I have ordered and returned more pet carriers for air travel than I count. Finding one that is 9 high or less is next to impossible. I wanted one on wheels but gave up on that a long time ago. The first thing I liked about this carrier when I saw it on is that in the description it gave the size requirements of many of the most commonly used airlines. Even SW Airlines which seem to me to be the most stringent. This carrier does meet those guidelines. I took my 10 cat (Sam) to FL from Kansas City with me on SW Airlines in this carrier and no one questioned it. It IS small. Sam could hardly fit in it, but once in, he could turn around in it which surprised me. This carrier IS larger than the one SW airlines sells which is ridiculously small, not nearly as comfortable and priced higher. I really like the net sides because of the give they provide and Sam could push his head against the net to enable himself to turn around. Plus, it gave him a great view of everything going on around him which he seemed to enjoy. Unfortunately, Sam did poo in it right at the end of the flight. Understandable since he had not been able to go all day. I must say, it was easy to clean the carrier. I pulled out the lining on the base of the carrier and after wiping off as much of the excrement that I could, I washed it in the washing machine. Came out great. This would be more comfortable for a smaller cat, but I will use it for any air travel in the future. I will not, however, use it as his carrier for any other kind of transports. As for needing wheels to get around the airport with a 10 cat, I used my smallest carry-on piece of luggage that was on 4 wheels and attached Sams carrier with the strap on the carrier which serves this purpose. This worked ok. The base of the carrier is a bit larger than the top of the luggage so I had to be careful that Sam was situated correctly, but other than that it was a very do-able way to go. I would recommend this carrier if you need it for air travel. I have not found any others that would work.
Small but worked for SW Airlines
I have ordered and returned more pet carriers for air travel than I count. Finding one that is 9 high or less is next to impossible. I wanted one on wheels but gave up on that a long time ago. The first thing I liked about this carrier when I saw it on is that in the description it gave the size requirements of many of the most commonly used airlines. Even SW Airlines which seem to me to be the most stringent. This carrier does meet those guidelines. I took my 10 cat (Sam) to FL from Kansas City with me on SW Airlines in this carrier and no one questioned it. It IS small. Sam could hardly fit in it, but once in, he could turn around in it which surprised me. This carrier IS larger than the one SW airlines sells which is ridiculously small, not nearly as comfortable and priced higher. I really like the net sides because of the give they provide and Sam could push his head against the net to enable himself to turn around. Plus, it gave him a great view of everything going on around him which he seemed to enjoy. Unfortunately, Sam did poo in it right at the end of the flight. Understandable since he had not been able to go all day. I must say, it was easy to clean the carrier. I pulled out the lining on the base of the carrier and after wiping off as much of the excrement that I could, I washed it in the washing machine. Came out great. This would be more comfortable for a smaller cat, but I will use it for any air travel in the future. I will not, however, use it as his carrier for any other kind of transports. As for needing wheels to get around the airport with a 10 cat, I used my smallest carry-on piece of luggage that was on 4 wheels and attached Sams carrier with the strap on the carrier which serves this purpose. This worked ok. The base of the carrier is a bit larger than the top of the luggage so I had to be careful that Sam was situated correctly, but other than that it was a very do-able way to go. I would recommend this carrier if you need it for air travel. I have not found any others that would work.