Best Seat for Airplane Travel?

jmac30

New member
Hi everyone - we are getting ready to relocate and will probably be flying across the country 3 or 4 times in the next few months with our 20 month old twins. They are ~ 29 lbs and ~34" tall.

I am looking for recommendations for the best carseat to use on an airplane - these will be strictly for air travel and minimal car travel.

Currently, we have a pair each of the marathons and boulevards in our cars and they will remain the primary seats in the cars. We did just fly with the marathons and they really did not fit well on the plane.

Thanks for any advice

Jim
 
ADS

vonfirmath

New member
Interesting -- I have loved flying with my Marathons

As long as they fit in infant seats, infant seats and a frame stroller are the easiest to fly with. After that, my preference would be the Marathon/Roundabout50/Roundabout55. but I also know the Scenera gets recommended. And the Radian (heavy but you can carry as a backpack evidently?)

Once they are forward facing, the MAestro would be my recommendation.
 

krasota

Well-known member
We fly with the Scenera. I will say that it's generally a breeze to carry/roll onto the plane, but it was a beast on the Canadair Regional Jet I flew last night with Delta (Pinnacle). Very narrow aisle, so I ended up needing assistance. And then it was a beast to fit over the seats with the low clearance to the overhead bin. A heavier/bulkier seat would have been much worse, though a folding seat like the radian might've been considerably easier.

If you will fly small planes (baby plane, as the flight attendant referred to it) or puddle jumpers, definitely look into what works best with those. If not, then you can pretty much fly with what you like.

It installed with no problems in the seat. Armrest up on this particular plane, though we don't need it up on every plane.

I do find it difficult to install the Cosco Scenera RF. A nice visit with a good CPST would help with that. I haven't done it because I'm fine with forward facing for my 4yo, but I'd want to install rear-facing for toddlers.

Try to get seats near the front of the plane so that you don't have to wrestle everything all the way to the back.
 
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telepanda

New member
We have some upcoming puddle jumper flights and need to get a carseat for them (we need a second one anyway). Can anybody speak specifically to those? (We will need to install RF)
Thanks!
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
We put our Britax Wizard (the old old Boulevard) on everything from puddle jumpers to 777s rear facing. It fit perfectly everywhere. I just put the armrest up.

However, it's big and heavy to travel with, and I enjoy traveling with our Combi Coccoro a lot more. However, it won't fit the OP's twins very long at all.

The Scenera is probably the best bet.

Wendy
 

KaiLing

New member
I muscle my radian on to little planes a lot. I don't love it, and if the scenera was an option I'd do that, just because I prefer light and awkward over heavy and slim. The radian fits fine FF in every plane I've ever taken it on, and the getting on the plane issue for me is always overshadowed by the trouble my poor 6'9" husband has getting on the plane. I see no way it's going in RF; if you showed up with a radian and an under 1 year old on a little plane I just don't know what would happen-- maybe a non exit row bulkhead?
 

krasota

Well-known member
If you have two adults and very minimal carry-ons, I think any light, low profile seat would be fine. It was just hard for me because I didn't realize how small this 50 passenger jet really would be. I had some carry-ons (large computer bag, bag with food, small camera bag) and then the carseat on a folding cart. Leaving the plane, I didn't put the carseat on the cart--I gave the folded cart to my 4yo and the flight attendant carried the seat. I also had the misfortune of being in row 12 out of 13.

If it's just you and a little one, request assistance and hope you get it.

On larger aircraft, I have no problems at all wrangling kid, seat/cart, and carry-ons. When he was a bit smaller, I put him in the Ergo, now he walks on.

If I'd known in advance, I'd probably still have this seat as I already own it, but I'd have altered my luggage (slimmer laptop bag with a few snacks and epi-pens and wipes, carry-on size rolling bag for the self-valet gate-check for everything else). It would have still been difficult, but I'd have had less to worry about in my hands.

I've also had gate attendants attempt/offer to change my seat assignment to move us closer to the front of the plane. I'm fine with that, but other passengers may not be.
 

vonfirmath

New member
If you have two adults and very minimal carry-ons, I think any light, low profile seat would be fine. It was just hard for me because I didn't realize how small this 50 passenger jet really would be. I had some carry-ons (large computer bag, bag with food, small camera bag) and then the carseat on a folding cart. Leaving the plane, I didn't put the carseat on the cart--I gave the folded cart to my 4yo and the flight attendant carried the seat. I also had the misfortune of being in row 12 out of 13.

Ah. I carry my seats in the airport bungee-corded to a stroller. The stroller gets gatechecked and the seat (marathon, Roundabout50, and MAestro) gets hand carried onto the plane. All other carry ons are a backpack or an over the shoulder bag (that I guide in front of me). If my son does not want to wear his backpack, it goes in the car seat, that I carry in front of me and slightly angled up to avoid seats. DS walks ahead of me (one time I carried him in the car seat. Never again. I'm not that strong)

This has always worked to get the seat down the aisle and then I plunk it in the seat, divest myself of other carryons (which all fit under the seats ahead of us), and install it while DS stands in the other seat.
 

cat mommy

New member
Scenera 40s. We check our bags and DH carries the seats while I walk both kids on harnesses and I have the carry-on backpack. If we take a stroller, it gets checked (not at the gate).
 

jmac30

New member
Thanks for the replies everyone - the travel was interesting in that the flight crew couldn't make up their minds where they wanted the seats either way - westbound we ended up with car seat, car seat mom, aisle, dad and eastbound was car seat, dad, random person, aisle random person, car seat, mom.

While the britaxes did fit relatively easily with the help of the extension belts, they are tremendously awkward to move to the rear of the plane and almost impossible to do simultaneously

The Sceneras seems like a great bet - thanks again and thanks for the great forums - they have been very helpful :)
 

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