on some of the Top Selling
"Airline Approved" Pet Carriers & Kennels
I have
decide to start this page to try and guide pet owners who are shopping
for an "Airline Approved" Pet Carrier or Kennel. At DryFur.com
we do NOT sell or benefit from the sell of any brand or style of pet
carriers / kennels, so you can be assured all the following information
is completely honest & unbiased.
Lately,
I have had countless calls from dog & cat owners with questions such
as "What size DryFur Pads do I need for our newly purchased
"Airline Kennels". Which leads me to ask "What exact
Brand & size of Kennel did you purchase?" I am amazed at
some of the answers I receive. At least half of them have purchased
kennel brands and styles that I know for certain are not "Airline
Approved" or even accepted by any airline for use in cargo or as
checked baggage. Upon further investigating I can see why these pet
owners are so confused. Many of these products are currently listed and
promoted by MAJOR Pet SUPPLY Companies as "Airline
Approved".
I am
not exactly sure how or why this is the case, my guess is that many many
years ago these carriers and kennels were considered "Airline
Approved" but as safety issues have progressed & changed in the
airline industry so has the rules and requirements for Pets who travel
on airlines. And many of these Pet Stores & Catalogues have just not
kept up with the new rules and further have not bothered to changed the
descriptions of their products, in their retail stores, catalogues or
online.
THE
NO. 1 Safest and always guaranteed to be "AIRLINE
APPROVED" Pet Kennel for airline travel in the cargo area of
the plane is Sky Kennel or Vari Kennels.
THE
NO. 1 Safest and always guaranteed to be "AIRLINE
APPROVED" Pet Carrier for airline travel in the passenger area
of the plane is Sherpa, SleepyPod AIR & Sturdi Bag.
APPROVED APPROVED
The
carriers & kennels listed below are not approved or accepted by most
airlines yet are promoted as "Airline Approved" by many
reputable Pet Supply Companies Including Drs. Foster &
Smith, Petco
, PetSmart
& MANY OTHERs so please be aware and check with your airline before
purchasing a New Airline Travel kennel for your pet.
Now
there is other pet carriers & kennels that will be accepted by
airlines for travel in the cargo area of the plane as long as they DO
NOT have any of the following features:
Double
Doors meaning one wire door in the front of the carrier and
one wire or plastic door on the top of the carrier. American
Airlines and Delta Airlines site clearly states no top opening kennels allowed.
Dial
Latch Attachments
meaning no nuts and bolts to keep the top
and bottom of the carrier together, instead they have round
plastic dials that often fail. Some airlines do still accept
this type of carrier but many do not. For example United
Airlines clearly lists with a photo on their pet travel kennel
requirements page this type of kennels will no longer be
accepted.
Snap
Latch Attachments
meaning no nuts and bolts to keep the top
and bottom of the carrier together, instead they have plastic
latches that snap together and often fail to stay snapped closed.
This pet carrier kennel is also listed on United Airlines pet page
as will no longer be accepted. Please See our page on Kennel
Modification for tips on how to secure this type of kennel for
airline travel.
*Plastic
Pegs meaning no nuts and bolts just small plastic pegs that
are inserted into the holes and then turned to the right or left
to keep the peg in place. Some airlines still accept these types
of pet carrier kennels only because they do not realize that the
plastic peg top is not an actual wing nut on top of a metal bolt,
but actually a ALL PLASTIC PEG. If they do take the time to
further examine these types of kennels they will be refused
for pet traveling in the cargo area of the plane. All
plastic attachments are clearly not accepted and says so on most
Major airlines sites. IT will read something to the effect, Kennels must
be secured with metal bolts and nuts, kennels secured by any other
means are not acceptable. **Although these type of kennels can be refused they are easily modified by removing the plastic
pegs and adding Metal Bolts & wing
nuts. As long as the door
is not plastic.
ATTENTION:
United Air,
Northwest Airline,
Alaska Air & Horizon ALL require kennels to be secure with metal
nuts & bolts, kennels with plastic attachments are no longer
accepted by these
airlines. Modify your kennel before flying with our exclusive ONE
SIZE FITS all kennel hardware kits.
Plastic
Doors meaning doors completely made with plastic. Doors must
be a metal grate. Plastic lock housing & grips are
acceptable. NorthWest Airlines List plastic doors and wire top opening kennels as not
acceptable. As well as any kennel missing even a
single attachment.
Carriers
that are Collapsible or Foldable
meaning crate is able to fold
down after use. This type of carrier was banned from airlines many
years ago and is still advertised as "Airline Approved".
Listed at Radio Fence as "Airline Approved". Yet here on
Alaska
Air the first rules reads the Kennel must be NON COLLAPSIBLE.
Plastic Wing
Barrel Latches around The DOOR Meaning
door comes out completely when all 4 latches are turned to the
open position. Plastic latches can accidentally get turned in open
position releasing the door and the pet. Door is also unable to
accept Releasable cable ties. Also has plastic pegs which are also
not Airline approved.
Wire
Metal Crate Not
approved by any airline.
The
above kennels and carriers are the most common carriers out there with
the misconception of being "Airline Approved" if you as a pet
owner have any other stories of being rejected at the pet check in
counter with your "Airline Approved" kennel please email me I
will gladly add them to the list. I hope this helps to be sure your pet
is not left behind. Any questions or comments please feel free to call
or email.
APPROVED
