Airplane Travel Q's

[iowavb]

Forgive me for asking these questions, I'm sure they are on this board somewhere, but I haven't been able to locate the exact answers I'm looking for! We are taking a family vacation to Florida in two weeks and I'm not sure what to do!

Q1: We are flying Delta, and according to the woman I spoke to on the phone they will check carseats for free at the counter? Does anyone have any experience with this?

Q2: If so, what's the best way to "package" them so they don't get beat up?

Q3: My daughter who is 50 inches, 50 lbs. needs a booster of some sort, what are your recommendations? We will be renting a car there and will need it around Naples and traveling to/from Tampa. She is in a HBB at home.

Q4: My son, who will turn three next week, is 40 inches and 35 lbs. What seat do you recommend for him? Should I bring our Britax Marathon? It seems like it would be a big PITA!

Thank you for your help!

[lmwbasye]

Q1: I have never done this because if it gets lost or damaged in transit, then we are stuck without a seat once we get there. I always bring it to the gate and, if I don't use it, then they just tag it for us at the door of the plane and we get it as soon as we get off.

Q2: see above

Q3: I would use a Graco Turbobooster.

Q4: You could use the Marathon. We've done this quite often and it works well. If you want a lighter seat, the Maestro is a great one for travel.

HTH!

[larig]

1 & 2. I once checked a car seat at check-in. I had a J.R.Childress (or whatever that brand is) bag for it that was padded and there weren't arms on the seat or any delicate parts or anything, so I felt fine about checking it there. BUT, should our luggage have been lost (including the seat) we would have stuck at the airport! That's just one reason why many people prefer going to the hassle of gate-checking them.

3. can't help with this one

4. I just took a 3.5 year old on a flight with an evenflo Maestro. it was a great travel seat. Lightweight and easy to install both on the flight and in the car. At home DS is in a Britax Frontier (harnessed).

[o_mom]

For your DD: If the highback booster you have can become backless, I would pack the back in your checked luggage (pad it with clothes) and carry on the seat portion. If it does not come apart, the Graco TurboBooster is a good choice for this - on sale at Target this week. That way if your luggage is lost, you will still have a backless booster for her to use until you get it back.

For your DS: I would get an Evenflo Maestro and just plan to use it on the plane.

If you take the seats on the plane, you know that they will make it there and not worry about damage.

[larig]

For your DD: If the highback booster you have can become backless, I would pack the back in your checked luggage (pad it with clothes) and carry on the seat portion. If it does not come apart, the Graco TurboBooster is a good choice for this - on sale at Target this week. That way if your luggage is lost, you will still have a backless booster for her to use until you get it back.

For your DS: I would get an Evenflo Maestro and just plan to use it on the plane.

If you take the seats on the plane, you know that they will make it there and not worry about damage.

I totally agree with using the Maestro on the plane. it made DS much more comfortable, and he wasn't nearly as squirmy.