Car seat on plane?

[PrincessLogan]

I have a 2 yrs. old DD. She is too old to sit in my lap so do I have to take a car seat on the plane?

 

[Loops]

Nope. They are not required by law to sit in a car seat on a plane. We just got back from a tirp to Disney and our twin boys sat in the plane's seat wtih their seat belts on, they were very good about sitting with the belt on.

You will need a car seat if you are renting a car though. We used a limo company and used their seats, they weren't the greatest so I recommend using your own.

 

[marmar]

You can use the car seat on the plane, if it meets the Federal & Airline requirements.
On our trip to WDW last week there were several car seats in use.

When our DD was small (she's 21 now). I always purchased her seat on the airline and she always rode in her car seat. It was much more comfortable for her and help her understand that she was just riding on something like her car and was nothing scarey. It also kept her contained. She had been on car rides of several hours before, so the duration of the flight was no problem. (several of these were flights to Alaska...4 hrs between stops).

 

[tjmw2727]

It is not required that you use a CRS on the aircraft, but the FAA, AAP and most major airlines recommend using one for children under 40lbs on the aircraft.

We have always booked a seat for our children and used a CRS until they no longer needed one. You will need the CRS for the trip to the aiport as well as "most likely" traveling while at your destination anyway.

Be sure that your CRS is approved for aircraft travel, most newer ones are and will have a sticker on the back of the seat indicating this. Most CRS's will fit on the aircraft except possibly the very largest - a couple verisons by Britax etc.

In addition to the safety issue, since children are already familiar with a carseat and understand they must stay seated in one, most do much better with the carseat even on the aircraft.

I never really found it a hassle to carry a CRS through the airport. You can get a carseat duffle at BRU or Wallmart, some can be worn on the back and some can be rolled.

Most major airlines have a specific section of the website set up for travel with children.

HTH
TJ