Travel with Pets - Travelling with a small dog (Yorkie) on Southwest

I have a small Yorkie about a year old and weighs 5 or 6 lbs. I have never flown with a pet and planning to take him from LAX/BUR to BOI. The height restriction on carrier seems to be 8.5 inches. That seems really less as my dog looks very small but when he stands he is about 11 inches in height. if I buy a medium carrier he should be fine but all it exceeds the height requirement for SWA. How strict is SWA on carrier size policy ?

Hi, MNSWEEPs, Here's what I read:

How big can my pet carrier be?

Your pet carrier must be able to fit under the seat in front of you. The under-seat dimensions are as follows:

Window Seat: 19"L x 14"W x 8.25"H
Middle Seat: 19"L x 19"W x 8.25"H
Aisle Seat: 19"L x 14"W x 8.25"H
However, please keep in mind that some seats might be slightly smaller in width.

I've never flown on WN with a pet but I flew many times with a Yorkie on other airlines and never had a problem. Make sure to get a soft sided carrier like a Sherpa bag and then your dog will be able to get up and turn around while at the check-in counter or at the gate. The medium Sherpa has a height of 10.5 to 11 inches. Should be OK for your dog. Go to the store and check it out with your dog.

No one is going to check if your dog can get up while the bag is under the seat. As long as you can smush (technical term!) the top of the bag down to fit underneath, you should be OK. I see dogs much larger than yours fly and I wonder how they fit, but they do but probably not comfortably.

It's been relatively recent that WN started accepting pets, so please come back and report on your experience!

Jenn

I ended up ordering this one from amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002KLPH0/ref=oss_product

I am travelling May 12 from LAX. Will keep the thread updated.

Looks like a perfect bag. Have a great trip!

You can't beat the quality and durability of a Sherpa bag. I have one for over 8 tears now and although it is showing some wear & tear I still use it frequently. I particularly like the side flaps that fold down for inclement weather. ^

The other brand of bag which I also own is Celltei. Their product lineup has more of a fashion statement but is also extremely functional.
http://store.celltei.com/

...The other brand of bag which I also own is Celltei. Their product lineup has more of a fashion statement but is also extremely functional.
http://store.celltei.com/

I just have to say that I never heard of Celltei before and that website is a hoot. I particularly like the section on big dogs, a la bring a 55 lb. Doberman on the NYC subway!

Thanks for the laugh... and the site!

I really like the bags that they have with the camouflage pattern. ^

The Celltei bags are cute and although they appear well made the prices seem incredibly high to me. The carrier we bought for our dog was available in our local mall for around $30-$50 in several patterns and sizes. We've used it for travel to Costa Rica with our French Bulldog and to check in to hotels a few times when walking in on a leash might have been disruptive. I can't imagine paying that much more for something with the same/similiar functionality. Am I overlooking something??

I don't think you're overlooking anything. I think it's Gucci v. Ann Taylor sort of thing. You're paying for the brand. I think some of the bags are made in the U.S.A. so perhaps you're paying a bit more for that but I agree that Celltei is expensive.

There's a section on the site to allow customers sell their used bags. Maybe that would be a cheaper way to get one, if someone is so inclined. I had no problems with my Sherpa (and I thought it was expensive!).

Still, some of the Celltei bags are unique and include features not on other bags (I saw a water bottle included instead of a dish). If I did need to take a Doberman on the NYC subway, as I stated in a previous post, I would definitely get a Celltei. :D

If you are a "Fashionista" the Celltei bags are definitely the way to go as they do make a fashion statement. Comparing a Celltei bag to a basic pet bag would be like comparing a Land Rover to a Jeep. @:-)

Update. Had a pleasant journey on SWA on 5/12. The bag went under the seat fine. But i pulled it a little to the outside and kept the zipper a little open so he can see me through it. Check in at LAX was a breeze.. when flight took off he was a little scared of the engines revving up. Apart from that the Sherpa bag was ideal for him.

Update. Had a pleasant journey on SWA on 5/12. The bag went under the seat fine. But i pulled it a little to the outside and kept the zipper a little open so he can see me through it. Check in at LAX was a breeze.. when flight took off he was a little scared of the engines revving up. Apart from that the Sherpa bag was ideal for him.

I am happy it went well for both of you! ^

Thanks for the follow-up and happy everything went well.