Airport/airport transfers and carseats

[mommy2allyandaveri]

My parents will be bringing my 2 and 5 yr old from Sac to DL in August. Do they need car seats on the airplane (we've never flown before)? What about the transfer too the hotel? Do all transfer services require car seats?

 

[Shelebeen]

If you have a seat for your 2 year old on the plane, I would bring her/his carseat. My kids have always sat better - even napped when they have had their carseats on the plane. Now they are both in boosters - we pack them in a hockey bag (just the lower part) and use them in cabs/rental cars/vans.

I think if you are using anything other then a bus service, you will need the seats.

Plus - most airlines will consider the carseats as free luggage (ie you dont have to pay to fly baby items like strollers, pack and plays, carseats, etc.

 

[bethy]

For such a short flight I personally think a carseat isn't worth the hassle on the plane itself. If I were flying into LAX or SNA I'd skip any carseats and then take the DLR express grayline bus. Then no carseats will be needed at all. Otherwise, yes you will need seats for any rental cars or van-type shuttles.

Also, if you do bring seats then I'd use them on the plane (though you can't use a booster) rather than check them because it could get damaged when checked with luggage (and it might be damage you couldn't see.)

 

[all4fun]

I agree with Shelebeen. I would bring your car seat for the 2yr old and use it on the plane. This site is all about air travel and child safety, but there is also some tips on installing a car seat on a plane I recommend looking at. If your 5yr old is in a booster, that will have to be checked (I recommend gate checking over baggage checking) as boosters without an internal 5pt harness are not airline approved.

If the transfer is a charter bus style service, then boosters and car seats are not required, as buses do not have seat belts, and they are just statistically a lot safer even w/out the use of safety restraints. If it's anything smaller, like a town car or van, it will have seat belts & in this case, using a car seat is definitely at least highly recommended, if not required. It is without a doubt the safest option in that scenerio, even if the law the doesn't require it.

hth

 

[charmama4]

I have brought my DD little booster (no back) on the plane and just stuck it in the over head. In the past, I also have had to bring the high back booster and I did check it at the counter once.

When boarding, passengers traveling with children are allowed on FIRST!!! So, if you do want to bring carseats that need to be "installed" Grandma and Grandpa will be able to do this without having to compete with other passengers tying to get a seat. In addition, the flight attendants are more than happy to assist them.

If you are going to use taxi's or shuttles, instead of the Disney greyline, then YES you will need a car seat. Don't need a ticket or worse when not useing a car seat. YKWIM?

 

[all4fun]

I have brought my DD little booster (no back) on the plane and just stuck it in the over head. In the past, I also have had to bring the high back booster and I did check it at the counter once.

When boarding, passengers traveling with children are allowed on FIRST!!! So, if you do want to bring carseats that need to be "installed" Grandma and Grandpa will be able to do this without having to compete with other passengers tying to get a seat. In addition, the flight attendants are more than happy to assist them.
If you are going to use taxi's or shuttles, instead of the Disney greyline, then YES you will need a car seat. Don't need a ticket or worse when not useing a car seat. YKWIM?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but airlines do not always allow families boarding with small children to board first. So it depends on the airline. I know that Delta boards in "zones" and doesn't do pre-boarding. What we have done in the past is I would board first w/the car seat and get it installed, DH and DS would board about 5 mins later. This way, we weren't all blocking the aisle while the car seat was being belted in. If they are not used to installing a car seat, I would encourage them to practice in the vehicle with the lap belt. It's not much different than that. The installation tips on the link in my previous post were also helpful.

Also, the FA's may or may not be helpful. I wouldn't count on it. They are actually not supposed to install car seats for people. I guess it could be a liability issue for the airline if something bad happened. Installing a car seat on a plane really isn't that difficult though, imho. They shouldn't have any difficulty with it. Best way to install a fwd facing seat usually is to recline the airplane seat, thread the lap belt thru the fwd facing belt path & latch it, then tighten as much as possible. If it's a Britax seat, make sure they flip the buckle over backwards so it's facing the back of the airplane seat and NOT the back of the car seat, otherwise it will be hard to undo. when the seat belt is tightened, put the airplane seat upright, which will take out any slack left. voila! really it's pretty simple.

hth

 

[charmama4]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but airlines do not always allow families boarding with small children to board first. So it depends on the airline. I know that Delta boards in "zones" and doesn't do pre-boarding. What we have done in the past is I would board first w/the car seat and get it installed, DH and DS would board about 5 mins later. This way, we weren't all blocking the aisle while the car seat was being belted in. If they are not used to installing a car seat, I would encourage them to practice in the vehicle with the lap belt. It's not much different than that. The installation tips on the link in my previous post were also helpful.

