what do you do about carseats when you travel...

vmmatula

Member
My husband and I are thinking of flying to visit his aunt near Atlanta. Our daughter will be about a year old when we go so sitting on our lap.
I'm assuming checking a car seat costs the same $20 that checking luggage does on Midwest but haven't found that answer for sure yet. paying $40 to ship a $40 scenera wouldn't make much sense but my husband would rather not ask his aunt to go out and and buy a seat for us(even if we pay for it) before we get there but since she'd probably be picking us up at the airport, we'll need to have it right away...what do you recommend?

we don't really have a need for more than a day or two while we're there so no sense renting a car just for a seat(that idea kinda scares me anyway...who knows what they'll give you)

should we have a new one shipped to her house and then donate it after we leave? (we probably won't get back for a few years.) or mail it back home?

any other ideas we're not thinking of ?
 
ADS

natalie77

New member
Some airlines give a discount for childrens seats and even if not, I would get my child a seat and use their seat on the plane.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Yeah, one more. Buy her a seat and take it on board. It's safer (did you know American Airlines had three planes have runway emergencies last month alone? Just like a car crash except at 150 mph. Would you hold her on your lap to go to the store? No. But in a vehicle going 150 mph? When all you have on you is a lapbelt?), and it's more comfortable for all of you. She knows that the carseat is non negotiable. She must ride in it when you say. Rather than hold a squirmy baby on your lap who is mobile and wants to move, and can't understand when it's ok and when it's not. Then you also don't need to worry about asking his aunt, checking a seat (baggage handlers are not gentle and seats have been damaged or lost in transit), renting a seat. It's safer for the seat to be on board with you.

BTDT. Best way to travel with an infant is with them in their own seat on the plane. SO much easier and more comfortable and safer.

Wendy
 

InternationalMama

New member
It's safer (did you know American Airlines had three planes have runway emergencies last month alone? Just like a car crash except at 150 mph.

Do you have a link to this story? Thanks!

I agree that the best option is to buy your DD a seat on the plane for all the reasons Wendy already said. I personally feel that if I can't afford a seat for my DS then I can't afford to take the trip. But if there is some reason that is absolutely not an option and you have to take this trip anyway I would have a Scenera shipped to her house and then just leave it there.
 

ClaudiaNco

New member
We did an international trip last year (over 12 hours flying....) and I had my son as a lap child since he was in the age range and my parents were waiting on the other end with a car seat. It wasn't a very good experience overall. Considering that my son is not ultra hyper at all there were still many times he was curious and wanted to either stand up or want to get into the aisle.

My understanding was that after age 2 they had to have their own purchased seat international or national (US). We are planning a spring flight and we bought him a seat so hope to have a little more peace of mind this time :love:

Just to recap, when you purchase a seat for your child you can automatically bring a car seat on board, right? They can't make you check it...... right???
 

aeormsby

New member
I think with most (all?) airlines they do not charge the baggage fee for carseats & strollers. But like the others have said it's safest to use the carseat on the plane if at all possible. If you are traveling with a stroller strap the carseat to the stroller and take it to the gate with you. When you check in ask if there are any empty seats, if there are you can usually get shuffled so that you can use the carseat on the plane for free. If there aren't any extra seats definitely gate check the carseat, it will be much safer than checking it with your other luggage, and you may want to purchase a carseat bag to protect it from rips and the straps getting caught.

We travelled a couple of times with DD as a lap baby, by the time she was a year old I had learned that it was safer to have her in her own seat, and it wasn't much fun to try to hold a bored 1yo for a 3-4 hour flight. The airlines used to offer 1/2 price tickets for infants who could be a lap baby, I haven't seen that lately though.

Ann
 

mom2juliarose

New member
"Washington (CNN) -- The FAA said Friday it is heightening scrutiny of American Airlines after the carrier had three landings go wrong in December."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/01/01/american.airlines.tsa/index.html

Wendy

*gulp* We are flying AA when we travel to Brazil at the end of March. I hope there are no problems... (I am reminding myself that AA flies hundreds of flights a day, so even 3 is a small %age... although I'd rather the %age be ZERO.)
 

safeinthecar

Moderator - CPS Technician
If you do decide to check car seat, do so in the original box. Most airlines will only cover damage to a car seat if it was in the original box.
 

InternationalMama

New member
Just to recap, when you purchase a seat for your child you can automatically bring a car seat on board, right? They can't make you check it...... right???

