Check My Plans

We're flying next week, 5hrs in an Airbus 321 if that matters. Never done this before but I've done lots of reading & research (thanks, http://carseatblog.com/! ) so I'm hoping my plans work. Any advice/tips/criticism is welcome!

We will be using a Maestro for my 3.5yr old who is 42lbs 44" and a Sureride for my 17 month old who is probably 23lbs 33". We've got 4 seats reserved, 18E, 18F, 19E & 19F (windows & middles) and I would like to RF the Sureride if it will fit. Do you think we'll need belt extenders for the plane? Both the Sureride & Maestro have open belt paths, right?

Once on the ground we're renting a Chevy Tahoe & I plan to install the seats in the 2nd row captain's chairs using LATCH. I don't anticipate any issues here but I will pack a rolled up towel to use under the foot of the Sureride if needed. There will be 2 adults in front and 1 adult sitting in the 3rd row. Would it be easier to have the Maestro in the third row middle installed using the seat belt & top tether? I'm not sure if one of the captains chairs in the 2nd row will need to fold forward for access to the 3rd row...?

You shouldn't need belt extenders, no. The SureRide may or may not fit (you may need to put it a bit more upright.)

I seem to recall leg room in that third row is awful for an adult? So you may well want to put a kid there.

Thank you KQ!

Is it okay for the Sureride to be resting against/touching the seat in front of it on the plane? We will have DS sitting in the Maestro in that seat so I'm not worried about the seat not being able to recline.

It's going to have to touch to be able to fit. Forcible bracing is not a good idea, though.

Have you verified with the rental company that the Tahoe has captains seats? We've rented a few Yukon/Suburbans from Enterprise and they always have the middle bench. The newest models are super car seat friendly which is nice!

TXDani said:

Have you verified with the rental company that the Tahoe has captains seats? We've rented a few Yukon/Suburbans from Enterprise and they always have the middle bench. The newest models are super car seat friendly which is nice!

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Yikes, no I did not! I wasn't aware there were 2 different options for the 2nd row. Avis did confirm that it would most likely be a MY 2014 or newer since they only had a few older than that on the lot.

AllieK said:

Yikes, no I did not! I wasn't aware there were 2 different options for the 2nd row. Avis did confirm that it would most likely be a MY 2014 or newer since they only had a few older than that on the lot.

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Ours were always 2014 and newer and the Chevy's were both LT models with a middle bench. You might prefer a middle bench that way both kids and the adult can sit there. Its super wide and I don't think you'd have any comfort issues that way.

Here's the update, I will make sure to post the specific plane models we flew on in the "Success Install" thread.

The Maestro worked really well on all flights; DS could even use the tray table. The SureRide was not going to fit RF without being at a really weird angle and not very secure so we FF it without issue. The sides were too high for DD to use the tray table. Both seats installed rock solid FF and did not need a belt extender.

We bungee corded the seats to a Magna Cart (http://www.amazon.com/Magna-Ideal-Capacity-Steel-Folding/dp/B001HBH1BM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1438183699&sr=8-2&keywords=magna+cart) and that worked well, although we could not roll the cart with the seats down the aisle of the plane. American no longer allows families to board first so we were stuck with boarding with our group, which was 4 or 5 for all flights. This meant DH was hoisting 2 car seats over everyone's heads to get them to our seats each time we boarded; this made us glad we opted for lightweight, compact seats and not our normal Britax seats from home!

The flight crew on the 1st flight was kind, gracious and accommodating about traveling with small kids and using the seats on the plane. The rest of the flights we were not so lucky. At best, the flight crew ignored us, at the worst one of the flight attendants was trying really hard to get us to gate check the seats. She even came by right before take off, checked DH's installs and asked other passengers if the car seats were bothering them! Thankfully we were surrounded by kind passengers who all had kids of their own.

At our destination we were upgraded to a Suburban with the 2nd row bench (you called it, TXDani! ) and I was able to easily install the Maestro 3rd row center with the seatbelt, and the SureRide 2nd row outboard with LATCH. The tether strap on the Maestro is pretty short (compared to the Britax seats I am used to) and it barely reached the tether anchor at the bottom of the seat back. The SureRide installed perfectly level without the use of a towel! :dance: Towards the end of our vacation DD was complaining about not being "in the back" with her brother so I moved the SureRide to the 3rd row and put both seats outboard. I also did need to twist the belt stalk a few times to get the SureRide secure with the seatbelt install. I didn't have any issues loading DD RF in the 3rd row. The suburban is pretty tall inside so even with the height of the SureRide I was still able to lift her over the top of the seat and then lean in over the top to buckle.

Overall, great trip with very few glitches. Big thanks to everyone who offered their insight!

AllieK said:

<snip> the worst one of the flight attendants was trying really hard to get us to gate check the seats. She even came by right before take off, checked DH's installs and asked other passengers if the car seats were bothering them! <snip>

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What?? How infuriating! I'm glad it turned out okay!

Yeah, very disappointing because I'm sure her prodding to gate check would have worked on someone else. She kept saying, "the flight is so full... you and the kids will really be more comfortable..."