B-Safe on US Airways?

Hello. We just booked an unexpected trip for a family funeral on US Airways from Phoenix to Maui, on a 757-200. DD has another inch or so left in her B-Safe, and that's pretty much all she's ever used, so we'd like to use that if possible. Does anyone know if it will work? We've been on 4 planes with it so far, though, and it's been difficult to use. It just fit on the first Alaska Airlines flight from San Diego to Maui this summer, but they updated the planes while we were there and we really had to wedge it in there on the return flight. We also tried it on Allegiant Airlines this summer, and it really didn't fit on the first flight. It was wedged in at an angle but didn't go down all the way. It didn't fit at all on the return flight, but we were in the back of the plane and the flight attendant moved us up to a row where it JUST fit. We also have a Scenera, a classic RA, and a CCO (which I probably wouldn't use because it fits her terribly with that required insert); but I haven't had any practice installing those and we leave in a couple of days.

Just for reference, she is almost 10.5 months old, and was 29" and 19.4 lbs at her 9 month check up. She has her own ticket, but none of us have assigned seats because we purchased so close to the flight. It's going to be enough of a hassle trying to sit together, so I don't want to add a car seat that won't fit into the mix.

TIA.

First of all, I am sorry for your loss.

Allegiant has some very tight configurations (30" seat pitch) so I am not surprised there -- but if you are having trouble getting the B-Safe to fit on Alaska Airlines, whose seating is very similar to US Airways, then yes, I would probably consider using another seat.

I'd probably suggest the Roundabout. When my daughter was right around the same age, we used a classic Roundabout and found it to work very well on a number of different aircraft. It's a relatively compact seat, and when you install it you can slightly adjust the angle to make it fit. It's very easy to install rear-facing on the plane-- just feed the lap belt through the slits in the cover and buckle.

Thank you. I have so many other things to think about right now and am trying to avoid additional stress. We will likely be utilizing several different vehicles but don't know which ones, so I am primarily concerned about the flights. I had heard that the B-Safe was a good choice for air travel but that hasn't been my experience. I suppose they are giving passengers less room than they used to, though.

I'm sorry for your loss

Another vote for the Roundabout.

Are you using the base for the b safe on the plane or installing baseless. If you are trying to use the base, I can see that causing issues. Most infant seats install much better on planes without the base since they sit lower in the seat and closer to the back of the seat.

If you were installing baseless and still had problems, I'd also recommend the roundabout.

And is your classic roundabout the 40 lb or 50 lb seat? If the 50, I might consider taking the cocorro instead. The padding can be removed if she fits with her shoulders over the bottom slot without it.

I was doing baseless installs on the plane (and at our destinations, which was pretty handy when changing cars). I have the Roundabout 50, which does seem like a bit of a beast. The CCO is so small, but I called and emailed Combi before our previous flights a couple of months ago, and they were adamant that the insert MUST be used until the child reaches 25 lbs. I know this goes against some earlier advice from the company reps, so I tried asking them whether or not they had tested the car seat with the insert and actually found a problem but they never answered. I just tried DD in the CCO again, and I don't hate how it fits her with the insert quite as much as I did 2 months ago, but she is still folded forward more than I like and her chubby little thighs get all pinched. It really bothers me to have to use the seat against official recommendations, but I suppose I could at least take the insert out for the flight.

Thanks so much for your input.

Okay. I just called Combi again and spoke with someone far nicer and far more informative than the others I spoke with over the summer. Apparently the insert recommendations vary depending on DOM. For mine (1/2013) and newer, the insert is required until 25 lbs, based on further crash testing. If I understood correctly, there were also modifications to the shell and the pillow, so earlier models can have the insert removed at a lower child weight. The lady I spoke with realized that the insert does create fit problems for some children, and unfortunately DD is one of them.

So... RA 50, B-Safe, or Scenera?

It sounds like the Roundabout is going to be easiest on you -- not only on the plane, but also if you are using multiple vehicles at the destination. They are just so easy to take in and out with their push-on LATCH connectors and easy adjusters.

On some recent flights I used a Marathon (G3?) which is similar to, if not slightly taller than, the Roundabout and had no trouble at all getting it to fit RF on both US Airways and JetBlue, both of which have seating similar to what you will find on Alaska.

Thanks again. I wasn't sure if your recommendation would have changed based on the type of RA I have. I can't keep up with all of these different Britax models! We had some sort of classic Marathon (65?) for my son 6 years ago that we used on a plane once RF, but the seating room on planes does just seem to get smaller and smaller. I definitely agree that it would probably be the best choice once we get there.

Mahalo.