Has anyone actually used a car seat on a flight?

[PlumpRumpSoggyBaps]

We're flying to Florida in August and have booked a seat for our 20 month old. We're intending to take our MaxiCosi for him to sit in.

Do we have to notify anyone that we're bringing the car seat? Are there any specific rows we're supposed to book or anything?

Trying to find out on the BA website is a nightmare so if anyone's got any advice/experience I'd be really grateful.....

yes we have, on AA and UA though with an American FAA approved Graco seat. Americans do this a lot more than Europeans it seems.

you don't need to notify anyone, you will probably have to put it in a window seat so you're not blocking anyones exit, so i think the exit row would be out.

however i'm not sure if you'll be ok with a maxi-cosi (we use the tobi in the UK) can you secure it with just a lap belt? and how wide is it? airplane seats are barely wide enough for most car seats, unless you're lucky enough to be 1st class i suppose.

sorry i probably haven't helped much- i agree it is a nightmare trying to get information about this from the airlines even if you phone you seem to get someone clueless.

if you take it the worst that can happen is they'll take it and check it at the plane door - good luck!

Thanks, caughtintheact. It does seem to just scrape into the accepted measurement guidelines but I am a bit concerned that it won't squeeze in... I'm also not entirely sure it can be fastened with just a lap belt cos it has a weird red thingy that pushes that seat belt back into its lodgings.Ah well. Like you say, they can check it in if necessary. There's always the lap belt and lap tray to keep him in I suppose...

you could get one of these harnesses:

www.kidsflysafe.com/

lacks the familiarity of the car seat but a damn sight easier to carry through the air port!

I have, once, never again
Dragging it around the airport and onto the plane was a pain

Now we always check ours in

A neck pillow for our LO was far more useful

Yes I have done it lots of times in fact my oldest daughter was impossible to travel with out of car seat. In the US the seat has to be FAA aproved and in the UK they have to be European approved flying BA means being UK approved. This basically means that the lap belt has to work with the car seat. I called up BA and double checked that the seat fits, they ask you to measure it as some really do not fit in the seat. Virgin have their own car seat for babies and as far as I know so do BA but they are hard to get as there is a big demand. Dont' look at the website as they don't want to encourage people to use them call them up.

can i please also ask, you don't have to use one do you? we are traveling from australia to uk and really don't want to lug car seat around airport for 20 month old, and would have to buy a new car seat foo the trip which then wouldn't be legal in UK. (am selling current ones)

but what can they do if i turn up without one. could i just put him on my lap for take off/landing?

thanks.

Did you buy him his own seat, Weasle? If not, he'll be expected to sit on your lap mostly, and definitely for take-off/landing. You might get some kind of Sky-Cot for him to sleep in. They have always been big enough for my DC up to about age 2yo, but every other MNer insists that the SkyCot is useless for any baby over 1yo. YMMV.

thanks alardi

not bought flights yet, definitely getting him own seat, just did 3hr flight with him on lap and it was not great!

probably going to fly singapore airlines or maybe qantas/ba.

airline websites don't answer my question, so think i need to phone!

Weasle .. ask if the airline do their own car seat or infant carrier. I think I saw on another thread someone who went to AUS and they originally had a sky cot but then got an infant carrier for the final leg