Britax Carseat on plane

[AmyBWV99]

We have Britax Blvd car seat for our 2 year old and are getting ready to fly has anyone taken a seat that big on the plane and where in the row did you put them? I know the seats are made by a company that makes aircraft interiors so you'd think they'd fit perfectly but execution is a whole other animal.

We have the whole row of 3 seats.

 

[all4fun]

I have a Boulevard but have never traveled by air with it (We used our backup seat, the Cosco Touriva/Scenera 5pt, and then later our Evenflo Bolero). The Blvd is the same size as the Marathon so it will fit. The big tip I've read about installing a Britax on a plane is to either get a seatbelt extender when boarding, or at the very least, flip the airplane seatbelt buckle upside down before buckling it. This makes it so it's easier to undo when you want to uninstall the seat from the airplane.

The car seat will go by the window, which is where they must be installed so they will not impede the exit of another passenger. Since you'll have the whole row of three seats, you might also be able to put it in the middle seat between you but I have never tried that.

Another thing that makes it easier to install a fwd facing seat is to recline the airplane seat before buckling in the car seat. Once you have secured the car seat into the airplane seat and tightened the belt as much as possible, put the airplane seat fully upright and this will snug up the seat the rest of the way. Reverse when uninstalling.

Another thing that I read here that made getting car seats on board airplanes much easier was carrying it down the aisle upside down, with the seat resting o my forearm. Since the base is the widest part, putting it on top makes it so you don't have hold the whole car seat over your head to get it down the narrow aisle.


hth!

 

[kim_o]

We have Britax Blvd car seat for our 2 year old and are getting ready to fly has anyone taken a seat that big on the plane and where in the row did you put them? I know the seats are made by a company that makes aircraft interiors so you'd think they'd fit perfectly but execution is a whole other animal.

We have the whole row of 3 seats.

I have flown with a Blvd both RF-ing and FF-ing. RF-ing is a tight fit and is doable - the person in front of you just won't be able to recline. To RF the car seat, I found a belt extender very helpful. FF-ing it is very easy and you won't need a belt extender for that installation. But as another poster said, if you flip the belt, uninstalling the car seat will be much easier.

 

[Minniemouse07]

We just flew in December w/ our 2yo rear facing in his Boulevard on Southwest... no issues w/ it fitting whatsoever!

The car seat must be installed by the window (to allow every to exit quickly in an emergency) and I suggest raising the "inside" arm of his seat up...it gives you a bit more room sitting next to it.

If your 2yo is under 33lbs and fits in the seat rear facing, I HIGHLY recommend it. Ds was facing us the entire trip and it made it a ton easier to keep him happy and amused...AND.. he couldn't kick the seat in front of him!

I don't recommend the bulkhead seat on the plane, you can't raise the armrest and you must put all your carryons in the overhead compartment... I find it easier to have the backpack w/ the plane toys within easy reach!

You also cannot be seated in any of the emergency rows...good thing to know ahead of time.

You can read more about using car seats on planes here, and more about rear facing them here.

Give a yell if a you have any more questions!