Travelling question

We are traveling to Nashville from Canada in November. Both of our girls are in boosters - DD1 is 7 and 60ish pounds and DD2 is 5 1/2 and 50ish pounds. We are flying down there and then renting a car. Trying to figure out what to do for boosters. I have both backed and backless boosters for them - just not sure what the best way to get them there is. We won't be driving long enough anywhere for them to fall asleep so I am comfortable with them in backless boosters.
Can we pack them in our suitcases with our luggage? What other options do we have, as we can't use them on the plane.

I'd put them in the overhead so they don't get lost.

Wendy

They can be gate checked. Just get this bag from target, take them with you on the flight and gate check them. Both should fit in one bag...especially if you do backless for both.

What boosters do you have? If they're big & bulky (like Turbo, Amp, etc.), I would grab a couple Apramos from Canadian Tire. They're $15 right now. Sale ends today, but you can usually take the flyer in and ask for the price until Sunday. I would also try to put the boosters in the overhead.

Do you do a lot of flying to the US? If so, you might want to grab an Incognito from the US for your older daughter, either before you go if you have the means, or while you're down there in Nov. Your younger child is still too small for it at the moment.

I gate check out LBBs when travelling.

I'd put backless boosters in the overheard. While I'm not too concerned with damage to a backless being gate checked, I am concerned with the airline losing the boosters between destinations and being stuck when I arrive.

Dillipop said:

I'd put backless boosters in the overheard. While I'm not too concerned with damage to a backless being gate checked, I am concerned with the airline losing the boosters between destinations and being stuck when I arrive.

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I agree. They might fit under the seats in front if overhead space is limited, too.

Dillipop said:

I'd put backless boosters in the overheard. While I'm not too concerned with damage to a backless being gate checked, I am concerned with the airline losing the boosters between destinations and being stuck when I arrive.

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I think some are confused with what gate checking means... Gate check means that you get the boosters right back at the gate when you get off the plane. Another term you may be familiar with is "pink tagging" it. There is no transporting it to baggage claim or to another plane if you have multiple flights. It's just putting the seats under the plane instead of trying to cram them in the small overhead space & take up room from passengers with carryons.

You may be confusing checking your bag(s) to your final destination from the gate. They will then print off that special barcoded sticker and attach it to your suitcase which you then bring down the jetway to the plane and leave it at the gate to be processed in for baggage claim pick up wherever your final destination is... I don't recommend doing that.

We know what it means. In my local airport all gate checked luggage gets retrieved at baggage claim. Royally annoying. I've also had gate checked luggage left behind. Simply forgotten. I've seen it thrown down from the jetway.

I don't usually trust baggage handlers with my dirty undies. Nevermind my child's life saving device. It comes on board and gets stowed where I know it's safe and with us.

Wendy

I had a gate-checked stroller show up two flights later, and several others broken.

ketchupqueen said:

I had a gate-checked stroller show up two flights later, and several others broken.

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Sheesh...I fly all. the. time. We use bags to put our City Mini in when gate checking and since we always fly Delta for family flights, they give it to us at the gate always (I know some of the value carriers like Southwest don't offer that service and make you pick it up at baggage or are just horrible at handling bags). I also have used the gate check bag at target as well as the nicer one from Britax when we aren't using the Boulevard for a trip. Went up to NYC last week and threw my infants B-Safe and my oldest daughter's Turbo in this bag. It has wheels, so it's awesome to just pull around in the airport after getting off the flight.

I just don't like taking up overhead space if it's not needed to...lots of people carry on and since I board first having children with me, I might prevent someone from being able to carry on their bag because my car seat is taking up a lot of space up in the overhead bin. Then they will have to check their bag to their final destination (luckily they don't charge the fee), but it's a huge inconvenience to them they weren't expecting to have to deal with...and from a frequent traveler I KNOW that sucks.

