carseats on Southwest

[new mom11]

My husaband and I will be taking our 15 mo old son for the first time. Planning on buying a seat for him, but I've read that they can be no wider that 16". Have a Britax Roundabout seat and was wondering if anyone has used these on SW yet. Hoping I don't have to buy a smaller seat just to use on the plane.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by new mom11
My husaband and I will be taking our 15 mo old son for the first time. Planning on buying a seat for him, but I've read that they can be no wider that 16". Have a Britax Roundabout seat and was wondering if anyone has used these on SW yet. Hoping I don't have to buy a smaller seat just to use on the plane.

Is it FAA approved? Here is a link.

What is an appropriate CRD?
Many child safety seats that are designed for use in automobiles are also appropriate for use on aircraft. Appropriate CRDs should have hard sides and backs, include integrated shoulder straps, and secure to a passenger seat via channels through which the seatbelt is threaded and attached. Many of these carry the FMVSS.213 insignia and/or language indicating that they are "approved for use in motor vehicles and on aircraft."

Although one might think that any type of restraint device would provide at least some degree of flight safety enhancement, this is not the case. Some child restraints may do a good job of protecting children in automobiles or in other situations, but are not appropriate for aviation use. Recent testing and research have led the FAA to ban the use on aircraft of certain types of child restraints that may be harmful to a child in the event of an aviation emergency. These include booster seats, safety belt extensions (commonly referred to as "belly belts"), and vest or harness devices that attach to an adult or to the seatbelt of the child's own seat. Although some were manufactured before the FAA's ban may carry an insignia and/or language indicating they are approved for aircraft use, please understand that they are no longer permitted.

http://www.southwestair.com/travel_center/infants.html

 

[JennsBabySky]

The Roundabout is definitely FAA approved. I hope it will fit in the plane, I'm bringing mine in September! However, I don't know anyone that has used the Roundabout, so I can't say for sure. The base of the Roundabout is fairly small, so I feel comfortable that it will fit. Although, I'd love for you to post here after your trip and confirm if it does (or doesn't). Also, if you still have your son rearfacing and feel more comfortable with this, you can install the seat rearfacing on the plane.

I'm pretty neurotic about carseats and one of my favorite message boards is the car seat board at Parents Place. They have a lot of certified technicians who frequent the board, so you might want to post the question there. Here is a link:

http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-ppcarseats

Have a wonderful trip!!

Jennifer

 

[becka]

Yikes!

We actually have the Britax Marathon and I think it is even a little larger than the Roundabout. I never considered the size to be a problem because it says it is FAA approved.

Any experiences out there?

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Becka,
Some airlines state that the carseat cannot exceed 16" ( I would presume base) because they won't fit in the seat. They also cannot flange outside of the seat area. It would lbe nice if the FAA came up with a list of car seats acceptable and would fit in the seats.

 

[NotUrsula]

Normally, if it is FAA approved, an inch or two over the recommended width isn't going to be an issue as long as you can move at least one of the aircraft armrests. The reality is that if the armrests don't lift, securing the seat is going to be next to impossible in any case.

The difficulty in securing carseats in an aircraft is that carseats are designed to accomodate seatbelts that buckle on the side; aircraft seatbelts buckle in the center of the seat. You need the armrests out of the way so that you can slide your forearm behind the carseat to work the buckles. You can do it more easily if you open up the plane's belt to it's full extension before putting the seat in position and latching the buckle; then pull the free end of the seatbelt strap to tighten it down. The REALLY hard part is getting the seat unlatched in order to remove at the end of the flight -- in some cases the easiest way to reach into that space is to go around into the row behind you and slip your hand between the seat cushions.

The trickiest part of using a wider seat onboard is just getting it onboard. It won't fit down the aisle, so you have to hold it over the seatbacks to carry it on. If you're short like me, the only practical way to carry it and still be able to sort of see where you're going is to hold it upside-down and sideways.

 

[becka]

Do all of the armrests on the 737's flown by SW raise up? I never really thought about this being a problem but I hate to think of buying another carseat just for this trip besides the fact that I bought this carseat because I felt it was the safest and best thing for my son so anything else I would not feel as good about.

 

[lulugirl]

I have used our Britax Roundabout and Britax Marathon on Southwest w/ out any problem. Also, we have always been allowed to preboard, which is nice because you get good seats and some extra time to install the carseat and get settled.
Enjoy your trip!

 

[becka]

Thanks Lulugirl!!!

That makes me feel so much better because I really like (and DS seems to like it as well) our Britax Marathon.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by becka
Do all of the armrests on the 737's flown by SW raise up? I never really thought about this being a problem but I hate to think of buying another carseat just for this trip besides the fact that I bought this carseat because I felt it was the safest and best thing for my son so anything else I would not feel as good about.

Yep, they sure do.

 

[new mom11]

thanks all for the great info. I feel better knowing that my seat will fit. We have a seat reserved for our son (FYI: they will reserve a seat w/out payment.) My sister is a travel agent and SW's policy is the seat does not have to be ticketed/paid for until 1 hour prior to the flight. At that point she said they can give you a pretty good idea on whether or not the flight is full or not. If there's plenty of space left you can not purchase the ticket, but still take the seat and be able to use it. I guess there's no guarantee that the filght will not somehow sell out within that hour, but it may save you the cost. We'll play it by ear, but I definitely want him to be in his seat!

Jennifer, I'm glad to hear I'm not the only neurotic mom when it comes to car seats. I know all parents love their kids, but I find it astounding how ignorant some can be when it comes to car seat installation. Just look at the statistics. Many think as long as it's buckled, they're fine. I have a friend whose 3 year old was in a seat where if she leaned over too far, she'd fall sideways in the seat!! She said "if there's an accident, the belt will lock and hold it in place"!Okay enough said, I'm starting to lecture.

Again, thanks, all for the info. I appreciate it!