Boulevard on International Flight

I am flying soon with my son, who is 15 months, and we have a Britax Boulevard. With the cost of the flights, I do not want to buy another seat for the trip. Plus we will be there for several week and driving a lot (probably as much as at home), so I figure, if this is the seat I want my son in at home, it is the one I want him when we are traveling. I have a few questions, maybe someone with experience can chime in with advice.

1.) Fit. Last time I flew, the customer support person told me seat were 17 inches, so when I went to buy the new car seat I measured them all to get one in the range to fit (we fly a lot). The Boulevard was 18 inches at the widest point (using a paper tape measure, so maybe not the best tool for an accurate measurement), but every other seat was at least as big, an I knew people on here had used them. I was having a hard time imagining how high the arm rest are (since the base is less than 17 inches, it is a question of whether the fat part is above/below/touching the armrest). I also see several threads which say a Boulevard will definately fit, but several of them imply you need to put the armrest up to do this. The last few flights I took, there was no way to put the armrest up. (I was in the bulkhead rows, so possibly other rows had movable armrests.) Will the Boulevard still fit even with the armrests in place? Are there specific rows I want to request/avoid to get a better fit?

2.) Forward-facing installation. My son is still rear-facing in the car, but several airlines (possibly all of the ones I am considering) do not allow rear-facing. Most of the posts on here discuss domestic US flights (not my situation), so US law/guidelines are not applicable. If the airline says no rear-facing, then he is going to have to go forward-facing (or ride on my lap, which is less safe and less comfortable). I read I will need a belt extender to install forward-facing, so I will ask for this right away. Is there any thing else I should be aware of? I want to be able to install it as quick as possible, so any tricks I should be aware of would be appreciated.

3.) Carrying the seat in the airport. Should I get one of the products made for this specifically or a general product? I have seen a few pictures on here, but I have never used such a product, so where do I get one? There are websites for the specific carseat carriers, but for a luggage cart, should I go to Walmart or will I need to go elsewhere for the best product? How do I hook it on? What type of bungee cords do I use to hook the seat to the cart? How long will it take to take apart? Any suggestions are welcomed.

Thanks for any help/advice/suggestions you can provide.

1. I have flown with the Blvd many times. I have had to always raise the armrest for it to fit properly, but that doesn't matter since I am sitting next to it. I think bulkhead is the only one where that don't raise and I don't like to fly in that row with kids anyway because I like to have the diaper bag/bag of toys/snacks right at my feet. I think you should be fine anywhere else the car seat is allowed.

2. Ask for the seat belt extender as soon as you board. They may hand it right to you, they might have to bring it to you. If you are able to preboard, it makes it less stressful and gives you more time. For the part of the seatbelt already attached to the seat, I make the adjustable end as short as it will go. It works great if that part is beside the window because then when you attach the belt extender, the adjustable part will be right on the side where you are. It is easier to thread the non buckle end through the belt path when you go to attach the extender also.

3. We do have a GoGoKidz and love it. It will fit on a Blvd through the large xray scanners if you collapse the handle, but not the smaller ones. I ask to have it hand checked if it won't fit through. On "normal" size planes, not regional jets, I have been able to wheel it right down the aisle. A luggage cart is much cheaper and many people around here use those because it is much more affordable and you can get one at Walmart/Target, etc, and just use that and bungee cords. I think it's just personal preference. I think the newer GoGoKidz has a quicker release than the older one I have to take it off.

I agree, avoid the bulkhead rows. I can't stand flying in them. Both because of the armrests, and because of the lack of storage readily accessible. The Boulevard will fit rear and forward facing if you put the armrest up.

Get the belt extender, for sure. But install it first rear facing, and change it only if they mention it. Maybe they won't.

I used a luggage cart with bungee cords, but I would get *something* to transport it. Either a luggage cart, a gogo kidz, or a Traveling Toddler. Just something.

Wendy

When installing the Boulevard on a plane forward facing (if they tell you that you can't rearface), you follow the instructions for a lap belt installation. You probably should read through those instructions prior to using it on the plane if you are not familiar with that install process. What I do when installing the seat on the plane is put the carseat on the airline seat. Recline the airline seat. Put the lap belt through the belt guides on the carseat and then buckle the seatbelt. Tighten the buckle by pulling the strap. Return the airline seat to a full upright position (remember I put it in recline to install the seat).

If you are not able to get the seatbelt extender (that little seatbelt piece they use for demonstrating how to buckle the seatbelt during the safety speech), you will want to make sure to flip the buckle so that you can unbuckle it easily at your destination. When buckling the seatbelt, make sure that the lever release on the seatbelt is facing down (this will mean you have to turn it over from how it typically would be if you were buckling it on yourself). When the seatbelt is tightened on the britax seats, the buckle release lies really close the carseat shell. When it gets time to get the carseat off the plane, if the buckle release is too tight against the carseat shell, it is really hard to get it unbuckled. By flipping the buckle upside down, the release is easy to get to so you can unbuckle the carseat easily.

I have flown with DD's Boulevard.

We flew internationally from the USA to Australia with United airlines.

I needed a seat belt extender and I did have to move the arm rest up.

There is no way DD's Boulevard would have fit in the bulkhead row!

I did a FF install with a RF recline as our flight was 14 hours and the lady infront complained her seat could not recline (and DD's seat was SOO upright)

I made a personal parental decision that reclining the seat as if it was RFing but installing it FFing was safer than her not being in a seat at all so thats what I did.

I ditto the GoGoKidz wheels LIFESAVER! oh and you have to carry the seat down to your seat as it doesn't fit down the asiles.