Carrier Bags

Well, I really wanted my 6 month old Schnauzer puppy to go with me when I fly to my childhood home in a couple of weeks, but perhaps now it may not be possible! This puppy is very small... but she is also very TALL, (hadn't realized how much she'd grown when I originally bought the carrier..) her legs are almost as long as her body! She's only 10lbs. Anyway, the soft-sided bag I got her was 10.5" high, and she appears to be too tall for it, (perhaps it was also because of the bed in the bottom adding height?) So I returned it and kept searching. I called the airline's reservation department and they said their restrictions for kennels were 23"LX 9"HX 13"W. Anyway, I asked if that was for the hard plastic or soft sided, and she didn't seem to know, but that was what was listed on their site. She is just a little -TOO- tall. If she lays down the entire time she will be fine, but I know the website also says they must be able to stand up and turn around. Has anyone flown with a pet to know how picky they are about that??? I found a Sherpa brand carrier that says "DELTA" on it, which is 11" which is still just a smidgen tighter for her head than I'd like it when standing up, but she fits just fine, but it says on the tag "Airline Approved, The airlines quoted dimensions are for Plastic Kennels" Is this really true?? In addition, I found this carrier called the Sturdibag: http://www.sturdiproducts.com/4111/xcart/product.php?productid=124&cat=10&page=1 which would be absolutely perfect dimension wise, but says that it is 12" High. It also says, though "Weight: 2 lbs 10 ounces (1,2KG) Weight includes washable fleece pad and 4-point shoulder strap 18”L x 12”W x 12” Height Flex™ (designed to flex down without collapsing to conform to all under seat Heights)" Even their extra large says this and that one is 16"H. Has anyone had experience with these bags? Oh, and I am flying American Airlines.. anyone know how strict they are? Is this really true? Has anyone used one of thses before?? How much can soft sided carriers collapse?? Would 3 inched be appropriate?? HELP I need to know if I need to cancel her reservation or not. I am NOT willing to check her as cargo, it is carry on or not at all..