Carseat placement on aircraft

[HappyMommy2]

I'm flying American Airlines next week with DS 4 (will use aircraft seatbelt) and DS 2 (will ride in FAA-approved carseat). I've never flown AA with kids before. I made our seat assignments when I made the reservation several weeks ago--turns out on one flight we're assigned to the row immediately behind an exit row. The person who made the reservation said that was fine but I looked on the AA website today and it says no carseats are allowed in exit rows OR in the rows immediately behind and in front of the exit rows.

I called back to change seat assignments but the flight is full. The agent I spoke to today said that's an obscure rule and I will not have a problem with the carseat being behind an exit row. I called back for another opinion and that person said the same thing.

I've always flown Southwest before so I don't know how to deal with seat assignment changes on full flights--do I ask the agent when I check in? Do I wait till we get on the plane and ask the flight attendant? Or not say anything about it since it's an "obscure rule?" (That doesn't sound right to me). Traveling with two kids and a carseat is a big pain already (to me and to others around me); I want to minimize the hassle!

 

[ducklite]

When you get to the gate, mention it to the gate agent. If it is a problem (I'm pretty sure they are OK in the rows behind an exit row, but I could be way off on this) they'll move three people in teh row behind you to your row and move you to theirs, or something along those lines. Shouldn't be an issue

We've been switched once with a family who was given exit row seats for dad, the four year old and the eight year old. We were more than happy to switch for the extra legroom

Anne

 

[NotUrsula]

It's been my experience on AA that the FA's *will* enforce that rule. However, they probably will not have difficulty moving another party, because those seats *do* recline (unlike the row in front of the exit, which no one wants.) What the FA is likely to do is take the entire party in the row behind you and move them up one row, essentially doing a one-for-one switch.

My best advice is to tell them at the gate that the seat you have been assigned is in a restricted row for the carseat, and ask them to request that an FA speak with you about it before boarding. This will probably mean that you end up preboarding, because they will probably take you to the plane to speak to the senior FA. If the decision is made to do a switch, the FA will then wait for the people that are supposed to be behind you and tell them that they have been switched up one row.

 

[HappyMommy2]

Thank you both for your input--that was exactly what I needed to know!