Airline travel with carseats...

[jennlana]

We are moving in 7-8 months (I am thinking waaayyy in advance, but that's what I do! I have A LOT to prepare for!!) It's an overseas flight at least 9 hours. I have need to take our carseats with us so we will have them when we land. I have a Frontier85, Boulevard (old style, exp. in 2 years), and a Graco Nautilus. I have the box for the Frontier but when it was shipped to me, the seat was in a plastic bag then put in the box. No padding around it.

Is the Frontier safe by just placing it in the box? What about the other seat?

We will have 4 seats on the plane. I've never taken a carseat on the plane and I really don't want to bc we may also be carrying on our guinea pigs. (Yes, we are moving with two guinea pigs and a dog...see why I plan ahead?).
Should I take the Boulevard and place that in the seat for youngest, who will be 4 then?

Sorry for the long post!! I know this move is not for a long time, but if I don't figure out some of these things ahead of time, little by little, I'll be struggling to figure it out at the last minute!

 

[jnamommy]

How old will all of the kids be when you fly?

The safest option is for you to use the carseats on board - kids are safer, carseats are protected, etc. The next best option would be to check the carseats in the original boxes.

Where are you moving to? If you are moving overseas, your current carseats may not be legal at your destination and you may need new ones anyway.

Wow, moving overseas with kids, dog, and guinea pigs...wow. Good luck, sounds like it will be an adventure!

 

[jennlana]

The kids will be 7 and 4.

I only have the box for the Frontier. The other seat will be shipped with our household goods.

We are moving overseas, but not really...LOL We are moving from Hawaii to the mainland. In military terms, it's an overseas move. Our household goods will be shipped a month before we leave the island so I will one of the carseats will be shipped off before we move. Then our car will also be shipped before we leave the island.

 

[squishles10]

You have to take them both on the plane then right? How are you going to travel for a month with only one seat? Not a tech, but I'd def take a seat for the 4 yo on the plane. Whichever one fits better or is easier to manage. I would be very concerned with checking the other one. Can you break it in pieces and carry it on? Does it convert to a LBB? Can you ship just the HBB part a month in advance and take the LBB in your carry on?

 

[Brianna]

I would use the original box for the Frontier, and use the Nautilus on the plane. I can't imagine it would be too much fun driving to the airport in a taxi, getting to the airport and having to box up 2 seats to check with luggage. To help get the Nautilus through the airport, consider a travelling toddler http://www.travelingtoddler.com/ How does traveling with animals work- do you they go in the passenger part of the plane with you? If they do, maybe you could strap them into the Nautilus to free up another hand.

 

[jennlana]

The kids will be 7 and 4.

I only have the box for the Frontier. The other seat will be shipped with our household goods.

We are moving overseas, but not really...LOL We are moving from Hawaii to the mainland. In military terms, it's an overseas move. Our household goods will be shipped a month before we leave the island so I will one of the carseats will be shipped off before we move. Then our car will also be shipped before we leave the island.

I'm sorry, I meant the third seat will be shipped. We will keep two seats with us. I would like to keep both kids harnessed. The Nautilus does not fit my 6.5 year old well in booster mode. It comes too high on her stomach.

Will a Nautilus fit in the airplane seat? It seems so wide.

Is the Frontier safe by just placing it in the box? No padding needed? Maybe some bubble wrap? It didn't come with anything except a plastic bag and the box when we purchased it.

 

[jennlana]

I would use the original box for the Frontier, and use the Nautilus on the plane. I can't imagine it would be too much fun driving to the airport in a taxi, getting to the airport and having to box up 2 seats to check with luggage. To help get the Nautilus through the airport, consider a travelling toddler http://www.travelingtoddler.com/ How does traveling with animals work- do you they go in the passenger part of the plane with you? If they do, maybe you could strap them into the Nautilus to free up another hand.

I can't believe I forgot about the experience we had when moving here! We also had 7 or 8 suitcases!

So box one (Frontier) and possibly take the Nautilus. We are not taking that many suitcases this time. But bc we are moving during the winter, we have to keep summer clothes out for Hawaii weather and pack winter clothes for the mainland. I think we will be doing lots of shopping once we move...it's been two years since we bought cold weather clothes! OH and we'll have the dog in the XXL crate and the guinea pigs...sigh...

I've never taken flown with pets so I'm not sure how it really works. I would like to put the guinea pigs with cargo, but I read that it's a little too rough for them. They will be in a soft carrier with a carry strap. So I'll just carry them like a purse. I'll make the hubby carry the carseat!

 

[Qarin]

If it were me, I would send both of the then-7yo's seats with the household goods and buy her a High Back Turbo Booster to use between sending the goods away and receiving them on the far end; then I'd pack the back in a suitcase and have her carry on the bottom. The 4yo, I'd go ahead and use the seat on the plane.