3 kids, plane and car travel seat help

Family trip across country with three kids. 4yo 40lbs, 2yo 24lbs, 1yo 17lbs. We will be flying with a layover and the big kids have seats, infant in lap. Ther is one adult per kid on the flight. I have all three in marathons, 4 yo ff. I thought I would just bring all the seats to use in the rental and on the plane, when I realized I have a lap sitter. Duh, can't bring one seat. I can have a seat waiting for me at my destination. So, I thought I would bring the baby's marathon (the newer 70, so easy to adjust harness from babe to preschooler, and lower profile in the plane seat) for the 4yo to sit in on the plane, then put the babe in it in the rental van. Then have a seat waiting for me in Charlotte. So is the MA70 a good choice for the plane for the 4yo? Will there be no legroom for her? Should I have her use just the belt on the plane and have two seats waiting at my destination? I don't want to check my marathons for fear of damage. Should I buy a scenera for the babe and the 4yo? Something else for the 4yo? Maybe a belt positioning booster? Money is very tight. Dh is unemployed and mom used miles to get us to the family wedding. Whatever is purchased and waiting for us will likely be checked on the return flight and mom will keep it for the big kids in her car (currently each seat goes with the child wherever they are if family is watching them, which is rare).

Cheapest would be to have a Scenera waiting

Another option --is the 4 yr old mature enough for a booster?

Longest lasting--get an Evenflo Maestro for the 4 year old to sit in on the other end

I think she (4yo) is mature enough for a booster. She will be 4yrs 7mos, and rarely sleeps in a car seat, only if it's past bedtime or has been playing hard in the sun. She follows direction well, and I have instilled a sense of great importance of car seat safety to her. She takes her seat very seriously. She will be out late at our destination, but the drives will be five miles or less, so we can probably keep her awake. And, an adult will always be next to her in the rental car. A booster can be packed in return luggage, not checked and therefore still usable, right? Ive been reading the boards and it seems as though a checked seat is no longer safe. So will she be able to sit comfortably in the MA70 on the plane if I get her a booster? Assuming a turbobooster?

I would take a seat that the baby could use and would be easy to change from 4y to baby. If there is an empty seat on the plane, I would ask to use it. I would ask as you are checking in. Then I would put baby in the ma70 and have the 4y seat in the plane seat. I would get a turbo for the 4y and get it now so you can do some training before the trip. Pack the back in your checked luggage and carry the base on. They won't bug you about carrying it on.

Stefanie, cpst in iowa - mom to 4 great kids

You said you had one adult traveling for each child. Is that 3 adults, and if so could each of the 3 handle a car seat through the airport, with all the kids? If so, I'd recommend taking all 3 MAs. You could try calling the airline first, but often if there's an extra seat on the flight, many airlines will allow you to seat the "lap infant" in his or her car seat if you have it with you... which is infinitely safer than having the babe on your lap. No one will be able to approve this except for your gate agent and flight attendant. I have been told on a couple flights recently that "this airline requires a lap infant to sit in the lap," but I can't remember which airline(s) supposedly had that policy. Which is why I recommend calling the airline in advance to ask. All that said... if at the gate you approach the gate agent when he or she doesn't appear to already be swamped with passengers, and ask whether there are any open seats on the flight and request to be reseated next to one of those open seats, very often they will accommodate you. You can increase your chances by checking the seating chart online shortly before the flight and switching your seat to one in an open row, if there is one available.

Worst that happens is that you end up at the gate with an extra car seat and have to gate check it (it shouldn't count as one of your gate checked bags and thus you should never have to pay to travel with it), and the best that happens is that all of your kids can fly and travel in their own car seats. Do make sure you install them securely in the plane. It can be a real pain, but it's even more important than installing them securely in your car, as far as I am concerned. The speeds encountered on take-off are such that, in case of a high-speed abort situation on the runway, kids really really need to be restrained well.

Hope all this helps. And my question for you techs: are any boosters certified for aircraft use? I've never seen it, as far as I can remember.

Thanks!
Rachel (airline pilot and traveling mom)

Belt positioning boosters aren't certified for use on board aircraft due to their requirement for a lap-shoulder belt, and airplane seats are equipped with lap-only belts.

What airline are you flying on?

Stefanie, cpst in iowa - mom to 4 great kids

We are flying American, Orange county to Charlotte, with a layover in Houston. So I would need four flights to have that extra seat in order not to have to gate check my car seat, which I have gathered from the boards here is akin to being in an accident and no longer safe. I have no issue with taking all the seats other than being unwilling to check one. There are actually four adults traveling.

I also wanted to know if a 4yo in a MA70 will have enough legroom to sit comfortably the plane.

I haven't followed the gate checking threads but in general I'd say it depends on the airline. I've not flown with the kids on American and don't know their policies for gate checked items, but on my own airline (ExpressJet) I've gate checked RAs and not worried about it. Maybe that's too cavalier but I've never seen a ramp agent throw or drop a gate checked car seat. I do know that gate checked items are handled with a lot more care, in general, than are regular checked baggage -- I would never check a car seat with my other bags, on any airline.

As to the legroom question, I guess the space available really depends on the plane but when you consider that at least an open tray table has to fit between each seat, it seems there should be enough space for a 4yo's legs even given the depth of a larger car seat. I flew with our 3yo in a RA on a couple of pretty cramped flights and don't remember him kicking the seat ahead of us.

Don't know whether any of this helps, but I wish you the best on your trip!

Rachel