- Portland airport is using llamas and alpacas for stress relief at its terminals.
- Travel anxiety is common, and fears like missing boarding can worsen mental health conditions.
- Animal therapy appears to lower anxiety and promote mood-lifting hormones.
An airport in Oregon is trying to ease nervous flyers' concerns by providing them with access to an unusual animal therapy program.
Portland International Airport says it has partnered with Mountain Peaks Therapy to bring llamas and alpacas into its terminals every few weeks, hoping to alleviate some of the stress associated with air travel, according to NPR.
The farm, based in Ridgefield, Washington, has five llamas and six alpacas, which it says are certified to interact with passengers in a calming manner. Its website says it costs about $650 an hour per animal.
Studies have shown that animal therapy has minor to moderately positive effects on those struggling with an array of mental illnesses, though academics say more research needs to be done on its efficacy.
According to UCLA Health, animal therapy can promote the release of mood-boosting hormones, lower anxiety, and provide a "happy distraction."
Most existing studies are focused on therapy dogs, which are increasingly being used in airports, such as London Stansted and Istanbul Airport.
Although the use of llamas and alpacas is more unusual, Allison Ferre, a spokesperson for the Port of Portland, told NPR that it's just one initiative aimed at addressing the stress associated with air travel.
Another involved redesigning the airport to include trees, according to NPR.
The Port of Portland did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Denver International Airport has the world's largest animal therapy program, for which it was awarded the Guinness World Record in 2021.
A 2019 survey of UK passengers by Priority Pass, a program that provides access to airport lounges, found that the biggest anxieties about travel are getting stuck on the way to the airport, losing baggage, missing boarding, or misplacing passports.
According to Mintel, a market research company, nearly half (45%) of US airport travelers surveyed in 2022 reported that they found airport crowds to be a major source of stress, the company said in an email to BI.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that travel-related stress can be a trigger for those with pre-existing mental illnesses, including depression and anxiety.