Also, the FA's may or may not be helpful. I wouldn't count on it. They are actually not supposed to install car seats for people. I guess it could be a liability issue for the airline if something bad happened. Installing a car seat on a plane really isn't that difficult though, imho. They shouldn't have any difficulty with it. Best way to install a fwd facing seat usually is to recline the airplane seat, thread the lap belt thru the fwd facing belt path & latch it, then tighten as much as possible. If it's a Britax seat, make sure they flip the buckle over backwards so it's facing the back of the airplane seat and NOT the back of the car seat, otherwise it will be hard to undo. when the seat belt is tightened, put the airplane seat upright, which will take out any slack left. voila! really it's pretty simple.

hth

Ooops!! I should have clarified.. Southwest allows families to board first and the FA are more than helpful. That's why I always fly with them I guess. Can't beat their customer service and prices.

 

[Kfamily]

When we fly we always check our carseat at the gate when boading the plane. This way it is less likely to get damaged below with the regular luggage. Just tell the attendant when you line up to board that you need to gate check the seat and they will put a tag on it and load it into the plane after everyone boards.

 

[kerickson]

Ooops!! I should have clarified.. Southwest allows families to board first and the FA are more than helpful. That's why I always fly with them I guess. Can't beat their customer service and prices.

Actually, Southwest no longer allows families to board first either. They do pre-board, but it is after those with an 'A' boarding pass. This change was made with the introduction of the new 'A Listers' frequent flyer status.

We flew with our then 2yo and 4yo to San Diego last year. We had to bring 2 car seats since we were renting a car and it was a pain. We checked the car seats in, but forgot about them at our destination until we got all the way to the rental car place (they didn't come out on the carasel since they were considered oversized). We didn't use them on the airplane as I've seen other kids in carseats in the past and it seemed all they wanted to do was kick the seat in front of them. Without the car seat my kids couldn't reach the front seat and it left room to bring the tray table down for snacks and our DVD player...

I debated about what to do for our upcoming May DL trip (we are also flying from Sac to DL). I've decided to not bring the car seats and use DL Express as our mode of transportation.
Something else to keep in mind, car seats are also very bulky to carry around in the airport, and with your parents already having to keep track of their luggage, the kids luggage and your kids, it's one less thing to hold and keep your eye on...

 

[charmama4]

Actually, Southwest no longer allows families to board first either. They do pre-board, but it is after those with an 'A' boarding pass. This change was made with the introduction of the new 'A Listers' frequent flyer status.

We flew with our then 2yo and 4yo to San Diego last year. We had to bring 2 car seats since we were renting a car and it was a pain. We checked the car seats in, but forgot about them at our destination until we got all the way to the rental car place (they didn't come out on the carasel since they were considered oversized). We didn't use them on the airplane as I've seen other kids in carseats in the past and it seemed all they wanted to do was kick the seat in front of them. Without the car seat my kids couldn't reach the front seat and it left room to bring the tray table down for snacks and our DVD player...

I debated about what to do for our upcoming May DL trip (we are also flying from Sac to DL). I've decided to not bring the car seats and use DL Express as our mode of transportation.
Something else to keep in mind, car seats are also very bulky to carry around in the airport, and with your parents already having to keep track of their luggage, the kids luggage and your kids, it's one less thing to hold and keep your eye on...

Was this change in the 6months? I only ask because I flew out of DIA Nov. '08 and I had to wait for passengers with children to go first. I was flying solo that time.
Carseats can be a pain sometimes but for peace of mind I bring mine.

 

[sweakley]

Thanks to another thread on this board, we've decided to use Harold's limo service. Mention Spring Special when calling him to get a 10% discount. Also, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that we won't need to bring our car seat since we're using his limo services! Talk to him about it, he's great! His email address is haroldslimo [haroldslimo@aol.com]. He has a website also, but I'm not sure of the address!

 

[bumbershoot]

Was this change in the 6months? I only ask because I flew out of DIA Nov. '08 and I had to wait for passengers with children to go first. I was flying solo that time.
Carseats can be a pain sometimes but for peace of mind I bring mine.

It's possible those kids or their parents had medical preboard passes, which do allow you to board before everyone. But otherwise, the young kids and their parents do get on between A and B. It's nice b/c they don't have to worry about getting an A boarding pass, but for me it's nicer to have an A.


After one round trip with DS as a lap baby, we knew that we'd never again do that, and after that we had the carseat on the plane until I decided he was a seasoned enough traveler to go without (happened at 3.5). He's been great with just the seatbelt. With first time little flyers, I'd take their seats, b/c frankly, a 2 year old with JUST the lapbelt might not be the most fun on the plane. And the 4 year old might not be fun either, with the newfound freedom.

But it sounds like you chose the loophole of a limo (though I imagine they have sideways-facing seats and no carseat is approved for those, and that's why it's a loophole) so you probably won't bring the seats on the plane.

What's funny is that with buses I'm totally FINE with the lack of carseat, but everywhere else I'm a carseat fanatic. Weird little quirk in my brain.