Flying with a Graco MyRide 65....

Hi,

We are flying on Tuesday, across country, on Southwest. We have to take 2 carseats with us. We have flown on Southwest before with our 3 year old's Graco Nautilus, and there were no problems there with that.

This time we'll be flying with the Nautilus, as well as the Graco MyRide65 for our youngest. Are there any issues with using the MyRide65 on Southwest flights? We have an extremely long flight (no plane changes) and would MUCH prefer to have our 1 year old sit in her MyRide if they tell us the plane isn't full and we can take her carseat onboard.

Thanks!

Flying Southwest with MyRide 65...

Hi,

I'm new here. Somebody on another board told me about this place and that I should ask my questions here.

We are flying on Tuesday, across country, with our 3 year old and 1 year old. Our 3 year old has a Graco Nautilus and we have flown Southwest before with her in that and there were no issues with that carseat on the plane and we don't anticipate any issues with it this time.

Our 1 year (almost 2) year old has a Graco MyRide 65. Has anyone flown on Southwest before with a MyRide 65?? We didn't buy her a ticket since she's not 2 yet (and our tickets were already expensive!), but we are hoping that they will tell us the plane isn't full and that we'll be able to use her seat on the flight. She is EXTREMELY wiggly and will do a LOT better on the plane if she is in her "safe place" aka her carseat, as this is her first time flying.

We already have Eddie Bauer travel bags for both carseats and plan to throw those straps over our shoulders and take the carseats all the way down to the plane with us (our 3 year old will be using her carseat on the plane regardless).

So, any experience using the MyRide 65 on a Southwest plane??

Thanks so much!!

I haven't flown with a My Ride before, but I would strongly encourage you to buy her a ticket before you leave. I've heard several times that SW will refund tickets for under twos if there ends up being an empty seat, so call and ask on that. But if there aren't you'll have to check her seat. Which means it's baggage and it can be damaged or lost just like any other piece of baggage (we've had gate checked luggage left behind on the tarmac, and others have had gate checked strollers broken). It's also not safe to have a lap baby, as per the FAA, AAP, and NTSB. So I'd buy a ticket and use it on board.

Generally from what I've heard the My Ride is a tight fit but works well. It may be fairly upright rear facing. It'll go by the window, then the Nautilus if they're both in the same row. Otherwise I'd put the Nautilus in front of the My Ride so you don't have to worry about anyone trying to recline their seat into the rear facing seat.

Wendy

Thanks! We aren't buying her a ticket. This was a last-minute trip planned due to a conference DH is attending and all of his expenses being paid for. Using the opportunity to go with him and visit family while we only had to buy a plane ticket for myself and our 3 year old. They were already super expensive as they are, so buying a ticket for our 1 year old is completely out of the question and defeats the purpose of myself and our children flying with him. Money is tight right now as it is. Not everyone can afford to buy children under 2 a plane ticket.

We will be using it forward-facing on the plane, not rear-facing. We're planning to take her carseat all the way up to the plane and check it at the gate if they tell us the plane is full. We already have a bag for it so I'm not too worried.

Southwest only has 3 seats across, so if the plane isn't full, then DH will be sitting with one girl on one row and then I will be sitting with the other girl on row behind/in front. I'm not worried about the Nautilus, I'm just wondering if the MyRide 65 will indeed fit, even though it is FAA approved.

What would you have done if this trip happened six months from now? Whatever that answer is, that's what you do now. Either not go, drive, or buy another ticket.

Here are some good videos to watch from the National Traffic Safety Board. http://www.ntsb.gov/safety/children.html

And here's what the FAA says:

Did you know the safest place for your little one during turbulence or an emergency is in a government-approved child restraint system (CRS) or device, not on your lap?

A CRS is a hard-backed child safety seat that is approved by the government for use in both motor vehicles and aircraft.

The FAA has approved one harness-type restraint appropriate for children weighing between 22 and 44 pounds. This type of device provides an alternative to using a hard-backed seat and is approved only for use on aircraft. It is not approved for use in motor vehicles. Learn more about harness-type restraint.