You always have to gate check a stroller, but you can be smart about it. Watched a woman roll down an Uppa Baby Vista with the rumble in the jetway on one of my flights a few weeks ago. I immediately knew that was the WRONG stroller to travel with... She broke it down and of course it's in two pieces (and it's sometimes always a comedy watching people folding it...lol). She had no bag for it or anything and it's kind of confusing if you are walking up to it never seeing it where to grab the stroller to hold it. Well, the baggage guy came out there and asked her before taking it down (solid customer service points there), and proceeded to take it down just fine. It's the ending flight destination that I was worried for her...I had already exited the plane and didn't have the time to wait around to see the outcome, but in the end I think it's better to be smarter about what you bring on travel as a whole.

I had a SIL who hate checked her infant seat and it didn't show up at her layover or her final destination. She was stuck having to either borrow something the airline had or somehow get to a store to get a new one. It finally showed up the day she was heading home. Since a backless takes up less room than most carrying and a child is entitled to one, I am in favor of using their allowance to safely get their safety seat to our destination. If I was flying with a larger seat, such as an infant, convertible, or combination seat, my kid would be in it anyway. The only seat I'd try to get in an overhead bin, and honestly the majority of backless boosters would fit under the seat, is a backless booster.

Who on earth are these airlines that lose your gate checked bags? That's 3 people on here that have had something like this happen. That's free flight type stupidity by those airlines right there and I wouldn't leave until I got compensation for their stupidity. It's like 15 feet from the gate to the front compartment under the plane where they store the gate checked items.

Also, you can't get on a flight with an infant carrier...it's infant in arms, so you aren't putting it anywhere on the flight since your baby is in your lap the entire time. Even if you bought an extra ticket, an infant carrier isn't fitting in the seat of a 757 much less any of the smaller aircraft...unless perhaps 1st class. Not to mention most convertible/combo hybrid seats won't fit in most airline seats, so gate checking them is the option. Unless you have a skinny one like the Diono Radian/Ranier...I don't see it being used on the flight.

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=151334 they do fit! And we recommend using car seats when flying.

I've successfully installed the following seats in coach-class seats of various planes: ComfortSport, Chase/Maestro, Marathon, Radian.

I prefer to gate check as soon as I am comfortable with the child in a lap belt on the plane because *my* kids hate car seats on the plane. I would not personally bring a LBB on as a carryon because space is so limited anyway. YMMV.

Brianna said:

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=151334 they do fit! And we recommend using car seats when flying.

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That's a small list and none of which I own expect the new Diono Ranier (but haven't had a need to fly with it). Why would you recommend using them while flying? Especially when you have a child under 2? Outside the napping part...it seems like you are giving up a LOT of precious room on the flight from these seats encroaching into the middle seat (since the majority of these seats were installed at the window). And the morbid part...the likelihood of anyone surviving a crash is extreeeeeeemely low. At point where we know we are going to crash (a luxury in air travel vs. cars), I would completely use my body as a shield for my child no matter what...even though we will likely perish. Perhaps my body can shield them from anything impaling them which a car seat will never do.

Wow, that got a little real pretty quickly...not my intention, but relevant.

I still recommend gate checking.

bubbaray said:

I've successfully installed the following seats in coach-class seats of various planes: ComfortSport, Chase/Maestro, Marathon, Radian.

I prefer to gate check as soon as I am comfortable with the child in a lap belt on the plane because *my* kids hate car seats on the plane. I would not personally bring a LBB on as a carryon because space is so limited anyway. YMMV.

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Agreed. You aren't alone here. I see lots of parents try this route only to be going forward in the plane begging the flight attendants to let them gate check before taking off since the kid either won't get in the seat OR it won't fit properly. Just reduce the hassle, instigating a child into crying, and try to have a relaxing & fun flight with your kids.

Eh, my kid is one of those that loves her carseat. She's also mega laid back. I may as well being her car seat on board. About a year ago we took an 11 hour flight. About 5 hours in the people behind us were shocked there was a kid up there. Lol. She just knows how to chill and relax in her car seat. I can just imagine in the regular seat she her mind would start working a million miles a minute and she'd be all over the place. No thanks. Haha. She will have turned four the day before our 11 hour flight this year and I'm not sure what I'm going to do.

