Does a Marathon really fit in ALL planes?

[vpalmer]

Has anyone had trouble putting a Marathon in a smaller plane? Last month we took a direct American Airlines flight from Little Rock to Chicago on a CR7. Each row has 2 seats instead of the standard three. We had a horrible time getting the Marathon secured. The big problem was that the back of the Marathon would not fit up against the back of the airline seat. When I asked the flight attendant for help she looked at me like I had 3 eyes. She said she had never installed a seat before. I finally reclined the seat and got an OK install but this only worked because the flight was fairly empty and there was no one seated behind us. It was a horrible experience and was compounded by the fact that AA virtually eliminated pre-boarding for families and we ended up being one of the last to board by the time we schlepped all of our stuff to the line. So I felt pressure to get the seat installed quickly which did not happen.

We are flying again in December and I am determined not to go through this crap again. Once again it is a direct flight from Little Rock and the plane is an ERJ 145.

Here is a link to the plane:
http://www.embraer.com/english/content/aeronaves/aviacao_comercial/erj145/

This plane is even smaller than the CR7! There are two seats on one side of the aisle and one seat on the other side. I have already made our reservations and we have the entire second row reserved for the three of us. My dilemma is what to do about the car seat? I know there will be someone behind us because we are at the front of the plane and there is no way we can recline the seat. I am tempted to just check the seat and let Eva use the lap belt. Honestly, the way I had to install the seat I felt like the seat was more of a danger than anything!

I am so sorry to be so long winded. Here is my question: has anyone taken a Marathon on a small regional plane? What was your experience? Do you have any tips for me?

Thanks,

Veronica
Mom to Eva
Born 6-03

[DebbieJ]

Karen (stillplayswithbarbies) flies with her MA all the time and has fit it on almost every plane it seems! Hopefully she will chime in with more info for you!

~ deb
DS 12/03
And a niece or nephew arriving in early August!

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/10029.gif

[stillplayswithbarbies]

I could swear I posted to this, but it's not here

I have used my Marathon in that exact plane, but I installed it rear facing. If she is not yet 33 pounds, you can do it rear facing.

You can also recline the airplane seat to install the carseat and then when you put the airplane seat back upright, it tightens the install. That is kind of a false sense of security though since in a crash the back of an airplane seat is designed to snap off, so it would leave you with a loose carseat. But it would be safe for turbulence etc.

Don't worry about the comfort of the passengers behind or in front of you. You paid for a seat, you are using it within the rules of the airline, it is the airline's responsibility to take care of the comfort of those other passengers, not yours.

Here is a link to my post with pics of the Marathon on a plane:
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=13&topic_id=27181&mesg_id=27181&listing_type=search

...Karen
DS Jake Feb 91, DD Logan Mar 03
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[Twin Mom]

Although the MA is supposed to fit, just b/c it is FAA approved doesn't guarantee that it will. We have both MAs and RAs and b/c we were nervous about how the MAs would fit on the plane, we just use the RAs everytime we fly. Assuming your DD is small enough for an RA, perhaps you could trade your MA for a friend's RA while you were on your trip. I think in my older version of the BBB, the Fields had some recommendations for seats that were inexpensive and light to just use for travel if you don't want to borrow a seat.

When we were on vacation last Christmas, we flew on a super small plane where car seats wouldn't fit at all. Those of us with small children were outraged that car seats could not be used on the plane as we were not told this up front. Besides, we had to pay for seats when our kids couldn't really use them safely. It would be nice if the airlines informed you of this since they know you traveling with children when you book your ticket at least if they are 2 or under.

Since you are flying on a small plane I would ask the airline up front if a car seat will fit, but be prepared for them to not know the answer or tell you the wrong thing. Unfortunately the airline people are so uninformed about car seats that the only way I think you will really know is when you get on the plane and try to install the seat.

You may want to search in the Car Seat forum too as I think this issue has been discussed there before. Sorry this is so long and is not the reassurance you were looking for but better to be prepared than surprised.

Good luck with your trip.

[hobey]

I've flown on that plane before with a MA and it fit but like Karen, we installed it rear-facing. I agree with not worrying about reclining your seat as you did pay for it.

As for the no pre-boarding nonsense? We fly AA all the time and just ignore it and board when they announce general boarding. The gate agents are pretty good about letting you get on (for the sake of keeping on schedule) and we haven't had any issues so far.

HTH,

Raquel
Nathan's Mom 12/19/03

Edited: Spelling

[stillplayswithbarbies]

The Marathon and the Roundabout have the same base, so if one fits so will the other.

In fact, the older Roundabouts have a bigger base than the Marathon and would be harder to fit on the seat. I have one of the older non-LATCH Roundabouts and don't take it on airplanes because it is wider in the base than my Marathon.

...Karen
DS Jake Feb 91, DD Logan Mar 03
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[californiagirl]

Weelll... technically the FAA says the carseat has to fit in the airplane seat
and lists a max width of 17", which is basically narrower than any
widely used carseat. As I remember, the Roundabout is 19". So it's quite possible
for a Roundabout or Marathon NOT to meet FAA regs. If you have to put
the armrest up to install it, it doesn't pass, technically.

That said, I've never had anybody try to enforce the actual FAA rule
on me. I've had people tell me I can't rearface, and that's just not
true. Never once has anybody tried to tell me the seat was too wide,
even when it probably was.

There are certainly some planes, mostly charter flights, that use seats
that are the FAA minimum 17" wide, and neither a Roundabout or
a Marathon will fit. So no, it doesn't fit in ALL planes, just most of
them.

[californiagirl]

My worry about reclining the seat would not be the comfort of the passenger behind -- it would be the FAA regs stating the seat must be upright for takeoff.

I'm with you on the pre-boarding; United doesn't pre-board either, anymore. We just line up to board when they call pre-boarding anyway. So far they've never been willing to turn us away. They blew us off when we complained about it, though.

[hellokitty1]

After taking the Marathon on a short plane trip, we ended up getting a Regal Ride for our Hawaii trip. It was really hard for us to carry the Marathon around (somewhat heavy and bulky) and though it fit in the airplane fine, it was really tight.

We were glad we got the Regal Ride and it wasn't too costly. Got it at Target. I think it is Cosco(?).

HTH.
Vivian
Mom to Sydney (4/24/03)
www.thelins.znot.net (FINALLY updated 6/15/05!)

[stillplayswithbarbies]

It does fit on seats that are 17" wide. And both the Marathon and the Roundabout have a sticker saying they are approved for airlines. I have had the Marathon on planes that state their seat width is 17". In fact the plane in the pictures on my other thread has seats that are 17" wide, according to http://www.seatguru.com and you can see it fits fine.

The width of the base of the carseat is less than the width of the airplane seat. It doesn't matter if the sides of the seat extend beyond that. (some *people* extend beyond that, including myself)

And there is no rule that says the armrests have to be down on the plane.

...Karen
DS Jake Feb 91, DD Logan Mar 03
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