Graco Nautilus, would it fit on Southwest plane seat?

cath_b · Jul 25, 2010

We are taking a 1 hr and 15 minute flight to San Diego. DS will be 3 years old when we travel. He is 38 1/2 inches tall and weighs 38 lbs. We are planning on taking his GN on the plane since he has his own seat. For you mommies who have travelled with LO on Southwest, would the GN fit in Southwest airline's seat? Would you recommend another seat to take altogether?

Your thoughts are very much appreciated.

TnT's Mom · Jul 25, 2010

I have not flown on Southwest with our Nautilus but have flown on other airlines with it and it has fit just fine in the plane seat. We have used it on the smaller planes as well...the ones that have only 2 seats on one side of the aisle and one on the other...so narrower. I just had to leave the armrest up between my son's seat and my seat when the Nautilus was installed.

We have also flown with a Marathon and a Boulevard before both of which fit fine but when installed with the seatbelt I needed to flip the buckle portion when using these two seats or it was near impossible to get the seatbelt undone to get the carseat out.

The downside to all the seats I have flown with are that they are a bit heavy and cumbersome to lug through the airport (we use a small luggage cart and bungie cord the seat on to it). If you had a lighter weight seat that your son fits in you might find that easier to use.

I have also seen others here recommend the Radian for airline travel because it is narrower...and though it is a heavy seat, I believe it folds and you can even get some type of straps to carry it on your back.

Unregistered · Jul 26, 2010

I just flew on SW (2hr45min flight each way) with a GN. It's a tight fit, but does well. I just sat next to him so I did not bother anyone with lack of space.

It was easy to install and uninstall. I did not need a belt-extender as I heard on other sites I may need.

The only thing that bothered him was that the lap table did not go down straight so he couldn't rest his toys on it.

As far as security, the FAA-warning is underneath the car seat and it doesn't fit through all machines so it may have to be wand or in a bigger security machine.

cath_b · Jul 31, 2010

Unregistered said:
I just flew on SW (2hr45min flight each way) with a GN. It's a tight fit, but does well. I just sat next to him so I did not bother anyone with lack of space. It was easy to install and uninstall. I did not need a belt-extender as I heard on other sites I may need. The only thing that bothered him was that the lap table did not go down straight so he couldn't rest his toys on it.

As far as security, the FAA-warning is underneath the car seat and it doesn't fit through all machines so it may have to be wand or in a bigger security machine.

Thank you so much! These are awesome tips, with more people posting their actual experiences I am slowly getting my education on flying with toddlers. Cool tip on the x-ray machine as well.

By the way, I found these straps that can be used to attach your car seat to your rolling luggage. It's a cheap alternative to the go-go babyz kidz travelmate hopefully it will hold all of DS's weight (38 lbs.) or he can walk.

Kobain's Mommy · Aug 2, 2010

I'm surprised it says that. When we flew in June with our Quattro stroller it fit through the x ray, so I would assume a GN would fit.

Graco Nautilus, would it fit on Southwest plane seat?

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