Do All Carseats Fit in Airplane Seats?

The carseat is required to be in the window seat of the airplane, so you don't have to worry about people getting in and out. It is SUCH a pain to carry the big thing around the airport. I would also want to have my baby facing rear so she can look at me and I don't have to swing my head around the whole flight to look at her face. If she is still comfy in the infant carrier, I would vote for that, and bring a snap-n-go stroller along with you (also lighter to carry). Have a great trip!!

I use to put my daughter in the bigger seat and it worked great. However, you will need a window seat. The car seat must be at the window not to block the isle incase there would be an emergency. Good luck!

Will your daughter sit/sleep in the carseat when there is no visible/virtual motion? My sister told me her somewhat humorous story about purchasing an airplane seat for their young toddler, and bringing his carseat for him to sit and sleep in. Unfortunately, since the effect of being in a car seat in a plane was not the same as being in a car (no real feelings of stop/go motion and no changing images to view out the window), he refused to sit/sleep in the carseat. And since the carseat was bulky, it would not fit under the seat in front or in the overhead bins. So, my sister and her hubby had to keep the baby/toddler (about same age as your child) in their laps and arms, while the carseat was "stored" on the seat next to them. Basically, they purchased the extra plane seat just to hold the car seat...

We have the Alpha Omega Elite for both of our boys and we have travelled with both car seats. The seat does fit on the airplane, even both seats next to each other. They make you use the window seat (they let us put the second car seat in the middle seat) and the seat has to face forward (they would not let us use it rear-facing). I'm not sure what you mean by a "bucket seat," but I imagine maybe the Alpha Omega is safer so I would take that one if you are planning to use the car seat in a car once you arrive at your destination. On the plane, the only consideration I know of is that the child is secure in one place and can not go "flying" in the case of turbulence or an emergency landing, so I think either seat would be fine for the plane, but I would prefer the safest seat possible while in a car. The Alpha Omega is very heavy to carry around, but we bought a cover/carrier (from Babies R Us) that allows you to carry it on your back or wheel it along. I think it cost about $30 and was well worth it. I don't remember what it is called, but if you are looking for it and have trouble, let me know and I will find out for you.

Hope this is helpful!

I think most fit on the plane .... the larger carseats are harder to carry, but maybe more comfortable for the trip .... they do have bags for them with wheels and a handle.

Put her in what you are most comfortable with. The airline will require the babyseat to be at the window because no matter the size, it will block the isle. With that, judge what you are happiest carrying and you feel your child will be happiest in for 5-6 hours. Don't forget to consider security .... you will have to take the baby out of whatever seat/stroller and fold it up and run it through the x-ray. I would suggest maybe a front or backpack for the little one to help hold her while you are balancing the other stuff.

Also, make sure all of your food/snacks/beverages for the baby are on the top of your carry-on in a clear ziplock bag - that way you can quickly unzip and toss them in the containers to be screened.

Have a safe and fun trip!

Make sure either sit is approved by the FAA-there is a sticker stating so somewhere on the seat. We didn't realize this our first airplane trip and lugged a carseat around the airport for nothing, had to check it at the gate.

My advice is to skip a car seat all together for the plane, and check it as luggage. At 12 months old she is big enough to sit up in her seat. I have four kids, and only once have I flown with a car seat. When I did, it put my son in perfect position to kick the hell out of seat in front of him and irritate the passenger in that seat. Frankly, if a plane crashes a car seat isn't going to do much for you and they are a pain to lug.

Just because a car seat is airplane approved does not necessarily mean it will fit. We never bought a plane ticket for our son until after he was 2, we just had him sit on our laps and usually there was at least one open seat on the plane and we didn't have to pay for it. Once our son turned 2 we had to buy a ticket so we brought the car seat on board to keep him calm. It was a mid-priced cosco brand and was airline approved and did sit in the seat okay, but ended up taking almost a seat and a half of arm room and my husband and I were so scrunched together it was the most uncomfortable flight ever. The next flight we bought the smallest, most minamalist seat we could find and it was much better. And our son likes being in the car seat because he can look out the window. Good luck.

Check out your carseats first because not all carseats are airline approved. And depending on the airline and the flight attendants they may actually check your seat for the sticker that says it's approved before they allow you to install it. You don't need to worry about blocking anyone in because the airlines will only allow you to place the carseat in a window seat for safety purposes. We always flew with carseats for our little ones until they got big enough to kick the seat in front of them. When they are small a seat is good because they can fall asleep comfortably which really is a necessity on a long flight. The only real difference in seat placement (forward/backward) is that the person in front of it will be able to recline their seat if the carseat is forward facing. Which may put them right in your childs lap depending on the height of your carseat.
Good luck.

Just letting you know, that if you have a carseat and you've purchased a seat for your child, the airline will want to put that seat against the window. It's mainly cuz of the issue you spoke of - its a safety problem to block the "aisle" to get out, that's why.

