We do not use this for air travel, which, after using it for vet travel, I am sure this is excellent for airplanes as well. For me as an adult male, I just throw this over my shoulder and carry, whereas my petite daughter really enjoys rolling it. When having long weights, the expandable sides ae he envy of others around us. It was very easy to assemble. When attaching the wheels, at first, I could not get them to insert, but then the light bulb went off and I straightened the insert and just pushed. After this, the other three wheels were easy. This would rate a full 5, but attaching the top carrier to the wheelbase is not easy, but once you figure it out, it is fine. It took us a while to figure it out and it is difficult to describe. Lol You will figure it out too.