Yes, if you are flying under FAA rules (i.e. with an American airline) and you have an FAA-approved seat. Things get a bit crazier for flights with non-American airlines so you have to check more carefully to make sure your seat meets their specifications.
 

lilliput

New member
I've done it with a lap child and also flown with a seat purchased for a child under age 2. If you can, I would agree with others who have recommended buying your baby her own seat. Over age 2 it is mandatory for them to be in their own seat. I am flying next week, and decided on this trip that I would only buy a seat for my 3-year old but not for my 7-month old. Now that I'm in the thick of planning to leave, I am seriously wishing I'd bought two seats, but that is twenty-twenty hindsight.

You absolutely can use your carseat on the plane if you have purchased a seat for your child and are flying an American carrier. I'm not sure how it is with carriers from other nations - that you'd want to investigate, since they might have different rules. You want to make sure your carseat will fit in the plane seat and is FAA-approved. I think it's EclipsePearl (user on here) who has a blog with some excellent tips for not just the flight, but for buying your tickets, navigating security and the airport in general, and travelling with a car seat. She's also got links on there for the rules pertaining to car seats and air travel in case you're worried about people saying you can't install the seat on the plane. Here is the link to her blog: http://flyingwithchildren1.blogspot.com/

I would not check your carseat at all. For this coming trip, I ordered a carseat to be shipped to my mom for us to install for DS#2 and then leave at her home. DS#1 will be riding in his carseat on the plane. While she has friends that could lend us a seat, I have no idea what kind of seat I'd be using, or its history. I have gate-checked an infant carrier in the past, before I knew any different or better, and it's my understanding that that is slightly less hazardous than checking it as a regular bag, but honestly the ideal is not to have your carseat in the hold at all. You can try to bring it on if you don't buy a seat for your DC, in hopes that there is an empty seat for you to install it in, but if there isn't, they will make you gate check it. Good luck with your travel plans!
 

InternationalMama

New member
You can try to bring it on if you don't buy a seat for your DC, in hopes that there is an empty seat for you to install it in, but if there isn't, they will make you gate check it.

Just to clarify, even if there are empty seats on the plane they can still make you gate check the seat if you didn't buy a seat for your child. They are not obligated to let you use the empty seats available for a car seat and might choose not to in order to speed up the boarding process, for example.
 

InternationalMama

New member
Ooh, thank you for setting me straight on that. I really appreciate it!!:)

No problem. I think it's good to know. I was on an international flight once where they tried to make me check my car seat even though there were TONS of extra seats on the plane. I was so glad I had a ticket for him so they had to let me on with it! :thumbsup:
 

Eclipsepearl

New member
Whoa! nasty story!

I can't believe that they wouldn't let you bring it on board?!? Glad you had a ticket for him.

I encourage feedback on that blog above (thanks for the plug lilliput!) and one woman claimed that an airline also refused it. I did the unusual and wrote the airline (not referring to her directly). They simply said that they would not reseat anyone or otherwise inconvenience any other passenger to accommodate a car seat.

When requesting this, be really nice on check-in. They are doing you a favor and giving you something for free. They do often do this for families, if only because more room means your kid will bug fewer other passengers and the baggage people will have one less "bag" to handle.

I've taken that AA flight to Kingston. These are kind of scary to read but remember that there are something like 4000 flights in the U.S. at any time. Statistically, you're still safe but use this to remind all of you to count the rows to your nearest exit and review the safety information they give on board. Everyone makes fun of those announcements but actually, you improve your chances of survival just by watching it!

I'm a former Flight Attendant so I had to make that plug. I flew for 13 years and nothing every hair-raising happened to me at work (or as a passenger). I had one engine reversal (no big deal), an abandoned landing (felt weird, not scary) and blew some tires on landing (pilot's in trouble, but we weren't ever at risk). I would say, fly AA since the FAA inspectors are probably crawling all over them now!!
 

InternationalMama

New member
Whoa! nasty story!

I can't believe that they wouldn't let you bring it on board?!? Glad you had a ticket for him.

I'm a former Flight Attendant so I had to make that plug. I flew for 13 years and nothing every hair-raising happened to me at work (or as a passenger). I had one engine reversal (no big deal), an abandoned landing (felt weird, not scary) and blew some tires on landing (pilot's in trouble, but we weren't ever at risk). I would say, fly AA since the FAA inspectors are probably crawling all over them now!!

I think they were trying to speed the boarding process because we were late taking off. There were three empty seats in my row alone so there wouldn't have been any need to re-seat anyone. Two different gate agents tried to tell me I would have to check the seat so it was clearly a decision they had made for the flight as a whole.

I was on a flight with an abandoned landing once. We were so close to the ground it looked as if we were touching it and then suddenly we were back up in the air again. Apparently a jumbo jet that was taking off while we were landing wasn't lifting off the runway as quickly as planned. I had no idea they could abort a landing that close to completing it! Missed my connecting flight. :(
 

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