Features:

  • SECURE AND ADAPTABLE FOR TRAVEL: Wire vents, secure door, and easily adaptable travel necessities provide a safe and comfortable travel experience
  • EXTRA SECURITY: 4-way vault door provides extra security for the travel dog crate by preventing sliding and shifting. Interior Dimensions- 36.25 L x 24.75 W x 28.8 H inches
  • DURABLE, HEAVY DUTY CONSTRUCTION: Durable plastic shell, non-corrodible wing-nuts, extra strong steel wire, and interlocking door provide heavy-duty protection
  • 360-DEGREE VENTILATION: Ventilation openings surrounding the travel kennel give pets fresh air and visibility from all sides
  • TRAVEL NECESSITIES INCLUDED: Portable dog kennel includes 2 "Live Animal" stickers, clip-on bowls and ID stickers for easy modification for travel.Dual food and water clip on cups
  • ECO-FRIENDLY: The environmentally friendly XL dog kennel is made with recycled materials
  • VAULTED DOOR: Large dog travel crate is equipped with a vaulted door for extra security
  • 6 SIZES AVAILABLE: The Petmate Sky Kennel offers 6 sizes from 21" to 48" for all sizes of pets
  • AIRLINE-ADAPTABLE: The Petmate Sky Kennel meets most airline cargo specifications for easy and safe travel, but pet owners should always check with individual airlines
Love the vault style lock

I've had my dog in a large wire crate since we got him, but because of a move overseas we needed to purchase a plastic crate for the plane ride. The Sky Kennel seemed to be the generally accepted standard for airline approved crates, so that's what we went with. The crate is well-built, and I particularly liked the vault style door in the front. The locking mechanism for most kennels has two pins that lock into the top and bottom of the crate. While generally it's pretty secure, it is possible to not get both of the pins seated sometimes which can lead to the dog getting out. The vault style has four pins, and they insert into all four sides of the crate. While my dog isn't an escape artist, this four-pin lock can only be closed if all four pins are inserted properly, so you don't have to worry about partially securing the door. It's either locked or not, and it's pretty obvious when you do it. There is also a safety latch on the lock which prevents it from moving accidentally. Again, this is just another added measure to ensure the door doesn't open accidentally while in transit. The last thing I need is my dog running around the belly of an airplane ripping everyone else's bags to shreds!

Perfect for my 65LB Lab Retriever's flight!

After countless hours of trying to find one the perfectly matched the flight requirements, this is the closest that I found. I had to add metal bolts because this only had plastic topped bolts which are NOT flight approved. I bought Fasten Tight bolts for like $10, they fit perfectly and passed inspection! I also recommend if you are flying with your dog to on one side of the water dish to freeze some water in case of flight delay and put in a few blankets and pee pads! My supposed to be 8 hour flight turned into a 15 hour flight with delays and you are not allowed to see your pouch and they aren't allowed to let your dog out so there might be accidents. Also make sure to duct tape food to the kennel incase of an overnight delay. This fit my 65lb Lab Retriever mix perfectly, actually with a little more room than required!

Sturdy

I purchased one of these kennels from a pet store 1 year ago for my 50+ pound black lab mix female who had just been rescued by a rescue shelter along with her 8 tiny newborn puppies. I was a foster family for these dogs until the puppies were 4 months old. I kept the mother and 2 of her puppies while the rescue shelter found good homes for the others. One year later I purchased this same product through Amazon as mother dog no longer needs a sleep kennel, and I wanted one for each of my year old puppies for night time as they were outgrowing a large size regular kennel. Very sturdy product, easy to assemble, though the large size I purchased had to be assembled inside the room it was going to be in as it is a bit larger than a doorway. If using this as a transport kennel I would definitely get sturdy metal nuts and bolts to bolt the top and bottom halves together, but the enclosed plastic fasteners are just fine if using as a sleep kennel. The unit can be assembled with the door opening to either the right or the left as preferred. I am quite happy with this product.

