Pet Carrier for an Airplane?

Question

I am going to be flying back home over winter break and I will need to take my cat with me. Apparently the size under the seat of an airplane is 8.25 inches by 19 inches long. I called the airline and they said a inch won't really make a difference if the case is soft sided. So, my problem is finding a soft sided carrier that is 19 inches in length but not more than 9 or even 10 inches tall. I tried out a 16 inch one but my cat seems to squished in there. Anyone know of a carrier with these demensions or a store or website that might have one?

Additional Details

The flight is from pheonix to chicago (3.5 hours). My cat is big I guess, he's about 13-14 pounds. (although he looks small to me) I don't mind having to squish him under for a little bit. I mean once we're in the air I can pull the carrier out from under the seat and lay it on the floor in front of me, right? My concern about getting a taller carrier though is that there seems to be some sort of "anti-crush" wire inside of the carriers, and it seems like it would be difficult very difficult to squish under a seat. And my other questions/concern are: How strict is the airline with the size of the carrier? And does the cat really have to be able to completely stand up in the carrier? I'm not mean to my cat it's just that cats sleep most of the time anyway so I figure he will probably be sleeping or at least laying down.

Answer 1

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How long a flight is this? And is this airline the only one you can fly? I've flow WestJet before and they require a soft carier. The soft carrier I used was about 11" high I just had to squish it in there quite a bit because the clearance was only 8.5" (which I realized a bit too late). My cat wasn't too happy but it was only an hour and half flight.

Now I only fly Alaska which allows hard carriers. The hard carrier I use is just over 9" high and easily slides under the seats of their 737-800 planes. It's also wide enough and long enough that my cat can turn around and even sit up.

If possible I would switch the flight to a different airline that has more space for the carriers. Unless your cat is smaller like mine - she's only about 9 1/2 pounds - then he'd be very uncomfortable in a small carrier squished with only 8.25 inches clearance. Especially if this is a several hour flight.

The other option, of course, is to put your cat in the cargo hold. Then he can be in a larger, much more comfortable hard carrier. I don't recommend if you can avoid it, though. Much more secure knowing your cat is safe right there with you than in the cargo hold where someone might not turn on the air flow, or someone drops the carrier and your cat escapes, etc.

Source(s):

My cat's flown a few times for shows and I've always found Alaska Airlines the best amount of space for carriers. The fee is also cheaper than most airlines.

Answer 2

I work at an Airport. Yes please take you cat carry on. Not only is the noise and smell and stress of the Ramp area and belly of plane bad for pets but to be honest. The people loading the plane don't give a rip about your pet. I would never put one of my animals in the belly of a plane.

Here's a tip most people don't know. If you say your pet is a "comfort pet" the airline has to let you take it carry on. Even big dogs. Check with your Airline first, you do have to let them know ahead of time. It has to do with stress/medical reasons for "needing" your pet with you.

Back to your question. Have you done an internet search yet? I think that would be your best bet. But even a smaller soft sided carryer is ok. he will only be in there for a few hours.