Comments on: Which seat works best with an in-cabin dog? [JetBlue A320]

By: Mary-Alice

Mary-Alice — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 07:19:00 +0000

Hi, Marc — Thanks so much for your comment! Our SturdiBag is the 18X12X12 — Chloe is about 12″ at the shoulders, so she needs that height. We have never had someone require a demonstration that Chloe can turn around, but once when she was jammed up in one end of her carrier, I had to do some fast talking to explain that she’d made a temporary choice to curl up, and had plenty of additional room available. I have heard of people being asked to show that their dog can move around easily, however. I get the sense that a quick confirming glance is the norm, and a demonstration may be required if it looks like a dog is really filling his carrier to capacity. The Kobi pet carrier looks amazing — I hadn’t seen it before your note, so thank you! That length extender? Very cool. It’s really too short for Chloe, but I’ll certainly be taking a look at it. I’ll need to get hold of one, in fact, before I can comment on how much height it can lose, so I’m afraid I can’t help you there just yet. I believe that the extra-legroom seats are available on all JetBlue flights — here’s a link with more info: http://www.jetblue.com/flying-on-jetblue/onboard/even-more.asp All good wishes to you and your pup on your upcoming flight!

By: Marc

Marc — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 06:30:56 +0000

We are flying JetBlue (not sure which plane) in January and have to purchase a pet carrier for our mini aussie. Did you use the sturdibag that was 18x12x12 or the 18x10x10?
Our dog is about 10 pounds, tall and thin. Do they actually look to see if he can walk around inside?
We are also considering Kobipet bags, but it looks like the Sturdibag can squish easier to fit underneath the seat.
Are the seats that have extra leg room available on all JetBlue flights? We may have to consider that. Thank you.

By: Mary-Alice

Mary-Alice — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:36:23 +0000

Thank you so much for your comment, Brandie! Who would know better than a flight attendant?! I hope you and your pup have an excellent flight together.

By: Brandie

Brandie — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:32:56 +0000

Hi all,
I’m a flight attendant on jetBlue. I’m going to be taking my own dog on our plane soon and have been measuring under our seats also, because my little dachshund doesn’t fit in the jetBlue dog carrier that we sell because he’s a little too long. That made me question the dimensions. I’m getting the same measurements you are Mary-Alice, and I’ve noticed sometimes it’s a little different but not too much. Also, you can’t sit in the middle seat at all with a pet because the TV box is under there and it gets really hot and could burn the pet, so not an option on jetBlue. I haven’t tried the extra leg room seats yet so I’m gonna have to check that too. I know some of our flight attendants are sticklers for the rules, but that’s just because they have had a bad experience with a not so nice dog owner that ruined it for the rest of us. I think most of them should be fine if they are soft sided and you can squish them a bit . The only ones I’ve seen not work is the hard ones and they are too tall. Happy flying!!

By: Mary-Alice

Mary-Alice — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 03:37:37 +0000

Hi, Phil! Whenever we travel on JetBlue, we use Chloe’s large SturdiBag, which is about the same size as your Sherpa carrier. It has been no trouble at all. JetBlue typically does check her paperwork, and once weighed her, so in that regard they can be sticklers, but the bag has never been a problem. Safe travels, and let us know how it goes!

By: Phil E. Stein

Phil E. Stein — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 18:59:58 +0000

I’ll be relocating from NYC to Portland, OR with my 4.5 year old American Short-Hair. I’ve received conflicting dimensions on the space beneath the EML seats on JetBlue. My usual Sherpa carrier is about 18″W x 10.5″H x 9″W and the JetBlue brand is a lot smaller. I’ll follow the rules to be safe, but I want her to be relatively comfortable. Are JetBlue real sticklers in these areas? Any ideas?

By: Maggie

Maggie — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:44:11 +0000

Mary-Alice, thanks so much for all the useful information! – I cannot tell you how much better I feel about traveling with my four-legged little buddy!… My husband and I are taking our 15-pound, 6-month old Westie with us for a week-long trip to Florida (from San Francisco) and the thought of it all was really stressing me out. I’ve been reading your blog, and have found so much detailed and helpful information, I’m sure everything will be just fine (knock on wood) – We are taking a direct JetBlue flight, and funny thing is that most of the complaints and criticisms I’ve read online are directed at JetBlue and its policies. Our Fergus fits inside a medium Sherpa bag, but I would prefer he gets a little extra room in a large bag. We are paying for “extra-room” seats….. On the phone, a JetBlue rep told me the dimensions of the under seat space was 26″L 18″W 12″H, so a Large soft-sided Sherpa bag should fit there just fine … Do you think I should risk it?…Again THANK YOU for all the info. I’m going to spread the word with my friends and family about your blog -this info is too valuable to not share! (and I’m a PR consultant, after all)

By: m-a

m-a — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:38:45 +0000

It IS a funny sight, no doubt about it. And Michele, I hear you. I’d prefer an aisle seat, generally, but the deck seems to be stacked against me — either my husband snags it (and he has a greater need than I do), or it has one of those wretched rails cutting off a big portion of the under-seat space, and it’s too tight a squeeze for Chloe. Sigh.

By: Michele

Michele — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:13:55 +0000

I always choose an aisle seat because I feel less claustrophobic that way.

By: Edie

Edie — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:48:40 +0000

I’m picturing Chloe looking at you with a bemused expression as you crawl around on her level with a measuring tape (or maybe she’s perched on a seat while you’re below — careful, the Dominance Police will fine you). Seriously, good for you for doing this. It’s extremely useful information.