DawgDad said:

That's a small list and none of which I own expect the new Diono Ranier (but haven't had a need to fly with it). Why would you recommend using them while flying? Especially when you have a child under 2? Outside the napping part...it seems like you are giving up a LOT of precious room on the flight from these seats encroaching into the middle seat (since the majority of these seats were installed at the window). And the morbid part...the likelihood of anyone surviving a crash is extreeeeeeemely low. At point where we know we are going to crash (a luxury in air travel vs. cars), I would completely use my body as a shield for my child no matter what...even though we will likely perish. Perhaps my body can shield them from anything impaling them which a car seat will never do.

Wow, that got a little real pretty quickly...not my intention, but relevant.

I still recommend gate checking.

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You do realize 80% of plane emergencies are survivable, if you're ready to evacuate? That most are not dropping from the sky, but instead are on the ground or in the first few minutes or last minutes of the flight? Taxi, take off, and landing are the most dangerous parts. Last week a Boeing plane in Orlando hit a catering truck (I wish I could make this stuff up, but I wouldn't be as funny) and two were hit by the jetway. That comes from FAA data. http://www.asias.faa.gov/pls/apex/f...,P96_MAKE_NAME,P96_FATAL_FLG:19-SEP-14,BOEING Emergencies since 9/15. http://www.asias.faa.gov/pls/apex/f?p=100:93:0::NO::: You'll note eight people have died (this does also cover general aviation planes).

Where do we get this from?

Did you know that the safest place for your child on an airplane is in a government-approved child safety restraint system (CRS) or device, not on your lap? Your arms aren't capable of holding your child securely, especially during unexpected turbulence.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) strongly urges you to secure your child in a CRS or device for the duration of your flight. It's the smart and right thing to do so that everyone in your family arrives safely at your destination. The FAA is giving you the information you need to make informed decisions about your family's travel plans.

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

Right there.

Or here.

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.

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

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.

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That little organization of the AAP, found here, http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/108/5/1218.full

And including videos. http://www.ntsb.gov/safety/children.html

What airlines have you been on where you CAN'T fit a seat? I've fit Britaxes rear and forward facing, Evenflos rear and forward facing, Combi Coccoro rear and forward facing. I've used Safety 1st rear facing (pretty upright, to be honest). I'm trying to remember what other brands I've flown with. I'm sure there are more.

Evenflo SureRide, proper recline, United coach class.



Infant seats generally fit. Google images, I don't have any of my own because I never used an infant seat.

Will using a carseat on a plane save millions of lives each year? No. Same as using them in a car won't save millions. Do we advocate for best practice and the easy elimination or reduction of chances of injury or death during transportation? Yes. What do you have that goes against what the FAA, AAP, NTSB, and most airlines recommend? I'd love to see links.

Edit: I saw my bag left behind at the tarmac when we gate checked it. I immediately rang my bell. The flight attendant said they'd pushed back and it'd be on the next plane.

And in Seattle (so not a small airport) I have no idea why, but every time we've gate checked something at the airport before this, it's gone to baggage here to pick it up. I HATE going to baggage claim. This is the only airport I've had like that, but I'm sure we're not completely unique. I haven't been to all of the airports in the world.

So given my experiences, we put the backless in the overhead bin. As Piper got bigger she started using an Incognito for travel, and that fit on top of the suitcases in there, taking up no space of its own. Win win win.

Wendy

The airlines themselves recommend keeping in your carry-on luggage anything that you need or couldn't go without -- medication, eyeglasses, passports, etc. I would view booster seats as falling in that category since you would be stuck at the airport and/or highly inconvenienced if they were lost or damaged. Admittedly that is rare for gate-checked items, but it does happen. (We had an umbrella stroller damaged once, and everyone seems to have a similar story to share.)

The OP was talking about 2 backless boosters -- they are so easily stowed onboard that I don't see any particular reason to gate-check them. Kids are paying customers, too, and are entitled to the same carry-on allowance. (In fact they typically bring much *less* stuff onboard than adults.)

And just for the record, we have never had a problem installing various Britax, Graco, and Diono seats onboard both RF and FF, on everything from a 777 to a turboprop. FAA and NTSB recommend using a carseat for all children until they are old enough (around 40 lbs.) to use the regular lap belt.