Question Airline Crap - Question + Bit of a Vent

Oh! Sorry about that. Feel free to piggy back any questions you'd like onto my threads. I don't mind!

I think a Radian would fit just fine in a suitcase. I haven't actually tried but I get the feeling it would be ok. In a larger suitase, anyway. The Radian's folded dimensions are 28" x 17" x 7" and a standard suitcase set includes something similar to this one:
- 28" Upright Suitcase Dimensions: 28"H x 19"W x 10"D
- 25" Upright Pullman Dimensions: 25"H x 17"W x 9"D
- 21" Upright Carry-On Dimensions: 21"H x 15"W x 8"D
- 16" Satchel Dimensions: 16"H x 10"W x 7"D



It should theoretically *just* fit inside the largest piece, though I would worry a bit about there being no padding on the outside edges... You can get bigger suitcases so I would go with one of those, maybe a 30" H x 20" W x 12" D. That would leave a fair bit of room for adding your clothes and towels, etc for padding. (One could always buy some shipping peanuts... but they are not so helpful when luggage space is at a premium, so clothes may have to do!)

A hard-side suitcase might offer extra protection since it is less likely that anything will stab into the Radian's space but if you pack it well with blankets and other clothes inside a roomy enough case I think a regular suitcase would suffice. I am really not happy about checking carseats myself but I am fairly sure I would be ok with that scenario. Though now that I am thinking about this, I might be going out to get some hardsided luggage...

Carryon requirements on my ticket say that carryon must be less than 22" long so I am not sure it would be allowed or even possible to take it on board and stow under the seats (my preferred arrangement). Has anyone else done so??

mommycat said:

Carryon requirements on my ticket say that carryon must be less than 22" long so I am not sure it would be allowed or even possible to take it on board and stow under the seats (my preferred arrangement). Has anyone else done so??

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I know at one time (and maybe still) airlines would allow almost like oversized carry on and they had an area at the front of the plane in which you could use to store these items. I'm thinking like wedding dresses and sometimes dress clothes etc in dress bags?? Not sure if they would go for this though.

Thanks for the info!

As far as over-sized carry-on: I've been wondering about that too. I bet if the flight was empty and/or the crew was amenable you could convince them to let you take it on board. But if they weren't then you'd be stuck with your seat and it wouldn't be packed properly to be checked...

I asked a friend who lived in Poland if she has experience with LOT. I'll let you know if I find anything out...

About suitcases: I was thinking last night. If you bought a hard shell suitcase that was big enough to fit the Radian, put a 20 lbs car seat in it and then stuffed it additionally with clothes, my guess is the suitcase would go over the allowed weight limit and you might end up paying quite a lot in excess baggage fees. Just something to keep in mind when making the packing plan!

But good news: My friend said she doesn't have any info about LOT and car seats yet, but she is flying with them next week and would be happy to scope out the car seat situation on the flight and will even try to talk to a flight attendant.

InternationalMama said:

But good news: My friend said she doesn't have any info about LOT and car seats yet, but she is flying with them next week and would be happy to scope out the car seat situation on the flight and will even try to talk to a flight attendant.

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That's awesome, thanks!

Carry-on: I would suspect they would not be very likely to just let you bring it on. The carry-on requirements are dictated by what weight and size is able to be stowed safely in the bins/under the seat. It is possible that a Radian just plain would not fit between the seats. But I might be wrong. I know you can make special arrangements for items such as golf clubs, musical instruments, etc so you could probably request special treatment for a carseat as a fragile item ahead of time, but there is probably a special charge to go along with that.

As for the hard-side case, yes, I suppose they may be heavy and between a suitcase and a 22 lb seat, that doesn't leave much to go towards the 50lb limit. Here's a 30" hard shell suitcase:
http://www.worldofbags.com/4-wheeled-30-inch-suitecase-heys-usa-d236
30' x 19' x 12' ( 12 lbs )
How much clothing does it take to weigh 16 lbs? Hmm

I return with info from my LOT informant! She flew LOT to Poland a few days ago and said that she did see one infant with a car seat on the plane, so I would say we can be reasonably sure that they allow at least young children to take car seats onboard. She also spoke to a (Polish) flight attendant about their car seat policy and -he- said that car seats of any size are allowed on board for children of any age. She specifically asked him if a 4 year old would be allowed to use a car seat onboard and he said of course. She said he seemed to think this answer was obvious. Of course, that's just one flight attendant and one flight, so it's no guarantee, but I thought it was positive!

More Radian on plane info:

In this thread: https://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=2159800
someone says that they fit a Radian in the overhead compartment of an airplane. My guess is that on most planes it would fit in the overhead compartment, but is too long to meet the carry-on requirements. If you wanted to try to bring it on the plane as carry-on I'd recommend getting the bag they sell for it because I read once online that they aren't supposed to (and in my own experience won't) let you bring something metal like that on the plane unless it is in a bag.

Thanks, I-Mama! :thumbsup: We have been busy at work and I have a sick baby, so I have been staying away from here the last bit. Awesome to pop in and see some positive news!

USmominOz said:

Actually Qantas does let you use your car seat for older children, you just have to call the airlines a week before you travel to give them your car seat details for pre approval. I just went through this when I traveled home to the states for x-mas. This was the first time I was not hassled w/ Qantas about using my car seat.

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Late to your reply.
QANTAS told me on the phone that their limit is 5 yo for a seat on the plane. I was calling for the pre-approval. It's also in their web FAQ. But if they let you bring one one, then maybe it's not set in stone. Good to know that. We weren't hassled last year, and we're about to go again in 2weeks. So fingers crossed, no one gives us a difficult time.