Checking Car Seats?

You can do either-- check them curbside or at the traditional check-in. Depending on the agent you deal with, however, they may count the carseat as one bag. If that's the case, and you don't want them to count as one of your bags, you can leave them right outside of the plane like you do with strollers.

Good luck!
D.

We just got back from a trip and used Northwest. My daughter is in a booster so we couldn't use it in flight but if we used the straps we could have used it in her seat. We could have checked the car seat as luggage but were told we'd have to pay for it as a piece of luggage. I was concerned about damage and possibly losing it so we gate checked it for each flight and had no problems. Carrying two with two little ones might be a handful though...I wish you the best on your trip!

One Step Ahead has a wonderful product called the PacBack. It has straps and buckles (definitely use the instructions the first time) and you wear it just like a Backpack. We've found it to be VERY helpful in getting all our stuff through the airport.

Hi - you have to carry them to the gate for check in.

I'm not sure about curbside check in but I know you can check them with your baggage at the check in counters. Not sure if you might be charged for them though like they charge for luggage.

Just like everyone said you can check the car seat curbside or at the gate.

However, there is a product on the market that makes traveling with carseats very easy. Our family travels a lot 4 times a year by plane and we have purchased attachments for the car seats that make them into wheeling luggage. Check out the following website http://www.gogobabyz.com/products/gogo_kids.html for an item called Go Go Kidz. It is an attachment that fits most car seats (look which ones they fit on the website). We don't bring a stroller and instead attach the Go Go Kidz to the back of the carseat. Every time we have been in the airport we have had at least 2-3 people ask us about the attachment because they thought it was so neat. I am really surprised I haven't seen more people with these. It makes traveling so easy. Once you get to the gate you can check it under the plane or use the car seat on the plane. We have done both and I just leave the attachment on the seat and wheel my little one down the center of the aisle.

Only word of warning...the attachment is expensive ($89) and has some difficulty getting through most security checkpoints. They usually have to wand the seat. If you travel a lot though this is so worth the price!

Take them on the airplane, hook them in, and strap your children into them just like in the car. This is what is safest, and should be what you do. Putting your carseat in checked baggage can be the same as a car accident, they don't care if its a carseat or anything else, it will be tossed under the plane with heavy bags thrown on top of it, jostled around during flight with more heavy bags on top of it, then taken off the plane and thrown into the baggage cart, rolled down large 'hills' to get to baggage claim at your destination. IT WILL GET DAMAGED. Just because you cant' see the damage doesn't mean its not there, plastic is just plastic and its a carseat, its a pretty important piece of plastic since you will be depending on it to save your childs life in an accident, and with unseen damage to seat by airline checking into baggage... it compromises its safety.

Take your seats on the plane, and use them just like you would in the car. Trust me your kids will be much more comfortable, and so will you.

Obviously if you didn't buy a seat for a child under age 2.... then you can't do this. but then BRING THE SEAT TO THE GATE WITH YOU and request it be put in the closet by the door you enter the plane. At least hten its not treated like it would be in baggage and susceptable to being damaged and no longer safe in a crash.

IN RESPONSE TO THE 'if its meant to withstand a crash, it'll be ok under luggage' COMMENT- yes, a carseat was meant to withstand a crash... ONE TIME. After a crash you destroy a carseat nad never use it again, regardless of the crash dynamic, its never safe to use one again. I consider a 75lb suitecase thrown on top of a carseat the same as a crash, especially when in flight its jostled around and damaged, and then put down the chute to baggage claim. So yes, it is meant to withstand a crash, but then you can't use it again after a crash.

You can check them. Much easier then trying to lug them through the airport!

I think that you can but if not there are luggage carts that you can put all of your luggage on including the car seats. Good luck I did that with my first two as well we few from DFW to Anchorage. Good Luck! C. mom of 6.

if you are using the car seats in the plane then ofcourse you need to haul around with you. if you are not using on the flight you can check in at check in but i believe it counts as a piece of your baggage or you can valet check right at the gate before boarding and then you would pick up at the same place when getting off the plane. atleast this is what i have experienced. good luck!

When we flew with our infant son, we also took a simple stroller along and loaded as much of the luggage as possible onto it, turned the car seat upside down on top of the whole stack and tied it with a luggage strap. (we carried our son :)

Wal-mart and other stores sell those cute back-packs that have a "leash" attached that act as a harness. I think we paid about $10 for ours. There are plain kid-harnesses too.

(If you're worried about people saying rude things to you about putting your kids on a leash, when I had my kid on one at the local fair, I got nothing but compliments and "where can I get one?" questions.)

You can curbside check them. I would put them in a car seat bag (you can buy them at Babies R us for $25) or a garbage bag. We didn't once and ours came out on the other end super dusty and dirty. You can also bring your stoller right down to the plane and fold it up at the end and they will "gate" check it you just have to get a tag from the people at the ticketing counter at your gate. If you need any other info about traveling with small kids message me. We do it all the time!

It is different with each airline. We have done both, checked the seat's and also took them on the plane. It is much easier to check them with your luggage cuz otherwise you have to take it with you through the whole airport. That suck's! Also each airline is different, with one we had no problem taking the seat's on the plane but the next time we did it, they wouldn't allow us to have one of the two and the other one they said was okay so we strapped it in his asigned seat and then they tell us he has to be in a window seat so we had to ask someone else to give up their window seat. It's way to crowded and cramped to be doing that so we have checked them everytime since then. As far as the stroller thing you can actually check that at the gate and they will have it right there waiting for you when you get off the plane so you don't have to worry about where the kid's are when you are getting your luggage. Good luck , J..

You can check car seats at curb-side check in (which I recommend); however, with all the new rules, each of these would be considered "one piece of luggage". Since many of the airlines now charge for checking in more than one piece of luggage and if you don't want to pay that charge, make sure you can fit all of your things into two other suitcases that you would check for you and your husband. On the other hand, if you purchased them a seat (which you have to do if they're older than 2), you can carry on the car seat if you want them to sit in it during the flight.

You certainly can check carseats curb side. We travel often with three little ones and we never carry-on the carseats. They will arrive at baggage claim at your final destination. Also, they are not neccessary, but we bought carseat covers at Babies R Us for $20 each (I know some are less now). If you want the seats protected...its worth every penny!

T.,

Last time I flew was in Dec and they still took carseats curbside check in. You can always call the airport to confirm. When I fly alone with my four small children, I always check everything but the stroller at curb and check the stroller as I am boarding. I think the standard tip is $2 per item now - but so worth it when I was alone with 4 and the oldest was 6!

Good luck,
S.

Don't they need their carseats on the plane??
I don't know for sure, but I didn't think airlines were letting kids sit on laps anymore??
I could be wrong...but I thought this was a change?

We travel frequently and have a 2 yr old. The first time we flew we didn't purchase him a seat. He was 3 months old and I just held him. We have purchased a seat ever since just because it is easier, but once he turned 1 and didn't have his infant seat we no longer used a carseat in the airplane and we just used the seat belt, which keeps him safe from any turbulance. I would check your carseat with your luggage. If carseats withstand car accidents, I'm pretty sure that they should be able to support a couple suitcases on top of them. I see carseats on the baggage claim all the time.

We actually don't even bring a carseat anymore, as we normally travel to visit our in-laws and we purchased one to keep at their home. Way more convenient!

Have a nice trip!