Travelling with dog USA to Europe

We are taking our dog with us when relocating from the US to Europe in early September. We originally ordered the Plastic Kennel XXL but when it arrived it clearly did not allow sufficient headroom clearance for the dog ( Female German Shepherd / Husky mix). To avoid any last minute issues with the airline at check in we returned the XXL kennel and ordered this Petmate Sky Kennel on the 3rd August and it arrived on the 8th August. The kennel arrived undamaged and came in two halves and was simple to put together. The bolts that came with it were metal but the nuts plastic. We made a quick trip to Home Depot and purchased 20 wing nuts and washers (size # 10-24) for $5 so now have all metal fixings to hold the kennel together and so again avoid any issues with the airline at check in. The kennel came with 2 animal in transit stickers, a single water / food container split into two compartments and two very small bags of shredded paper not enough in my opinion to line the kennel floor. Will update this review after we have travelled for now I do see that due to the size of this kennel ( 115 inches L + W + H so the largest kennel our airline will accept as checked baggage) its going to be interesting trying to move this on a baggage trolley from kerbside to check in. We are also using the services of our boarding kennels van to transport the kennel and the dog to the airport for us as its just too big to go in any SUV. Update We travelled from Houston to Amsterdam on the 10th September. As I suspected it was difficult to move the crate on a baggage trolley especially with the dog moving inside it and upsetting the balance of the crate so really needed two people one to push it and one to balance it on the trolley. Anyway we managed to get it to the check in desk and had no problems checking in the dog for travel. After the TSA came to check the crate it was sealed with plastic ties and then moved away on the excess size baggage belt . The next time we saw it was when it was delivered to us at he baggage belt in Amsterdam Schiphol. The only problem we had here was that the crate was too wide when on a baggage trolley to go through the customs door so I had to take off the trolley an push it along the floor through the doors. Overall the crate did what we needed and allowed us to bring our dog with us with no real problems. As we are staying in Europe now we advertised the crate for sale on a local marketplace and sold it for Euro 150 to a family taking a dog with them from Amsterdam to Curacao.

There is NO kennel that is "airline approved" w/o modifications. This one comes the closest! Read for International Pet Travel!!

This was the only kennel I found that came closest to airline requirements. It is approved by the USDA and IATA. We were on a military move from the states so this a review on the international kennel features and requirements only. Kennel Features: This kennel has 11 plastic bolt holes- This is the only requirement that this kennel does not follow. It came with plastic nuts. Metal nuts and bolts are required now for every flight. This carrier has 11 bolt holes plus an additional 4 tie down holes. My airline specifically said that every hole must have a bolt. So we needed 15 metal nuts and screws for the carrier. Some airlines let you leave the 4 tie down holes empty but check to be sure and order the bolts ahead of time to get the right amount. We dind't do this and had to buy 3 kits because of shipping time limits. Metal bolts on amazon did not have prime option. But these are what you need Pet Carrier Metal Fasteners Nuts Bolts (1-1/4" Medium Bolts, 16 Pack) 16 pack will ensure a better safe than sorry amount. Has Pre drilled zip tie holes- Hard to find kennels with this already done. It is a requirement to zip tie the kennel doors shut. Quick release are best. Helping Hand Assorted Quick Release Nylon Cable Ties, 8-inch Make sure you insist on zip tying your dogs yourself! I watched the security guy do it wrong and had to redo do it myself. So glad I got the quick release. Same thing happened to a friend only they didn't catch that the attendant only thread it though the hole and not the door. Their dog got loose in the belly of the plane after ripping off the door. This brings me to the next feature. Has single piece metal door- Be sure to follow this guideline, a metal single piece door. No plastic allowed! Some larger kennel doors have a fold in the middle of the door to make packing easier. Some airlines don't specify the type of door needed and some forbid the fold. It gives the dog the ability to pull the door in which will then collapse and allows for escape. This kennel door is a solid one piece. Has protruding bar/side handles- This follows the requirement of "a spacer rim protruding at least 3/4 on all sides with ventilation openings"This is so the airline can carry and move the kennel without using the handle (known to fail on some kennels) and prevent a dog from being able to bite or contact movers hands. This kennel states that the rim is designed to work as side handles. Has 4 sides of air holes- Requirement is air holes must be "on all four sides at least halfway on each side". This kennel has it and even better metal grates! I had a friend whose dog chewed the space between the plastic holes during flight. Some kennels show in the picture that they have air holes in the back but come to find after ordering they didn't have the air holes on the backside in the smaller sizes. Especially for cat carriers. Note- Domestic flights only requires 2 vent sides but they stack and pack kennels like baggage and airflow will be restricted. Go with ventilation on all sides. Food Dishes- These were actually deep enough to be functional. Kennels with dishes attached inside on the walls are not allowed. Airlines must be able to "access dishes attached to door without opening the kennel door" they do this through funnels. On my main international flight with 2 layovers and a total of 20 hours travel they did not feed or water my dogs once. Even though it's the law. My advice freeze water ahead of flight so it doesn't make a mess or even better get a lixit water bottle to ensure your dogs don't dehydrate. We got Lixit Small Dog Water Bottle 16-Ounce Stickers- This kennel came with stickers and that is a requirement but airlines have them and will use their own as well. The stickers included are crap and leave an awful residue. The airlines put the sticker packet of paper work over the " "Live Animal" in 1-inch letters on the crate's top" required sticker. Upon removal of that it lifted the sticker below mucking up the brand new kennels. My advice, bring the stickers and apply at check in where they are needed once the paperwork covers the entire top of kennel and use airline stickers if possible. Note for size- The length requirement for international travel is [their length + half their leg] so there must be ample room in front and back. This made us need the larger kennel which is much larger than our previous kennel. Some will say that the rule of thumb is as long as they can turn around it's okay. But that is the length rule for IATA. Height for IATA includes ears and ears cannot touch top of kennel while standing. Again, why we had to go up a size (dang chihuahuas). After traveling with my pets on over 6 different flights I can say that most airline attendants are clueless about the pet requirements needed. I had one tell me they don't even receive training on the requirements and offered to let both dogs go into one kennel (a international no no). But I did have had one who knew their stuff and used a tape measure. So better safe than sorry! Traveling with your pet no matter how far is stress full. With international flights being long dogs get anxious and try to escape, sometimes successfully in cheep kennels. So get this one! Airlines have different requirements and regulations. It's better to buy new then to try to modify existing kennels. Save yourself the time! Get this kennel and you only need to purchase zip ties (hand release are best), metal bolts, and some puppy pads. I realize this is much more info than necessary for a review but I know how hard it was getting this information. Please check this as helpful so that it may help others in the complicated kennel requirement process. Safe Travels!

