carseat on plane

[littleducksmom]

in june i will fly with my 20 month old for the first time to wdw. i am unsure of what type of carseats are approved for air travel. i have heard that you need a faa approved carseat. i have looked everywhere for a carseat that says it is faa approved or has a sticker on it that says its faa approved. i am having no luck. am i missing where this info is located on the carseat? currently we have a carseat that can convert to a booster as my son gets older. will this work? if not, can someone recommend a carseat brand that will work. i will buy another one if we need to, i just want to be sure i buy one that will work for sure.

thanks for any help,
debbie

 

[marley]

I have never heard of such a thing or been question by any airline on my carseat choice.

We have taken an infant carrier and a convertible carseat/booster on planes many times and have never been questioned. Whatever you have, I'm sure it is fine.

The only rule they have is that the carseat HAS to be in the window seat. This is so everyone could exit easily in case of an emergency (so obviously you couldn't be in an exit aisle as well with it).

My husband always goes on first with the carseat since it is so bulky and difficult to carry over everyone's head. The kids and I wait until the last possible moment to board which makes everyone much happier!

Hope that helps, Marley

 

[MinnieGi]

I haven't heard either of an "FAA approved" car seat. Everyone on our plane down in Nov. seemed to just have their normal car seat, all different kinds of brands, they all fit just fine.

 

[littleducksmom]

thanks for the replies.....i am not sure where i got the idea of a faa approved carseat. sounds like the seat we have will work. i just never noticed before what type of seats babies were in on planes. never had to.........until now......

now wish me luck on the return flight, as i am flying back by myself with the baby.....
not sure how i am gonna handle the stroller, the carseat, and the baby.....

thanks again,
debbie

 

[ahutton]

We found the "FAA Approved" on the box, and for both of the seats we have it was there. I did not see it anywhere on the seat itself though. I would just recommend if you have more than one car, take whichever seat is not installed in the car you are driving so when you get home you don't have to try and strap your regular seat back in so that you can drive home. If you are interested in having an "extra" seat, I found one for $50 at Wal-Mart that was by Graco, it is slender and lightweight, which has been convenient for our trips.

 

[lookingforward]

I think most car seats are faa approved. I have three c hildren and all the car seats I have bought were. Now I don't know about booster seats. You should be fine. Check you car seat manufacters web site.

 

[raidermatt]

The carseat does have to be FAA approved, and their should be a sticker on the seat that states it is approved. We have been on two flights where the flight attendent did check for the sticker. I'm not sure if they would have let us use it if there were no sticker.

We have used two carseats that have this sticker. One is a Britex, and the other is a Century SmartMove SE.

The sticker should be somewhere on the side or back.

Hope this helps...

 

[SueM in MN]

I have seen posts from DISers who have not been allowed to use their car seats because they didn't have the sticker that says they are approved. It is part of the flight attendants' job to make sure the car seats are OK.
The sticker probably won't say "FAA approved". It will probably say something like, "Certified for use in motor vehicles and aircraft."
Here's a link from the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) page about travel with children. It does include info about car seats.

 

[raidermatt]

The carseat does have to be FAA approved, and their should be a sticker on the seat that states it is approved. We have been on two flights where the flight attendent did check for the sticker. I'm not sure if they would have let us use it if there were no sticker.

We have used two carseats that have this sticker. One is a Britex, and the other is a Century SmartMove SE.

The sticker should be somewhere on the side or back.

Hope this helps...

 

[SueM in MN]

I have seen posts from DISers who have not been allowed to use their car seats because they didn't have the sticker that says they are approved. It is part of the flight attendants' job to make sure the car seats are OK.
The sticker probably won't say "FAA approved". It will probably say something like, "Certified for use in motor vehicles and aircraft."
Here's a link from the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) page about travel with children. It does include info about car seats.

 

[SueM in MN]

Sorry for the double post. It was saying no valid thread was specified, but apparently it did find it.

 

[tjmw2727]

On each and every flight we have used a carseat the attendants have checked for the sticker and we fly (or used to) alot. The sticker should be there on the back of the seat. In the case of a carseat that can later be used as a booster it will state it is FAA approved with the harness or restraint system but not without. Booster seats that require the use of a lap/shoulder harness are absolutely not allowed for use on an aircraft. For the original poster, if you purchased the seat recently and haven't removed the sticker it should be on the back of your seat. If not, you may be denied use of the seat when you fly. If I get a chance tomorrow I will check the back of our seats. HTH
TJ

 

[Dr. Happy]

Hi There,
Your carseat needs to have a 5-point harness, otherwise you will not be able to use the seat during flight (as these seats need to restrain the child in the event of turbulence or a roll). A 5-point harness is one that looks like a harness in a race car; it has a buckle between the crotch and 2 shoulder straps that ride low over the hips and around the shoulders and buckle together. In addition, you will need to have a chest clip so that the shoulder straps do not spread apart upon a load requiring restraint...

Good luck!

 

[beattyfamily]

My experience so far (with Delta)...

They have NEVER checked our car seat.

Our car seat is your typical car seat for a toddler (NO 5 point harness). A bar goes over her head and is fastened between her legs. There IS a plastic piece, however, that holds the two straps by her chest.

When I researched this 2 years ago, I was told that as long as the car seat was made in the last 5 or 6 years, it's probably FAA approved.

If I were you, I'd call the airline to be sure of their policy.

Good luck!

 

[tjmw2727]

Calling the airline is a good idea. We always fly American and have had our seat checked every time.

I checked the back of my dd's seat for you, its the Century Next step, on the back in the middle where it has the instructions for safe use is the FAA blurb.

There is a red square - inside reads
"When used with the harness system: This restraint is certified for use in motor vehicles and aircraft.
"When used without the harness system as a belt positioning seat: This restraint is not certified for use in aircraft.

It was hard to find at first even though I knew it was there somewhere. You will probably have to take the seat out of the car to find the wording. I would do this ahead of time so you know exactly which lines to show the attendant if they do ask.

 

[littleducksmom]

thanks to all who posted...........i have finally found the sticker on our carseat. it is not what i guess i thought it would look like. if you all knew how many times i have looked for this info and it was there all the time.

tjmw.......thank you specifically. it is exactly as you have written. i guess i was looking for some great big sticker saying "faa approved"......lol. should have known to read the fine print a little better. thanks for taking the time to post what the sticker says specifically.



debbie

 

[littleducksmom]

bumping........as this never went back to the top from my last reply...just to let you know the happy ending

 

[iluvtig2]

We were asked if our carseat was FAA approved by the flight attendant. We said yes, however, we couldn't find a sticker on it either. Our new car seat plainly says FAA Approved on it. Point being, they never looked and it seemed like everyone else had the same thing, just different brands.

 

[S johnson]

okay I have a carseat for my quad cp 71/2 year old. It is not approved but for that matter neither is his wheelchair. It does not have a 5 point restraint. It has a seat belt and sholuder straps. I hope they allow me to use it because he can not sit in regular carseat or airline seat. What do you think

 

[SueM in MN]

hi, S johnson. I replied to your same question where you posted on the disABILTIES Board. Follow the link in my signature to look for my answer there.