Flying with Britax car seats

[october_mom]

We leaving on vacation in 2 weeks. It's two flights each way. We've done it before with the kids and have always bought them their own seats and used our Britaxs. It is a royal PITA to install and uninstall the car seats on the plane not to mention hauling them around the airports. I've ripped nails off and scratched my hands up really good in the past. They have to be forward facing and because of the way the seat belts are, the buckle relase is always in the middle of the back of the carseat. It is so hard to get my hands in there let alone any leverage to undo it. Any tips on making this LESS painful? There has got to be an easier way!

Lisa
Dominic 4.5 yo
Olivia 2.5 yo

****NEVER MIND***
I should have read the CPS site first! Some good tips on there and according to the site, they can sit rear facing. I was told on more than one occasion by the flight staff that they had to be forward facing because the seat in front could not recline. HMMMM.

[gatorsmom]

What is the CPS site? Ive had the same problems in the past and have tried to travel with out the car seats, just putting our toddler in the airplane seats, but he always does much better when he is in his toddler seat - which is what he is used to. Why would you want to put them rear facing? Won't their knees be up to their chests?

[october_mom]

http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/airplanetravel.aspx

I wouldn't put them rear facing now but back when they were younger, I tried and was chastised by the flight attendent. I wish I knew now back then!

[twodogs]

It sounds like you got your question answered, but I'll just drop in a hint for anyone else.

I fly with my RA, FF. I get a belt extender, even though you don't really need one because it makes the install much easier. You just shorten the belt extender almost as short as it will go, then attach it to the tongue side of the regular seat belt. Then thread the tongue side and the attached extender through the seat back of the RA. Then tighten the buckle end of the regular seat belt almost all the way. Then attach the tongue of the seat belt extender to the buckle of the regular seat belt. This way, the place that you have to hook it together last and tighten for the final fit is not behind the car seat, but way down by the buckle end of the regular seat belt (which is the side you will be sitting on since the carseat will be in the window seat). It makes it a breeze to unhook because you just release the buckle of the regular seat belt from the tongue of the extension and pull the extension and tongue end of the regular seat belt out from the car seat in one piece. I hope this makes sense to someone and makes it a little easier.

[Zansu]

For FF installs, recline the SEAT, and install the carseat. Twist the buckle one half turn, so that it faces away from the carseat before you fasten the buckle. Bring the seat back to upright.

[stillplayswithbarbies]

For forward facing, get the seat belt extender as a previous poster described.

But yes it is much much easier to install rear facing. And you don't have to worry about the seat in front of you, it's not your issue. You are using the car seat in accordance with the airline's rules, it is their issue to deal with. You are following the car seat's instructions and that is what the airline says you should do. You can also use the line "he is supposed to sit on a plane the same way he sits in a car and this is how he sits in a car".

[shilo]

Edited to fix spacing... sorry, you'll have to cut and paste the links.

try these straight off of the FAA's own website:

faa's own website says:

"CRS must be installed in forward-facing aircraft seats, in accordance with instructions on the label. This includes placing the CRS in the appropriate forward or aft-facing direction as indicated on the label for the size of the child"

so your britax's say 5-33lbs rearfacing right on the sticker stuck to the side of the seat (bullet #2 on mine). so using the two together, your seat should be in the aft-facing direction as indicated on the label for the size of the child :).

you can find the quote above on page 12, first paragraph on #15 regarding placement of child restraint - i had mine highlighted in yellow for them :)
http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgAdvisoryCircular.nsf/0/
4f3dc5f90ae9d270862570b40076711e/$FILE/AC120-87.pdf

this is what i used with the jet blue flight attendants when they tried to tell me i couldn't put him rear facing b/c the person in front of me couldn't recline their seat. i told FA #1 the FAA thing verbally and she retorted back "i know what the FAA says better than you do" so i asked to speak with the head FA. she also tried to tell me the same thing. i showed her this in print from the FAA's own website (as well as the one from the link below since he is under a year and 20lbs still as well) and the label on my britax. she was all set to go ask the captain to come back, but by then i had finished installing the seat RF and showed her that the seat in front of him could still be reclined. she smiled politely and left at that point - and was remarkably civil the rest of the flight, all things considered. FA #1 however, made a point of coming back to my row and announcing in a very loud voice " just so you know for the future, the OFFICIAL FAA manual we have on board says that it is the parent's preference, but that it is ultimately up to the crew's discretion as to where the seat is installed." i just kept my mouth shut at that point.

also had a copy of this one with me - bullet # 1 at the bottom says "Less than 20 pounds use a rear-facing CRS" :
http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/

hth someone, lori

Sam 5/19/05 How lucky I am that you chose me.

[mariza]

>that it is ultimately up to the crew's discretion as to where
>the seat is installed." i just kept my mouth shut at that
>point.
>
Yes, it's the crew's discretion WHERE it is installed, not HOW! Grrr.. I have had this argument with Jet Blue over putting DD in the middle when it was just DH and I in the same row as her. They made me put her in the window seat, but didn't say anything about the RF'ing. I say we all start a letter writing campaign to Jet Blue and complaining that their flight crews need to go back through a car seat course.

[shilo]

sounds good to me. anyone want to start a petition?

lori
Sam 5/19/05 How lucky I am that you chose me.

[HannaAddict]

Though you are correct about RFing and I would duke it out over that issue, you could still lose and be left at the gate! Unfortunately, flight crews have more power than they should on some issues, considering their education or lack thereof (I know they can have a tough job). We were ready for the big rearfacing fight on a night flight back from Maui with our son RFing in his RA. We were proactive and told the man in front of us that there was a carseat that would limit his recline, said we hoped it wasn't an inconvenience and offered to buy him a cocktail on the long flight. He was very nice, said no worries and we had no problems. I know that approach won't always work, but I try to be understanding of the other passengers, even if they don't deserve it (i.e. a woman on much shorter flight (less than 2 hours, not a night flight) was a witch who kept shoving her seat back violently until we had to demand she STOP and get a bit in her face about it. She was the sort who must recline her seat on take-off, after stowing her more than allowed, bigger than allowed carry ons and just being a joy to observe.)

Kimberly