The FAA strongly urges parents and guardians to secure children in an appropriate restraint based on weight and size. Keeping a child in a CRS or device during the flight is the smart and right thing to do.

Click to expand...

http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/

And the AAP:

Occupant protection policies for children younger than 2 years on aircraft are inconsistent with all other national policies on safe transportation. Children younger than 2 years are not required to be restrained or secured on aircraft during takeoff, landing, and conditions of turbulence. They are permitted to be held on the lap of an adult. Preventable injuries and deaths have occurred in children younger than 2 years who were unrestrained in aircraft during survivable crashes and conditions of turbulence. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a mandatory federal requirement for restraint use for children on aircraft. The Academy further recommends that parents ensure that a seat is available for all children during aircraft transport and follow current recommendations for restraint use for all children. Physicians play a significant role in counseling families, advocating for public policy mandates, and encouraging technologic research that will improve protection of children in aircraft.

Click to expand...

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/108/5/1218.full

Southwest Airlines:

Proper use of a Child Restraint Systems (CRS) enhances child safety onboard the aircraft. For this reason, Southwest Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) strongly recommend that infants and small children who weigh under 40 pounds be secured in an appropriate CRS when traveling by air.

Click to expand...

http://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/family/baby-on-board-pol.html

A bag will keep it clean. It will not protect it from crash forces (the weight of the seat times 150 mph in a runway accident will make it unusable), it will not protect it from being smushed from cargo containers in the hold, and it will not protect it from simply being left behind. It's not a structural items. If it must be checked a box is the only safe way to do it. And as you can imagine, that's not terribly convenient.

Because you're risking the lives of the other passengers on board (weight time speed equals force, and there's nothing stopping your baby on your lap from hitting them) I would strongly encourage you to buy a ticket or reconsider going. I've done both in the past. It's not always the choice I want to make. But it's the safe choice and the one everyone recommends, as you can see. I'm not making this up. You won't find any organization that recommends lap babies.

You've also said she's wiggly. Sit on your couch for however long the flight is, getting up every two hours to walk around your house, use the toilet, and change diapers (if applicable). Then sit back down. Or imagine that trip with her in her own space. Disregarding safety, she doesn't sound like a fun one to hold on your lap for a cross country flight.

The My Ride will fit just fine. I'd put up the armrest for a better fit.

Wendy

I'm sorry - but I don't appreciate someone making me feel like we are bad parents or endangering the safety of others on the plane if we don't buy her a ticket. Not everyone can afford to buy a plane ticket for children under 2! Would you like to call my in-laws and tell them that they can't see their grandchildren, one of whom they have only met one time, and the rest of DH's family that has never met her, that we aren't coming because we've been told we're going to endanger the safety of others since are not buying her a plane ticket?

My question on here was only to find out if others have used the MyRide 65 on a plane - not to be made to feel like we are horrible parents for not forking over money for a seat.

I don't know what else to say. The My Ride will work. Do you trust the baggage handlers to treat it like a life saving device if it has to be checked? If not, do you have an alternate plan?

I'm not being judgmental. I'm laying out facts. These are not opinions of you, your trip, your children, or anything. These are the laws of physics and the recommendations of organizations of which I am not a member.

What you do with these facts is your choice.

Safe trip.

Wendy

I flew with a lap baby once (tried to leave her at home, but couldn't so she had to go). I only took a seat I could afford to loose, my Coccoro. I ended up able to take it on the plane and the attendants stowed it on board for the two short hops that didn't have an empty seat for her. I was fully prepared to call for a loaner on the other end if I had to check it.

My thoughts are to buy a scenera. That way if you must check it, you aren't loosing her $130 everyday seat. If you check it, call a relative on the other end as you board to ask that they pick up another scenera on the way to the airport to pick you up. That can be your seat for the way home. You are out a total of ~$80 and in the event that a crash happens while at your destination, if your child is injured, you won't ask if checking the seat led to those injuries or restraint failure. Once you get home, if you didn't check the second seat, sell it on Craigslist.

Did you try it? Did it work? We are headed out on Southwest tomorrow.........