Hello, All.

A nice forum for this kind of thing. I am flying from Chicago to Amsterdam on United at the end of the year and bringing my miniature Rat Terrier with me.

I have made the reservation but now need to find a kennel with the dimensions of 17" x 12" x 8" so she can be my carry-on luggage. The other requirement is that the kennel be secured with nuts and bolts (i.e., not with twist locks or snap locks).

Does anyone have a suggestion of a reputable kennel for these purposes? The only one I've been consistently finding with these dimensions is one with snap locks (the Petmate Wire-Top Cabin Kennel). Or, in your experience, do the airlines really care about the locking mechanism?

Thanks for any information! --Jessica

Welcome to FT. If you want to take your dog as carry-on, you're not going to find a hard-sided nuts-and-bolts carrier that will fit underseat. You will find either something with snaps or will need a soft-sided carrier.

I fly once a year with my Pomeranian and my chihuahua. I strongly recommend a soft-sided carrier like a Sherpa (or, like I have, a no-name replica). The soft-sided carrier allows you to use a slightly larger carrier and still fit underseat, and makes it more comfortable for the pet to stand up and turn around.

The airlines don't care at all about the locking mechanism, in my experience. However, as I said, for in-cabin travel I would strongly recommend a soft-sided carrier instead. If you're checking the pet to be shipped as luggage, then a hard-sided carrier with secure locking mechanisms is required.

Thanks for the information. I will certainly check into the Sherpa (or sherpa-like) soft-sided carriers. A soft-sided carrier might be easier to tote generally, anyhow.

I am new to this idea of toting my dog around...is there a good place to look for these knock-off carriers? Is ebay as good a place as any?

Again, thanks so much!

Cheers,
Jessica

I don't know about eBay, but I got my knock-off carriers at Wal-Mart for $25 a piece. (I admit it, I bought something at Wal-Mart!) I don't know if they still have anything like that there, since I got mine 6 years ago, but it's worth a shot. Otherwise, online will probably be the cheapest place to find them, though unless you know the exact model you want, I'd recommend looking at retailers like Amazon, PetSmart, etc. rather than eBay (where nothing comes with a warranty or return policy).