Another air travel thread...

We've never flown with the kids before, and it looks like me may be in late Jan/early Feb. We will probably be flying Allegiant and renting a car on the other end.

My kids will be 3 and 5 when we fly, currently 28lbs and 42lbs. Gage will still be harnessed in the car. The seats I have are a TF, TFP, Regent (I know that's out) and a ProSport. I was thinking I'd take the PS and buy a Scenera to take with us, but then the PS's open belt path made me pause. Will the plane's seatbelt be in his back? Should I try to booster train between now and then and just carry the booster on?

I was also thinking I wanted to take my City Elite (we're going to Universal Studios in Orlando) but the thing is big and I don't want it destroyed. I was thinking maybe a smaller airline would mean it would be better cared for if I gate check. True? I guess my other option is to rent at the park, but that leaves us without a stroller from parking to the gates and anywhere else we go.

The belt would probably be in his back, but it would in many other seats as well (Maestro, Radian, Nautilus). Piper never complained.

No stroller advice. Don't use one. When we went to Orlando we rented one at the park a couple of times.

Wendy

I have flown a couple of times with ds's Radian. When FFing, the buckle hits right at his back, but he has never complained, FWIW.

I have flown with a CityMini before, but bought the travel bag and broke it down at theg ate bc I didn;'t trust the airlines. Allegiant is smaller, but I would not trust them gate checking any more than a larger carrier (most of our flights end up being on Allegiant).

I don't think the size of the airline matters. Baggage handlers are in a hurry to get planes moving and rushing is rushing. If you don't want it ruined, leave it home. Buy a cheap luggage rack from Target and strap your seat to that. We just flew from Houston to Thailand with three kids (5,2,10 months) and we used two luggage racks for the little ones and the big kid carried the bottom part of his Monteray. The other half was strapped to a suit case that my husband pulled. I would rent a stroller at the park, or find a service that you can rent from that will allow you to use it outside as well.

Allegiant is the "greyhound bus" of airlines. They do everything on the cheap. I would not expect it to be treated any better there than on any other carrier.

(I've flown allegiant many times b/c they're the only airline that flies non-stop btw LAX and my home state, so when I'm flying to visit my family w/ 2 kids, 2 carseats, 1 stroller, and all our luggage by myself, I put a premium on that non-stop)

I like allegiant just fine. Remember though that they do NOT pre-board families unless you all pay for early boarding. I had to install 2 seats by myself last time and they still would not let me board early. OTOH, I also did not get yelled at by the FAs for taking a long time to get situated. They were actually very nice, got me anything I needed, and helped entertain my kids as I installed.

If you want to take a nice stroller, get a good quality bag for it or rent it. There are TONS of good stroller rental companies in Orlando.

Most allegiant planes do NOT have reclining seats, so most times people won't complain if you RF behind them.

If your 5yo is booster-trained, I'd take a booster instead. If not, a Maestro. I would not lug big, heavy, expensive seats with me.

If your 3yo is rfing, get a Scenera. If not, get another Maestro.

Be sure to bring bottles to fill with water or buy water in the airport. There is no free beverage service (not even water) on allegiant flights.

I know Gage walks, but tires easily, correct? Does he need the additional trunk support of a harnessed seat or will he be okay with a booster?

Will Allegiant allow you to board early due to Gage's disability and him needing extra time to get down the aisle? When I flew this summer, I got to board all the planes early due to my leg being in a walking boot/air cast thingy. It is worth asking if you can board early due to special needs.

Patriot201 said:

I know Gage walks, but tires easily, correct? Does he need the additional trunk support of a harnessed seat or will he be okay with a booster?

Will Allegiant allow you to board early due to Gage's disability and him needing extra time to get down the aisle? When I flew this summer, I got to board all the planes early due to my leg being in a walking boot/air cast thingy. It is worth asking if you can board early due to special needs.

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They might, but you also might have to insist.

I saw many parents turned away who were claiming their child had a special need, so they needed to pre-board. However, I've also seen them let those people on. No idea why there is a discrepancy. If he has a visible disability (I've known some kids with spina bifida for whom you couldn't tell, and others for whom it was obvious), I'm sure they'll let you on early. They might anyway if you pull out the "ADA requires you to accommodate my child's needs" card. My sis has to do that from time-to-time (she travels with a service dog and companies often try to deny her services).

Allegiant is finicky b/c they charge you for EVERYTHING and have VERY limited overhead storage space, so if they pre-board people for free, then have passengers who *paid* to pre-board and there is no room for their carry-ons, people get irate quickly. That is the reason they tend to deny most requests to preboard.

On my last allegiant flight, they only preboarded people in wheelchairs. If you were ambulatory, you had to wait your turn, crutches, casts, and all.

lanwenyi said:

On my last allegiant flight, they only preboarded people in wheelchairs. If you were ambulatory, you had to wait your turn, crutches, casts, and all.

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Wow. I'd request a wheelchair at that point! In fact, I considered requesting a wheelchair this summer because it was killing me to walk all the way across the airport. I was SLOW and in A LOT of pain. I should have used a wheelchair. That would have been much smarter.

It never fails that I start a thread like this, then decide on something else. I think the flying thing was going to be hassle enough that we've all decided to road-trip it down there. It's going to be a LOOOONNNGGG drive, and we're going to stuff another family in our Expedition with us, but it means we get to take our nice stroller, our kids ride in their seats, and we get to be on our schedule (Allegiant only flies to/from Orlando a couple of times a week.) Thanks to everyone for your suggestions, though.

Good Luck with that. Road trips have their own hassles.

(I know, we did the road trip from SoCal to Orlando just this June; it was an adventure to say the least)