britax advocate rear facing on the airplane

Hi Everyone,

I will be travelling for the first time with a 1 year old in a couple of months. I have bought a seat for her. I have a britax advocate and would like to use it rear facing on the plane. Has anyone had any trouble rear facing on the plane? or has anyone used the same seat rear facing? I will be flying continental airlines since they are the only one with a direct flight to our destination (anybody experienced flying with them with an infant?). I have asked continental airlines and they said any car seat will be fine as long as they were approved for use in an aircraft. As for the rear facing, they said no at first then I told them I saw on the faa website that they can ride rear facing if under 20lbs, they put me on hold for 5 minutes and then said its fine. My daughter is currently around 19lbs and hoping she'll be around 20+lbs when we fly (she might be just on the borderline). I still would like to rear face the seat though when we fly. I guess my biggest concerns are:
1) the flight crew might give me a hard time with the rear facing seat
2) the person in the front might be rude and also give me a hard time (i dont think they will be able to recline at all if the seat is rear facing).

I'd print off the documents stating you have the right to RF the seat on the plane (you can find them in some of the other posts here if you need too).

I've flown with our Marathon a few times (basically the same shell as the Advocate). It is a tight fit for RF, I think I needed to leave it in the upright position (on the base) to get it to fit. But it will fit, and the person in front won't be able to recline. At a year old I would also consider FF on the plane if it's a huge deal - you can give the person in front the option of having their seat kicked for the entire flight or not being able to recline.

Thank you for the advice. Just one other question, if forward facing, were you able to leave it on the recline position or upright? Thanks again!

I'll be flying soon with our marathon and had a couple thoughts on this.
(1) From what I've read here, to install a marathon (same shell as advocate) forward facing, one should request a seatbelt extender, and flip the belt, otherwise the belt ends up in an awkward place and can be impossible to release. It sounds like it is much easier rear facing. Personally, I am planning to rear face my two year old for that reason (plus that is how she rides in the car and how the seat's straps are adjusted). With a barely one year 20 pounder, I would be really surprised if they questioned rear facing. Frankly, if I were in that situation, I'd just say she was 19 pounds.
(2) We know it will fit rear facing in the front-back direction because lots of people here have flown with their marathons and wizards, but (speaking as someone who also owns an advocate) I am wondering if it will fit by width. Is this your only seat?

aeormsby said:

I'd print off the documents stating you have the right to RF the seat on the plane (you can find them in some of the other posts here if you need too).

I've flown with our Marathon a few times (basically the same shell as the Advocate). It is a tight fit for RF, I think I needed to leave it in the upright position (on the base) to get it to fit. But it will fit, and the person in front won't be able to recline. At a year old I would also consider FF on the plane if it's a huge deal - you can give the person in front the option of having their seat kicked for the entire flight or not being able to recline.

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:yeahthat: about the documents

When I got feedback on here about my upcoming trip, I wasn't told anything about using it rear facing in the upright position. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with that and wonder if my two year old's legs would fit too so I am hoping there is some feedback provided here on that.

Good choice.

applepye said:

Thank you for the advice. Just one other question, if forward facing, were you able to leave it on the recline position or upright? Thanks again!

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Our advocate is rear facing so it is possible I just don't remember this, but I don't remember the recline setting being an option forward facing. Assuming that is the case, personally, I would be reluctant to use it against the manufacturer's instructions.

hopefully some more experienced flyers will provide more info. Wish I could help more.

Honestly, I can't imagine trying to fly with an Advocate. I haven't tried it, but the side "cusions" take up a lot of space and I'm not sure that it would fit into an airplane seat. It's possible that the side impact cushions are high enough that they would clear the armrests (you could raise the armrest towards the middle seat, but not usually the one by the window), but without trying, I can't be sure. It also seems to me (since I've seen how much space it takes up in the car) that it would be uncomfortable for the person sitting in the middle seat.


Overall, I think that the Advocate is a great seat and DS2 uses one in my car. I would just be very nervous to take it on the plane, risk it not fitting, and then be stuck holding my one year old AND checking the carseat. There are many other seats that will definitely fit on the plane. I personally would probably choose a different seat for the trip.

bensmom said:

Honestly, I can't imagine trying to fly with an Advocate.

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I feel the same way. We have two kids so we needed a second restraint in addition to our marathon and I did not even consider taking our advocate. From the start, I planned to take our marathon for one child and buy a new restraint for the other child for the trip, either a Scenera, Maestro, RSTV, or maybe a RA50 if we'd gotten one on major clearance. Of that list, the scenera or RA50 would be options for your baby. (My kids are older so I had different options. ) A lot of people here have a Scenera for travel. When I looked at one, I found it wasn't a great option for my DD because she is already 2 yo and very tall, but if she was younger, I think it would have been a good option. The light weight certainly appeals to me for carrying through the airport.

Thank you all! I am worried it wont fit. I think I will get a scenera. I saw one at walmart and it comes in a carry bag and very lightweight. Thanks again everyone!