Car Seats and flying

[PrincessOliviasMom]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this but figured someone on the family board would know ...

I'll be flying with a 6 and 4 year old in October and will be renting a car once we get to Orlando. We'll be flying either airtran or Midwest. Anyone know their policies on carseats (the booster kind)?

Are they considered a carry on (and the only carry on for the kids)?
Can they be gate checked and not be considered a carry on?
Can they be part of the checked luggage? (would we have to pay $15 each for that)

I looked at the airline's websites but they weren't really clear.

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[ericalynn1979]

First of all, are you planning on using them on the plane? If you are, they must be FAA approved (should be on a sticker on the bottom of the seat).

If you're not using them on the plane, most airlines will accept child equipment as checked luggage without an extra fee (not sure of the specifics on either Airtran or Midwest as we generally fly Southwest or United).

You can carry them through security and gate check them as well. They generally won't be counted as a carry-on in your overall number of carry-ons. It's been my experience that if you're not using them on the plane, then check them as luggage, that way you don't have to haul them through security and around the terminals.

 

[PrincessOliviasMom]

Nope, not using them on the plane ... just for the rental car.

Thanks

 

[ericalynn1979]

I found this for AirTran (emphasis mine)

Children and Infants

AirTran Airways strongly encourages customers traveling with infants less than 7 days old to consult with their physician prior to traveling. One (1) infant under two (2) years of age, not occupying a seat, may be carried free of charge in the lap of a customer paying the applicable adult fare (AirTran may request a birth certificate to validate the infant’s age).

You may bring a stroller to the gate for ease of travel through the airport. The stroller may be gate checked just before boarding the plane and will be returned to the aircraft jet way upon arrival at your destination. Car seats and strollers may be checked free of charge; any other items are subject to standard baggage fees (i.e., portable crib, high chair, etc.).

Booster-type child seats, vest and harness-type systems, and lap held child belts are not approved for use in the aircraft during movement on the surface, taxi, takeoff and landing; they may be used during cruise flight only. The C.A.R.E.S. (Child Aviation Restraint System) is currently the only child safety device FAA approved for all points of travel, in place of a child restraint seat.

When traveling with an infant, you are allowed more than the standard one carry-on item in order to travel with baby-related items such as diapers, baby clothes, blanket, etc. We recommend that you carry on an ample supply of baby care items in the event that your flight is delayed. Security requirements prevent us from retrieving checked luggage from the cargo stowage.
Back to Top

 

[ericalynn1979]

Can't find anything about car seats on the Midwest website.

 

[AmyBWV99]

We fly AirTran several times a year, last time March 09. We have always bagged our booster for the 4 year old in a car seat travel bag and then packed other things in a bag and strapped it into the booster (the booster is not FAA approved). Even packing it full of stuff you are not charged for it unless it exceeds the 50lb rule. We take a car seat on board as well that is FAA approved (Britax Blvd) for use in flight. We could gate check it for free if we choose.

 

[DISdreamin']

One word of warning if you decide to check your carseat through instead of gate-checking it. We have had carseats 1) damaged and 2) lost.

The time one was damaged, we didn't realize it until I was installing it in a car and realized some of the foam had been broken (padding in the side impact part of a Britax seat). The time they were lost, BOTH carseats went missing. We had two kids at our destination with NO WAY to leave the airport! After they were missing for 24 hours, Delta offered to provide money to replace them - right up until I explained that these were Britax carseats retailing between $225 and $300 for the two they had lost. Not to mention they weren't even available in the town we had flown into! Bad experience, and it taught me to always have a backup plan (if you are renting a car, check to see if seats would be available should you need them - not my first choice, but better than NO carseat which is the position we found ourselves in!).

Good luck!

 

[pilotwife_02]

For those worried about checking them and having them get damaged you can bring them through security and gate check them. I would still put them in a bag to protect them from the elements but they won't be handled as rough as if they were checked at the ticket counter. I know it will be one more thing to carry around, but it's better then getting a damaged car seat out of the baggage claim.

 

[PoohGal05]

I wondered the same thing, as we purchased a ticket for our 10 month old, who will be a year old when we go. I called the airlines we are flying and the automated system said that we could bring the carseat on board. We're also planning on gate checking our stroller, since we have a layover.

 

[snubie]

I wondered the same thing, as we purchased a ticket for our 10 month old, who will be a year old when we go. I called the airlines we are flying and the automated system said that we could bring the carseat on board. We're also planning on gate checking our stroller, since we have a layover.

Since you bought a seat for your child, I would recommend using the seat on the plane. It is pretty easy to install and that way you are sure the seat will arrive at the final destination and with no damage. Gate checking a stroller is a great idea.

 

[PoohGal05]

Since you bought a seat for your child, I would recommend using the seat on the plane. It is pretty easy to install and that way you are sure the seat will arrive at the final destination and with no damage. Gate checking a stroller is a great idea.

After sitting at a graduation a couple of weeks ago with him bouncing back and forth between me and my mom, I'm glad we bought him a seat! It might have been a miserable couple of plane rides with him doing that!

 

[natnelliesmom]

Since your kids are 4 and 6, the same age as mine!, I think it's really smart not to take the seats onto the plane. Airline seat belts are supposed to be perfectly safe for children ages 4 and up. By that age they are old enough to sit still behave.

We have gate checked a car seat before- Delta gave us no problems with this. It was taken right to the gate and stowed below the plane with our stroller and all the others. Friends of ours had a car seat damaged with the checked luggage, and I have seen video of suitcases being banged around the checked baggage. I wouldn't want to take a chance that the car seat would be loosened up or banged up in a way that was not obvious to me.

If you are not planning on using them on the plane... why don't you just rent them with the car? It will save you A LOT of carrying and hassle. We rented them from Hertz when we traveled to TX last year. I called ahead to verify the seat brand and was pleasantly surprised to find that they were brand new in their box when we got there. My DH and I had to open the boxes and install them ourselves. Which is what we would have wanted to do anyway. When I asked why they were new, the woman at the counter said that they almost always rent new seats for the liability. I sure hope they donate the used seats to a charity??? But it was great for our family's trip! I think we paid $12.00 a day for the first seat and $9.00 for the second.

-Sarah