![]() ![]() Some carriers come with a machine-washable pad, but you could also wrap a favorite blanket from home around the floorboard for extra comfort and easier cleaning. Having a washable floorboard is useful if your pet has an accident - but it's also useful for cleaning fur and food from the carrier. ![]() The floorboard of the carrier should be sturdy so the carrier doesn't turn into a hammock when it's being carried. Being able to easily remove your pet from the carrier at security check points reduces stress for everyone involved. If your pet doesn't willingly enter or exit the carrier, a zipper on top of the carrier can be handy for placing and retrieving the pet. Some carriers have a zipper on top of the carrier as well. Pet carrier doors are usually either half or full zip on one or both ends of the carrier. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. I would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. Even better: see how your pet reacts to being in the carrier before the day of its first flight. If you have any doubts, keep an eye on the carrier and - as extreme as it may seem - bring some duct tape to secure the carrier if an escape is attempted mid-flight. If your pet might attempt to claw, scratch or bite its way out of the carrier in stressful situations, you'll want to make sure the carrier's mesh is durable. Some carriers simply have clips or clasps that can secure the zippers once the animal is in the carrier while others feature zippers that can be locked with a luggage lock. If your pet is an escape artist or just playful, you may need to get a carrier that has zippers that can be locked. If you're denied boarding due to your Sherpa carrier on an eligible flight, they'll refund the cost of your flight and pet fee. If you have any questions, ask them when you call to reserve your pet's space in the cabin.Īlthough you shouldn't have any issues if you follow the policies on the airline's website, Sherpa offers a "Guaranteed on Board" program for domestic US flights, domestic Canadian flights and flights between the US and Canada on covered airlines (which strangely still includes defunct AirTran). Luckily, airlines that allow pets in cabin usually have detailed information on their websites. Accepted By AirlinesĪ carrier is useless for air travel if it's not accepted by the airline you're flying. Here's what I considered when choosing a pet carrier for air travel. My husband, TPG writer JT Genter, and I recently started traveling with our cat, Grace, so I looked into many types of pet carriers before we left for Europe. Breathable: Air should be able to enter the carrier freely.Bite-proof: The animal shouldn't be able to bite through the carrier.Leak-proof: The flooring must be leak-proof.Adequate size: The animal must be able to turn around completely and lie down.Airline policies often also include more subjective regulations, such as: These policies usually include objective regulations for maximum carrier dimensions and weight of the carrier with the pet inside. Some airlines allow slightly larger dimensions for soft-sided carriers while others flat-out require soft-sided carriers.Įach airline has specific policies regarding carriers for pets traveling in cabin. Use a soft-sided carrier, as this can slightly compress if needed.Use a carrier that's no larger than the smallest dimensions allowed by any airlines you might fly.Instead, for travel with a pet in cabin I recommend to: Although it's theoretically possible to determine the exact under-seat dimensions, relying on a particular underseat size isn't a good idea since an aircraft swap, the unexpected presence of an in-flight entertainment box or irregular operations could ruin your plans. ![]() Could he fly with the pet carriers he had? Would they fit under the seat?Īlthough some airlines waived pet fees and most were lenient regarding pet carrier dimensions and policies during the evacuation - leading to a sort of "Noah's Ark" - these are questions many pet owners have when traveling with their pet in cabin during normal operations.Ī reader recently wrote in to ask how to determine what pet carriers will fit under seats on particular aircraft. Shortly before he left his house to evacuate on Southwest Airlines, he made a frantic phone call to his son and me. ![]() He was facing a mandatory evacuation, with two cats. Hurricane Irma was about to hit Florida in September last year, and my father-in-law's house in Tampa was predicted to be flooded. ![]()
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