What to do with booster seats when flying?

[4Ollies]

I would like to gate check them and not send them through with the luggage. That would be the one time they would loose our luggage and I really don't want to buy any more seats! LOL This is the first trip we aren't driving ourselves or being picked up by the Magical Express in WDW, so we haven't had this issue even though the boys are 6.

I thought I had read about people gate checking them but don't remember what you put the seats in. Since the airlines are cutting back on everything figured I had best ask.

 

[disneymayz]

When you get to the gate they will give you a tag (atleast Southwest did) to put on the item being Gate Checked. Then when you board the plane you give it to the person right before you get on. They then take it down and put it on the plane. When you arrive they will bring it to you as you exit the plane. Since it takes a couple mins. to get it to you there is no need to be the first off the plane since you have to wait right outside the door of the plane. You will just be in the way. We have never put ours in anything and it has come back to us just fine. I have heard of some putting them in trashbags or clear bags. They walk it down and they walk it up the only time it good get damaged is during the flight. I hope this helps.

 

[stacymomof2]

My dd7 has a backless booster and we just checked it. They put it in a (very large) heavy plastic bag. It made it through just fine.

I did see quite a collection of car seats and strollers at the doorway of the plane though!

I'm not sure what the guidelines are for gate checking. I'm not a frequent flier so I'm really no help I guess!

 

[tchanbaby]

They walk it down and they walk it up the only time it good get damaged is during the flight. I hope this helps.

Just a warning, they don't always walk it down...sometimes it gets thrown down!

I know for a fact, AA at DFW does that mostly

 

[Frye7127]

We just had our DS5 sit in it on the plane. It was a backless booster and it fit perfectly in the seat with no trouble. It is small enough to carrying around the airport and attach to our luggage.

 

[dmked]

I would bring it on board, they are not very gentle with gate checked or reg. checked items, my stroller's footrest was broken off on the way to hawaii and the cupholders were broken off on the way home! I checked my infant seat and even purchased the $3 bag, by the time we picked it up at baggage claim the bag was nowhere to be found!

 

[tchanbaby]

We just had our DS5 sit in it on the plane. It was a backless booster and it fit perfectly in the seat with no trouble. It is small enough to carrying around the airport and attach to our luggage.

You should never use a belt positioning booster with a lap belt only. It is extremely dangerous; for that reason belt positioning boosters are not FAA approved for using on an aircraft. Backless boosters are small enough though that they should be able to easily fit under the seat in front of you or in the overhead bin compartment.

 

[bumbershoot]

We just had our DS5 sit in it on the plane. It was a backless booster and it fit perfectly in the seat with no trouble. It is small enough to carrying around the airport and attach to our luggage.

Yeah, if they had noticed it they should have told you to put it away. Not safe and not approved.

 

[scooter15]

Yup, I would not use a booster seat on a plane either. Its not approved and they should have taken it away when they saw it.

As you know, AA is charging for bags. If you check in a carseat, they will charge it against your limit but if you check it in at the gate, they won't.

 

[4Ollies]

Yup, I would not use a booster seat on a plane either. Its not approved and they should have taken it away when they saw it.

As you know, AA is charging for bags. If you check in a carseat, they will charge it against your limit but if you check it in at the gate, they won't.

Thank goodness we are flying United out and Delta back. The prices of tickets are bad enough without charging more for baggage. I would love to have a fast train system to choose from but Amtrack isn't a good option for us.

I am buying backless boosters just for this trip. I am not taking our good seats because they are too pricey to be destroyed. Heavy too for that matter!

Thanks for all your help.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I'd suggest gate checking it or if it'll fit in overhead storage stick it up there. I wouldn't risk it getting lost or damaged checking it with regular checked in luggage. And to echo the others ~ booster seats cannot be used on planes *only harnessed seats*

I gate checked our stroller in April and my cup holder got busted off

 

[brenda1966]

I'm pretty sure I read on the American Airline site, they will not charge you to check a car seat (that's probably if you're already paying $15 to check one bag LOL).

I really don't want to see people taking up precious overhead storage for car seats. If you carry it on the plane, it should count as your one carry on.

We just check ours with the luggage and it has come back fine each time. However I can't say the same thing for my gate checked stroller. Lesson learned: check and make sure all the wheels are still on the stroller!

 

[luvmyboys]

I'm pretty sure I read on the American Airline site, they will not charge you to check a car seat (that's probably if you're already paying $15 to check one bag LOL).

I really don't want to see people taking up precious overhead storage for car seats. If you carry it on the plane, it should count as your one carry on.

We just check ours with the luggage and it has come back fine each time. However I can't say the same thing for my gate checked stroller. Lesson learned: check and make sure all the wheels are still on the stroller!

I think maybe you misunderstood-- the previous posters brought the seat up to the gate, at which point the attendants tagged it and stowed it in the plane storage, along w/ strollers, wheelchairs etc... They weren't brought into the cabin and stored with carry-ons.

 

[RaeRae's Mommy]

I'm pretty sure I read on the American Airline site, they will not charge you to check a car seat (that's probably if you're already paying $15 to check one bag LOL).

I really don't want to see people taking up precious overhead storage for car seats. If you carry it on the plane, it should count as your one carry on.

We just check ours with the luggage and it has come back fine each time. However I can't say the same thing for my gate checked stroller. Lesson learned: check and make sure all the wheels are still on the stroller!

Airlines within the US do not charge for checking a car seat.

 

[bbseq24]

We are flying to California for the first time with kids and would like to know what to do with car seats/booster seats. We have a 3 yr. old daughter. Is it correct that we bring her car seat on the plane and she sits in the car seat during the flight? It's not a backless booster seat because she is not big enough to be in a booster. You have to be 40 lbs or more to go to a booster and our daughter is only 28 lbs. We don't leave until October but there is no way she will gain 12 lbs in 4 months.

Any tips are appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[tchanbaby]

That is what we do and what we will be doing next week. My 4 year old and 2 year olds are both in 5 pt harness seats and they get their carseats installed on the airplane.

Just a tip: My husband preboards with the carseats and installs them while I hang back and board last with the kids. That gives him time to install the carseats with some room (as opposed to us in the row with him) and it gives the kids a couple extra minutes not on the plane!

 

[bbseq24]

Thanks. That makes perfect sense to me. That's exactly what we will do.

 

[disneymayz]

Is your car seat FAA approved? We have one that is and we have one that is not. The comfy one that DS can fit in (5pt Harness) untill he is 50lbs is not. So we can not take this one on the plane.

 

[bbseq24]

How do I find out if my daughter's car seat is FAA approved? Is there a list on a website?

 

[disneymayz]

Our seat has a sticker on it and I think that the one that is not FAA approved says it in the manual. Not 100% but it might even say it on the seat that it is NOT. You can always call the manufacture.