I am happy to report that, all things considered, this was a great trip. E Extra is truly head-and-shoulders above UA's E Plus. Ground staff was not a problem in terms of honoring the pet-in-cabin reservation but there was a bit of a glitch (not worth delving into here). The cabin crew was fantastic towards me and my new little gir. I would highly recommend SAS generally speaking and especially for this type of travel. Of course a lot of this has to do with cabin crew personalities, so I suppose it could just as easily been a difficult trip. But since most (if not all?) major airlines with TATL service seem to block pets from business/first, SAS E Extra is especially attractive. At the very least for takeoffs and landings you will have your pet carrier underneath the seat in front of you. Thus, the substanial increase in legroom is very much appreciated.

Thanks for a great trip SAS. And thanks Christobal and SirRagner for all of the insight and advice offered here!