Tips on flying with a Britax Boulevard 70

I will be taking a four hour American Airlines flight in mid-May with my 17 month old daughter, who is currently just over 20 lbs and I think about 30 in. We just purchased the new Britax Boulevard 70 and have only been using it rear facing for a few weeks in our car.

I'm wondering if anyone has used one of these new models on a plane? Will it fit ok rear facing? I would really prefer to have her rear facing as I feel like she will be more comfortable, and I feel like it is safer. Should I prepare for any pushback on installing the carseat rear facing? (e.g., does that inhibit the person in front of us from reclining their seat?). I'm thinking of buying a luggage cart or one of those Go-Go Travelmate thingys so that I can wheel her through the airport in her car seat; will I be able to wheel the carseat down the aisle, or will I have to carry it? I have been doing a little research on this forum and it sounds like getting a seatbelt extender will be a good idea. Any other tricks or potential problems I may encounter with flying with this particular seat?

I have only flown with a carseat one other time, and that was with our Graco infant seat which fit without a problem. It was a part of a travel system so I was able to just check the stroller at the gate which made navigating the airport rather easy. If the Boulevard will be too big for the plane, I had considered just trying to use the infant seat on the plane; its not obvious that she is too tall for the seat because there is still plenty of seat above her head. If I did this, I would see if my brother has an extra car seat that I would be able to use in the car while I'm in town. Am I completely insane for even entertaining this thought? I guess I'm just SUPER anxious about navigating the airport with that big seat and installing the Britax on the plane by myself...perhaps all I need is a little pep talk!

Thanks in advance for your help!

We used a BLVD 70 on our last trip (but we used it forward-facing, so I can't comment on how it fits rear-facing). We used a traveling toddler and strapped it to our rolling carryon to go through the airport. We've always had to carry it through the plane.

If you change your mind and decide to use it FF on the plane...it fits great. I didn't use a seatbelt extender, and was even able to put the armrest down beside the seat (I'm sure this varies by plane).

marjen said:

We used a BLVD 70 on our last trip (but we used it forward-facing, so I can't comment on how it fits rear-facing). We used a traveling toddler and strapped it to our rolling carryon to go through the airport. We've always had to carry it through the plane.

If you change your mind and decide to use it FF on the plane...it fits great. I didn't use a seatbelt extender, and was even able to put the armrest down beside the seat (I'm sure this varies by plane).

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Thanks for your response! When you used the Traveling Toddler, did you have your child strapped into the carseat? I'm a little nervous that my luggage is not sturdy enough to support the weight of the carseat and the weight of my daughter (although I suppose she is petite in comparison to most toddlers).

Thanks!

laserkatie said:

Thanks for your response! When you used the Traveling Toddler, did you have your child strapped into the carseat? I'm a little nervous that my luggage is not sturdy enough to support the weight of the carseat and the weight of my daughter (although I suppose she is petite in comparison to most toddlers).

Thanks!

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My daughter just rides sitting in the carseat while it's strapped to the suitcase...I don't strap her in to the seat itself. In the airport she wears a backpack with a removable harness strap (invaluable IMO)...I can hold on to that strap while she rides (in case she decides to run off lol). I think the key for the Traveling Toddler is to pack the rolling suitcase well so that it supports the weight. Also, if you can get the straps as tight as you can, that helps too (the Traveling Toddler straps). Before we used it the first time, we did a run-through at home to make sure we knew what we were doing. If you're not using a carryon, I'm sure the Go Go Kidz would be great too.