great purchase!

Don't think twice. I took my 100 lbs German shepherd from the states to India. No problem! Easy to assemble, only thing is I had to buy metal screws, this product came with plastic ones which isn't accepted by FAA.

The sturdiest carrier

This is the only carrier I trust for airine travel. Very sturdy. Bought 2, and ordered another one since one of my dogs out grew the small carrier, so be sure to buy the correct size when your pup has fully grown its size. Consider also the height if with a thick kennel bed. Surprisingly, a mere 1.5 inches bed will add considerable height for the dog inside the carrier.

All-in-one package! No drama!

I flew with my dog last year and before the trip I went to the pet store with him and bought the kennel they suggested, along with an extra $20 worth of add-one like the stickers and metal bolts, only to be told at check in that the kennel was too small and the water dish wasn’t right so I had to spend twice as much on Delta’s model. So frustrating!! Fast forward to last week.. I followed the measuring instructions and then went up one size to be sure, then bought this kennel.. I flew my puppy on Delta, and this came with everything I needed, including “live animal” stickers. The bolts were metal and the nuts were plastic, which is acceptable by Delta’s standards, so I didn’t have to buy anything extra. I bought zip ties, but they had them there at check-in for free so I didn’t even need those either! Seriously so easy and hassle-free! I would definitely recommend this kennel instead of spending more at the pet store and possibly not having everything right.

Used for two guinea pigs flying

You have to buy these nuts and bolts for them to be TSA approved. Pet Carrier Metal Fasteners Nuts Bolts (1-1/4" Medium Bolts, 16 Pack) I got a small one for my two guinea pigs who were flying across the country with me. Other than getting the nuts and bolts, everything else is included that's needed for TSA requirements. However, since I was flying with guinea pigs, I had to put chicken wire over the grates as an extra precaution required by the TSA. Even though there is no way they would be able to chew or get their way out of this kennel. I just wanted to make sure I followed all of their rules so I wouldn't have any issues checking them in. I would recommend this crate for your furry friend. Traveling with them is stressful as it is. This crate makes things a little less stressful knowing you won't come across any problems at the airport. It was a smooth flight with no issues and everyone arrived safely.

Best, most secure dog kennel for flying I have seen. Highly recommended for the safe transportation of dogs and similar pets.

This is the best kennel you can buy for your 30 to 50-lb dog's flight. There may be others out there that are good too, but I have seen several kennels fail and this is not one of them. As an airport biologist and dog owner, I highly recommend this kennel. I use it regularly to transport raptors from our airport (many are greater than 7-years old!) and I now have one for my 33-lb Welsh corgi. It is strong and secure. No handle on top to mislead ground handlers into transporting this kennel inappropriately; rather, there are properly distributed handles along the sides for safe lifting and transport by 2 people. There are extra holes in the 4 corners of the 2 shells and holes at the top and bottom of the latching door that can be used to add extra protection using zip-ties. Zip-ties will help deter "do-gooders" from opening the front door and allowing pet escape (yes, this happens). My kennel came with the flight kit (bowl, stickers, absorbent padding. etc), which fulfill the basic requirements for most airlines. I added extra LIVE ANIMAL stickers, the zip-ties, and a spill-proof water bowl. I am confident that if someone accidentally drops my dog's kennel, she will not get out. Remember to check that all screws are secure and that you have added zip-ties before leaving your pet with the ticketing agent.

Full Reviews