car seat on airplane?

[Beezle2]

Our DD is 3 and we are wondering if we can bring her carseat on the airplane. It would save having to rent one with National. Thanks to anyone who can answer We are trying to just do carry on luggage but if we could bring that it would save a bunch of $$.

alisa

 

[polly p]

Yes you can. It has to Be FAA approved for her to ride in it on the plane. It they tell you its not, just gate check it. It will be there when you get off the plane just like strollers.

We used one for my dd last trip. It was not FAA approved. But gate checking was much nicer than checking it. At least I got it back in one piece.

 

[Barbday62]

Not only bring her car seat but bring her stroller to the gate (This will make it easier to get everything to the gate too) They will gate check the stroller and the car seat can be used on the plane. We strapped the car seat on the stroller so it was so much easier keeping everythign including the child all together waiting for the plane. (I think ot be FAA approved it has to be a 5 point harness type strap)

 

[gw_lit]

I would offer a word of caution with using a car seat for a 3 year old on the plane. Our son is fairly tall for his age, but with sitting in the car seat, his feet were on the back of the seat in front of him... he had nowhere else to go with them. (We were on American and American Eagle.) We used the car seat on the way down and checked it on the way back. He (and the person sitting in front of him) were MUCH more comfortable on the way back.

But I would definitely recommend bringing your own seat, that way you're familiar with how it gets installed into a car, that alone will save you some headaches getting your rental car ready to go.

If you don't bring your carseat on the plane but want to check it, my preference is to check it with your other luggage. They will put it in a plastic bag, tie it up, and put on a luggage tag just like all of your other bags. If you gate check it, it will be put under the plane without any protection, plus you have to lug it around the airport.

 

[barb45]

Don't car seats have to be gently handled so they are safe in car accidents? I've seen them throw luggage (gate checked or counter checked) and I would be worried about the safety of the seat after it had been thrown around. What do you all think? We have the same problem coming up in December with my DD and DGD.

 

[NotUrsula]

The point of gate-checking (if it can't be used on board) is both the gentler-handling issue and also being absolutely sure that the seat is on the same flight that you are. The seat will still get tossed about a bit, but the most important thing, IMO, is that it won't end up on the BOTTOM of a 3-ton pile of luggage.

If you put it in a seat satchel, you can also pack some coats, beach towels or stuffed animals in with it to help cushion it from getting knocked around.

 

[crusoemom]

We have checked our car seat countless numbers of times (ds has 25000 miles on one of his ff accounts, and we take the car seat every time), and have never had it had any damage except getting wet on rainy days (they don't always put it in a plastic bag). However I can't guarantee that you would have the same good luck as us, and while the airline folks aren't tossing it around, they aren't exactly handling it with kid gloves either.

Do be aware, if you decide to take it on board,that most car seats are NOT FAA approved, and sometimes the flight attendants are sticklers about this (sometimes they aren't). If you have a brand new carseat, it may say on its sticker whether it is FAA approved. Also, the FAA may have a list of approved car seats on its website.

Good luck!

 

[mommi97]

Our DD is 3 and we are wondering if we can bring her carseat on the airplane. It would save having to rent one with National. Thanks to anyone who can answer We are trying to just do carry on luggage but if we could bring that it would save a bunch of $$.

alisa

Will DD be 4 by the trip date. I just found out from another thread that children over the age of 3 just need seatbelts, no carseat. I also just checked the Florida Dept. of Transportation website and it held true!

 

[gw_lit]

Will DD be 4 by the trip date. I just found out from another thread that children over the age of 3 just need seatbelts, no carseat. I also just checked the Florida Dept. of Transportation website and it held true!

I would still bring a car seat. According to the National Safe Kids Campaign www.safekids.org, children under age 8 or 80 pounds should still use a car seat or booster, as appropriate.

From their site:
Q. Why do you recommend booster seats for children up to age 8?

While most families are used to the idea of keeping kids in safety seats until they are around 4 years old, many are not aware that children need safety seats much longer than that. Vehicle safety belts are designed to protect adults and older children, and they must fit correctly to provide that function.

Looking at current vehicle designs, child growth patterns/charts, and general lessons learned through observation, many advocates have concluded that vehicle safety belts don't fit until kids are 8, 9, 10 or even 11 years old. As a result of this fact, combined with the fact that boosters are not yet widely used, we see a great number of serious (and fatal) injuries to children. Internal organ and spinal column injuries often result from improper belt fit.

I'm not trying to be preachy, but many states (including Florida) have woefully inadequate car seat use laws. I'd bring your car seat.

 

[madge]

Our DD is 3 and we are wondering if we can bring her carseat on the airplane. It would save having to rent one with National. Thanks to anyone who can answer We are trying to just do carry on luggage but if we could bring that it would save a bunch of $$.

alisa

we brought and used ours on the plane last week. no troubles whatsoever.

 

[beattyfamily]

I bring 2 no back booster seats for our rental car. I bought a luggage bag from Babies R Us that is specifically for a regular size car seat and both my booster seats fit in it and there's room still for odd shaped things like once we put our Halloween costumes in it and once a sleeping bag for my niece in it.

Anway, I then check the booster seats with my luggage. It's great. No need to carry it through the airport anymore!

I have never had any damage with my booster seats checked but have had minor damage to my strollers when I gate check them. I don't think they are any safer with gate checking vs. checking them with my luggage.

And the poster is correct in that ages 4 and up only need a seatbelt in Florida and that is totally up to the parent to decide.

 

[NotUrsula]

Do be aware, if you decide to take it on board,that most car seats are NOT FAA approved, and sometimes the flight attendants are sticklers about this (sometimes they aren't). If you have a brand new carseat, it may say on its sticker whether it is FAA approved. Also, the FAA may have a list of approved car seats on its website.

The above information is incorrect.

Almost all infant and toddler carseats sold in the US after 1985 are approved for aircraft use. One notable exception is that some of the larger Britax seats may not be.

Note that the FAA is not and never has been specifically mentioned in the approval sticker that is placed on the seat. The wording is mandated by Federal law, and this is it:

"B) Seats manufactured to U.S. standards on or after February 26, 1985, must bear two labels: (1) “This child restraint system conforms to all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards”; and (2) “THIS RESTRAINT IS CERTIFIED FOR USE IN MOTOR VEHICLES AND AIRCRAFT” in red lettering" [14 CFR 121.311]

Toddler seats that convert to high-back booster use are normally acceptable on board an aircraft as long as the 5-pt harness is still in place and in use. No seat without an integral upper-body restraint may be used on an aircraft.

The FAA does NOT post any kind of list of approved seats on their website. They don't do it because it might cause confusion if a particular seat model was ever recalled for other safety reasons.