I've taken a carseat for their comfort when they were small - but once my kids were big enough to sit up in the chair, I would just put them in the regular buckle and let them have the extra room in the seat to move around. Its tough for a kid to be strapped into their carseat (unless they're sleeping) on the plane for an extended period. You'll inevitably end up with them in your lap at some point for comforting, and playing with them, and wish you had the extra room next to you. The carseat takes the whole area. But you can fit it. Most airline seats have it where the arm folds up, so you can overlap the seat a little if it doesn't fit. But, unless you have a model with a really wide handle on it (infant seat style), you should be able to get it in, no problems. If you go to your airline's website, they'll sometimes list how wide the seat is, in the area where you can find out about their aircrafts. They'll give you seat width and leg area dimensions, so you'll know how much space there is all around you.

Since your child is 1, you probably don't want to take the rear facing seat. The area is so short, that the seat will get bumped by the person in front of you when they try to recline - or prohibit their being able to which will only upset them. Also, your child's feet will be right up against the back of the seat and they'll probably be uncomfortable too. If you're taking your stroller, balance the carseat into the stroller and let it do some of the work getting it to the gate.

Also, don't sit in the front row seats. Some people say wonderful things about the extra space you get, but The arms don't move up because the tray tables are in them.

Good luck! Hope this helps. Happy travels.

Are you aware that an infant seat must be at a window seat? That is what happened to me when I flew.

When I flew with my son they would always put the car seat in the cargo hold on the plane when I boarded and give it back to me as I was getting off, my son has never flown while sitting in his seat. It was like that on Continental Air, United & American...also I've never seen anyone with a kid in a carseat on a plane either. Usually the children are either small enough to lap sit or they sit on the regular seat next to the parent.

I do think you did the right thing getting your child her own seat though, even if they don't let you use your car seat, having the extra space will be a life saver, trust me.

Goodluck & have a safe trip.

Hi K.,
In the past, I've checked my carseat and let my son just sleep in the extra seat. I've done this since he was 4 mo. old. I just raise the arm rest between us and it gives them room to move around and sleep as well. Ortherwise the space can get really cramped and they feel confined (especially on long flights). This also gives them room to stand up and move around w/out having to walk the aisles.
Good luck!

We just flew in May with both our kids to S. Dakota to visit relatives. Our airlines rules were, kids age 2 and up could sit in the seat without a carseat. Kids under 2 in a purchased seat needed to be in a FAA approved carseat in the window seat.

We took our Britax Marathon carseats for both. We just checked in our son and gate checked our daugters so it would meet us at the gate instead of having to drag it through the airport. Also, don't forget to ask your attendant for the seat belt extender BEFORE installing your carseat. During our stopover it took me plus an attendant plus one of the airplane repair guys 30 minutes to uninstall the carseat because I didn't know about using the seatbelt extender.

So just check with your airline to see what their requirements are.

you should find out what kind of plane will be used for the flight and what the seat-width is. Then you can measure the width of the bottom of your carseat to see if it will fit. There's also a website that you can check to see what the width of the seats are on different kinds of planes. also, they give you the rules about which kinds of seats can/cannot be used on airplanes. i just took my 2-yr old son to SF and used his carseat. Did the same thing with my daughter when we flew. also, the carseat must be place in a window seat so it doesn't block anyone's movement.

Hi K.! First of all make sure that your seats are approved for airline travel. They will say on the seat. Second, child seats must go by the window seat - doesn't matter which way they face. If your child is only 19 lbs she should still be rear facing anyways. If you have an aisle or middle seat booked for her, you should call the airline and switch it to a window seat, should save you a little bit of a hassle the day of traveling. And third, carrying a car seat through an airport is not really my idea of a fun time - take the lightest one possible! If you can take a stroller through and gate check it that would be best, especially if the car seat will fit in the stroller for transport. Not sure about the Alpha car seat fitting. The airlines usually have information online about how they do things with carseats, which ones they allow, and the sizes, although I know you can sometimes fit a larger seat than they say will fit. I have been on many flights with my now 10 month old, and htese are the things we have learned! Good luck and happy flying!

I don't think infant seats are airplane approved. I think they need to be forward facing. It will say on the seat or at least in the manual if it is airplane compatible.

I think they have to be forward facing on the airplane. I would contact the airline. I just bought an Alpha Omega Elite and it had a sticker on it that said it was airplane approved. I think I saw something at Babies r us recently that puts your car seat on wheels so you could push around. I also had a car seat bag w/handle and strap which I could throw across my back (although it was heavy and awkward).

K.,
First off, they will not allow you to place a car seat in any seat but the window seat for the exact reason that you mentioned... no one would be able to get out in an emergency. So no matter which car seat you take it HAS to be next to the window. Also, NOT all car sears fit in the airline seats. I have a Combi car seat and it did not work (too long). I was able to put it rear facing, but had to jam it in and the person in front of us was not able to recline (she was not too happy). I would call the manufacturer of your car seats and see if they are FAA approved and able to fit in the seats. They should be able to tell you. If not, call the airline and they should have a list compiled somewhere of all car seats that fit. Good luck and have a safe and wonderful trip.