. Within a year, TSA assumed responsibility for security at the nation’s airports strengthen the security of the nation’s transportation systems while ensuring the freedom of and deployed a Federal workforce to meet Congressional deadlines for screening all commercial airline passengers and baggage. In March 2003, TSA transferred from the Department of Transportation to the Department of Homeland Security.

TSA employs a risk-based strategy to secure U.S. transportation systems, working closely with stakeholders in aviation, rail, transit, highway, and pipeline sectors, as well as the partners in the law enforcement and intelligence community. The agency will continuously set the standard for excellence in transportation security through its people, processes, technologies and use of intelligence to drive operations.

About: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is one of the Department of Homeland Security’s largest and most complex components, with a priority mission of keeping terrorists and their weapons out of the U.S. It also has a responsibility for securing and facilitating trade and travel while enforcing hundreds of U.S. regulations, including immigration and drug laws.

About: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is the world’s busiest origin and destination (O & D) airport. O&D passengers are those beginning or ending their trips in Southern California rather than using the airport for connecting flights. In total traffic, LAX is the sixth busiest airport in the world for passengers and ranks 13th in the world in air cargo tonnage handled.