Best car seat for an Embraer RJ-145?

Avid Traveler

New member
My wife and I are taking our first serious trip with our LO and having purchased her a seat on the ERJ-145, are now trying to decide on the right car seat for her.

This car seat will be serving double-duty, on the plane and in the rental car at our destination.

Details:
- She'll be 16 months at the time of the flight
- We've got 3 seats across on both outbound and returning flights
- They weight isn't too big a deal, mainly because I plan on getting a roller for the seat
- The seats, as per SeatGuru, are 31.0 pitch and 17.3 width

I'm eying the Britix Marathon or Pavilion but am absolutely open to other suggestions
 
ADS

cantabdad

New member
I don't have any experience with carseats on that particular aircraft, but I've used a Marathon on similar ones (e.g. E190) with about the same seating dimensions. You should be fine. The Britax seats are pretty easy to install. It doesn't hurt to practice installation with a lap-only belt before you leave if that's not something you're already familiar with. 31" pitch is a little tight but it should still work rear-facing. If for some reason you can only make it work forward-facing, FAA guidance says that is OK over 1 yr / 20 lbs.
 

jjordan

Moderator
Welcome to car-seat.org. :) I'm sorry that no one has responded to your question yet. (ETA: and then I took so long responding - making cookies at the same time - that someone did respond! So, good. Hope these responses are helpful to you. :)) I suspect that many people are a little hesitant because they don't know much (or anything!) about the airplane that you are referencing. Is there something about an ERJ-145 plane that makes it particularly challenging for car seats? I'm not familiar with what is typical pitch & width for aircraft.

In general, I think Britax seats are good choices for travel from the standpoint of being reliably good to install properly in rental cars at your destination. However, some people prefer to have travel seats that are very lightweight. It really depends on your preference. For *me*, if I was traveling with two adults and just one child, a lightweight seat would not be a priority. It seems that you are leaning that way as well since you said weight isn't a big deal. (Incidentally, if you are planning to take a stroller on the trip, then you can let the stroller act as a makeshift luggage cart for your carry-ons & the car seat in the airport, and use a sling or carrier for your daughter. Just an idea to consider.)
 

bubbaray

New member
So from my scan through Seat Guru, it's a regional jet that seats 50, in a 1-2 seating arrangement regardless of airline. Looks like severely limited onboard storage and curvature is an issue for the outboard seats. Id try for as small a seat as possible given that the child must be on the 2 seat side on the window.
 

creideamh

Well-known member
What are your DD's stats? If she's average or below average size, I'd go for a Combi Coccoro. It's a tiny little convertible that feels large on RJs, lol! (Side note: just was on an RJ on Monday where maintenance had to come pry the bottom panel off of the overhead compartment because someone tried to stuff a too-large laptop bag inside. Yes, they are TINY commercial planes!)
 

Avid Traveler

New member
First off, thanks for all the feedback, everyone!

My daughter's actually on the large side, and height/weight are both a bit over the curve on the percentiles. She's probably sizing 2-3 months ahead of average (thankfully proportionally!).

So a small car seat isn't really an option, but I think we can manage forward facing if necessary because of her size.

As creideamh and bubbaray have explained, it's an exceptionally small plane.

I like the idea of practicing in my car using just a seat belt, whichever seat I get.

Anyone know if there is any substantive difference between the Pavilion and the Marathon in size/dimension/fit?

Any other well-rated car seats that could be used to air/car rental travel?
 

cantabdad

New member
As mentioned above, the Combi Coccoro is a nice, compact seat that people have said is great for travel. It has lower height/weight limits and therefore will not last as long, but might be nice to have as a "travel" carseat if you think you'll be taking other trips soon.

The Britax seats are so easy to work with. They have cut-outs in the fabric so that you can go up and over the cover when installing with the aircraft seatbelt -- I find that easier than having the buckle buried somewhere. In every rental car and taxi that we've had, it's also been easy, with push-on LATCH connectors with separate tighteners on each side.

The regional jets are smaller and some people find them cramped, but we've been on even smaller planes and haven't had trouble with the carseats fitting. I found some photos online and the curvature of the fuselage, as Bubbaray mentioned, does seem a little bit of an issue for the outboard seats; it may be snug.
 

jjordan

Moderator
The Pavilion and Marathon have identical exterior dimensions.

I'm pretty sure that I have successfully used a Britax seat on a regional jet. I can't remember the details... but I have a very CLEAR memory of lugging a Boulevard through an airport on a stroller with my oldest child, a baby/toddler at the time, in a sling. Anyway, I *think* that was a pretty tiny plane that I flew on. Certainly if you are willing to use the seat forward facing on the plane, a Britax should fit just fine.
 

cupcakepirate11

Active member
I have used a britax on the plane I do not like where the buckle sits in the seat. Ffing is right in their back or rfing a lump they sit on.

I would also pick a lighter seat you dont have to lug down the aisle
 

ngs215

Member
We only have regional jets at our local airport. I am not sure on the models off hand, but we have successfully used a Sureride FF. Personally, since the seat was bought just for travel, I didn't want to spend much.
 

MamanMag

New member
What are your DD's stats? If she's average or below average size, I'd go for a Combi Coccoro. It's a tiny little convertible that feels large on RJs, lol! (Side note: just was on an RJ on Monday where maintenance had to come pry the bottom panel off of the overhead compartment because someone tried to stuff a too-large laptop bag inside. Yes, they are TINY commercial planes!)

I would second that! The combi coccoro is a wonderful seat to travel with!! Height limit for RF is 36" and FF is 40", so it should still last you a little while... RJ are super tiny, so the coccoro will be easy to install! And it takes less space front to back that many other seats so you could actually use it RF in the plane if you wanted to, which is nice for little ones to sleep and also will prevent your LO from kikicking the seat in front of her, believe me it's not fun to spend your time reminding your baby that she can't kick!! It's good to know also that the passenger in front of you should be able to recline his/her seat...The cosco scenera and the evenflo sureride are other good options. But you probably won't be able to RF those 2 though...

Enjoy your trip!

Mag

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