Travel to China on KLM/Air France

U

Unregistered

Guest

• May 11, 2014

• #1

My family and I will be traveling to China on KLM and returning on Air France. I have two girls - 4 yrs old (32lbs, 39") and 11 months (18lbs, 28"). I only have a purchased seat for the 4 yr old. (Yes, I know it is much much safer for the infant in the seat, but we could not afford it).

I would like to bring a carseat that my oldest can FF in and my youngest can RF in. That way if by some miracle there is an extra seat and they will allow us to use it for her, we have a carseat. If there is no seat, my oldest can use it and it doesn't have to be checked. I will also have CARES for my 4 yr old if the babe is in the carseat.

Air France's & KLM's policy states that the seat must be 16.5" in width or less to fit between the arm rests. What carseat can I get that doesn't max out at 40" tall FF?

Also, are the bassinets on the plane safe? The airline reserved one for us, but I am uncertain if there's any strap on those..or what?

Any other things I should be thinking about?

 

newyorkDOC

New member

• May 12, 2014

• #2

Sort of doubt the 11m old will fit in the bassinet. I think it maxes out at 10 kg and is pretty short and narrow. There's no harness in it, just a cover that snaps on (similar to a stroller bassinet).

Are you taking a booster for the 4yo? What will she use in the car in china?

Airfrance isn't obligated to allow you to use a seat on board as it's not an American carrier. So basically they could still force you to check it :/

 

newyorkDOC

New member

• May 12, 2014

• #3

KLM gives infant abdominal belts

 

bbartlettnfld

New member

• May 12, 2014

• #4

Unless your 11 month old is super tiny, they will not fit in the bassinett. I had one on Qatar Airways when my son was 5 months and he almost rolled out, there was no cover and they are very shallow. Definitely not safe for a baby who can sit up.

What about the Evenflo Sureride. It will work FF for your 4 yr old and RF for the baby.

 

H

henrietta

Well-known member

• May 12, 2014

• #5

Adding to bump, b/c the OP is my friend.

It seems to me that the biggest problem is that the airline has told her that the car-seat must be *less than* 16.5 inches wide to fit b/t the armrests, which in the real world is ridiculous, b/c there aren't any convertible seats that size (except for the Combi Cocorro, which may not fit her oldest ff'ing by height anyways). The Radian is 17" wide on our measurements page...the SureRide is a little bigger (17.75").

If anyone's traveled on KLM or Air France and has used a car seat on either, knowing which one worked and was allowed would be super helpful.

I have zero experience with airline travel and carseats, only what I've read here from all of our knowledgeable members!

 

newyorkDOC

New member

• May 12, 2014

• #6

You just don't sit in bulkhead then lift the armrest to install. Lower the armrest after you've got it installed and you're golden. Those armrests have a but of slack.

 

G

gigi

New member

• May 12, 2014

• #7

But to use the bassinet, you need to sit bulkhead.

I would skip the bassinet, reserve seats in the very back of the plane, and hope for an extra seat. And if there is turbulence and at takeoff and landing, put the unrestrained baby in the footwell. If she is unrestrained, in a turbulent situation, she is a major threat to your other child, yourself, and everyone else around you as she can become a projectile.

 

Last edited: May 12, 2014

happiness-and-balance

New member

• May 12, 2014

• #8

Isn't the MyRide slimmer at the base than the Radian? I know it flares out quite a bit, but that should be above the armrests, no?

 

C

cantabdad

New member

• May 12, 2014

• #9

henrietta said:

It seems to me that the biggest problem is that the airline has told her that the car-seat must be *less than* 16.5 inches wide to fit b/t the armrests, which in the real world is ridiculous ...

If anyone's traveled on KLM or Air France and has used a car seat on either, knowing which one worked and was allowed would be super helpful.

Click to expand...

We traveled on Air France in 2012 with a Britax Roundabout (RF) and the width of the carseat was never an issue. On the outbound flight, one of the senior flight attendants wouldn't let us use the carseat *at all* but relented when she checked their policy manual. On the way home we had no trouble. There's really no way for them to verify the width, as long as it seems to fit within the armrests. The Radian is nice and narrow, but you might be better off with a seat that sits up on a narrow base; as newyorkDOC suggested, you can then usually raise the armrest, install the seat, then put the armrest back down.

In the old days some domestic carriers would sometimes try to rearrange seats for us on the mistaken belief that we had a lap baby. I think those days are over, especially for a European carrier. They will give you an extra seatbelt loop for the baby and I believe you are required to use it (if baby's not in a carseat). I agree with the others that the bassinet will be too small.

 

U

Unregistered

Guest

• May 12, 2014

• #10

Thanks for all the responses! I think I will go get the Evenflo Sureride.

One of you asked about a booster while in China for my oldest. We don't have plans to have any car rides. Just a high speed train between cities, perhaps a bus ride or two.

Thanks for the info about the bassinet - the air lines offer them and you kind of assume they'd be helpful. Hadn't really thought about the weight limit.

So back of the plane, baby in the floor if she can't be in the carseat.

 

newyorkDOC

New member

• May 13, 2014

• #11

Anyway, seat width depends on the model of the plane not on the airline. So you'd need to know that to look up the actual seat width to see if the car seat will fit. Though TBH I do not recall any threads here about issues with width... There have been issues with belt length and belts getting jammed but I think most everyone has been able to install our various seats between the arm rests. The most common problem by far is dealing with flight attendants that do not want to permit installation.

 

TechnoGranola

Forum Ambassador

• May 13, 2014

• #12

SeatGuru used to provide seat widths for the specific plane model. I haven't been to the web site in a couple years so not sure if it's still the same.