Are you allowed to take your car seat on board?

[Rachel2796]

Hi everyone,

We have just booked to go to Kenya for this July and we have booked our son his own seat (he will be 13 months when we fly) on Kenya Airways.

Are you normally allowed to take your car seat on board with you for them to sit in during the flight?

We have the Maxi-Cosi Tobi car seat. Is it possible to strap it in using the seatbelt somehow?

I'd be grateful for your advice!

Rachel Mugambi

Hi, bet you are excited! I have flown long and short haul with a stage 1 car seat but I am not sure about a stage 2, sorry! hope someone comes along who can help

You'd need to check with the airline. Some restrict which models due to pitch and size fo seat dn the belt and require an approval sticker.

Yes, some airlines will even require you to take one. What I got with Singapore Airlines was that

a) you HAD to have a carseat for

Every time I have travelled ( the longest flight was 3 1/2 hour, so not really long) with children under 2yo, they had to seat on my lap with an extention to my seat belt at least for take off and landing. I would check with the airline too as they do not all have the same policies. I had never heard that you actually could put the child in a car seat on the plane but if they do I think it is a brilliant idea! Enjoy the holiday!!!

Thanks for all your help!

I think I better ring the airline and check... I just hope the advice they give me is correct! I'm sure you all know what they're like!

Rachel

I'd happily take my rear facing seat but my forward facing one is heavy (britax) not sure I'd want to cart it around the airport.

hi I have a maxi tobi and I'm pretty sure you won't be able to take it on board. I bought a Britax one that will last ds until he stops needing any sort of car seat as that seems to be the universally accepted brand.

Also I found that BA were very little use when I rang to ask - you may need to call your airline a couple of times to make sure they are giving you consistent advice.

finally you need to find a way to get it to the plane - really bulky to carry and turned into a bit of a nightmare juggling that and all the hand luggage when you get to the point of not being allowed a trolley.

having said all that it was really worth having it on board, helped a lot for keeping ds contained and comfortable.

we just got back from cape town flying with BA with 16 month DS we booked a seat and took our Maxi Cosi XP on board for the night flight on the way over and it was brilliant.

They let him sit in the car seat for take off but a different steward said we had to have him on our lap for landing (so difference of opinion there so some things seem to be staff dependent). For turbulence he can stay in the car seat and you don't have to disturb the sleep unlike if using the sky cot or britax chair.

on the way back we put car seatin the hold as it was a day time flight so we went for the extra space and booked bulkhead seat to get the britax seat for his sleeps. Worked like a drea. Would highly recommned it

A maxi cosi tobi cannot be fitted with just a lap belt so would be no use on the plane

gingerrage

Thanks for the advice - we love CPT - hope you had a great time!

Can I ask what a "britax seat" is? Although I am thinking it is something which BA have which KQ will NOT have lol!

Thanks!

Thank you IwishIwasmoreorganised - will probably borrow/buy/eBay another brand for the trip!
Rachel