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Our Guide to Airplane Travel and Car Seats. Everything you need to know from choosing the right seat to the best way to transport it through the airport.

If you’re anything like most traveling parents are, you’ve spent a considerable amount of time trying to figure out what car seats to use while flying with your children. Maybe you’ve considered ditching the car seat on the plane for convenience, maybe you’ve given up on a travel plan because it seemed like a hassle. I’m here to tell you how to travel with car seats and break it down in an easy to understand format.

Does my child need a car seat while flying?

Although car seats are not required for air travel, it is highly recommended that you still use one. According to the FAA, a car seat is the safest spot for your child, especially during turbulence, take off and landing. Your arms are not strong enough to hold your child during turbulence.

Keep in mind that in order to use a car seat for air travel you must have a seat for your child. Children under the age of 2 can fly free as a lap infant, but if you want to use your car seat the only guarantee to having a seat for it is to purchase one. Speaking from experience, infants are generally pretty content and “easy” on flights, however toddlers are an entirely different story. You’ll definitely want that extra seat AND that car seat to keep them safe and contained.

With that safety note aside, you may still be temped to rent a car seat at your destination or check your car seat for the flight. We don’t recommend either for safety reasons. First, with renting you have no way of knowing how the car seat has been handled previously, was it in an accident, was it thrown around? With checking a car seat the same applies, you’ve seen how rough our baggage is handled, if they handle car seats the way they handle bags- you’ll need to purchase a new car seat. Another important safety concern is for food allergy parents like myself, if you use someone else’s car seat, how can you be sure it’s safe and allergen free for your child? You can’t. Read more about flying with food allergies here.

The good news is, there are plenty of lightweight and easy to travel with car seats!

What Car Seat is Best for Planes?

There are several answers to this, and they depend on the age of your child. It’s important to note that booster seats are not FAA approved for airplane travel.  This is due to the fact that in the United States booster seats are meant for use in vehicles with a 3 point harness over the lap and shoulder.  Airplanes only have a lap belt, therefore booster seats are not approved for use on airplanes.

Best Booster Seat for Travel

If your child is in the booster seat age and you will need a seat at your destination I suggest a compact travel booster seat like the Bubble Bum which folds up so tiny it can fit right in your carry on. This is the one that we use for our 5 year old and we love it.

The mifold Grab-and- Go booster seat is another great option. We have friends who use this and love it. Whichever one you choose you’re sure to save a lot of space while not giving up on safety.

If you absolutely do not need a car seat at your destination there is one product, the CARES harness which will be your best for safe airplane travel. It’s important to note that the CARES harness is only approved for flying, not for motor vehicle use. It can be used for children weighing between 22 and 44 pounds and is a great alternative to hard back car seats.

Best Car Seats for Airplane Travel

I determined these to be the best car seats based on a combination of our experience and research into the sizes and weights of each seat. Car seats need to be under 16″ wide to fit in most airplanes.

Best Car Seats for Infants

1. The Chicco Keyfit is a great seat based on its small size and light weight. I suggest not using the base with this or any other infant car seat to save space and have one less item to transport through your travels.

2. The Combi Lightweight infant car seat.

3. UPPAbaby MESA infant car seat

Infant- Toddler Convertible Seats

1. Cosco Scenera NEXT This is probably the best value car seat around, it’s also extremely lightweight at only 7 pounds!

2. Safety 1st Guide 65 Convertible Car Seat

3. Combi Compact Convertible Car Seat

Late Preschool Age Car Seats

1. The Evenflo Maestro is the go-to seat! It’s incredibly lightweight and doesn’t take up as much overall space as a convertible car seat. Although it is a booster seat it is allowed on airplanes with the 5 point harness attached. It’s affordable too!

Now that we’ve navigated through the issue of choosing the right car seat for your travels, let’s talk about how to get this thing through the airport with ease.

How to Transport Your Car Seat Through the Airport

Tips for Carrying Your Car Seat Through the Airport

Since we only travel with carry-on luggage we simply place the car seat on top of one of our suitcases and stroll. This works well when we travel as a family, my husband rolls a suitcase with car seat while I roll another carryon and carry our youngest in my Ergo Baby carrier. This works out quite nicely for us, remember we only have 1 seat to carry since we pack the Bubble Bum for our older child in our suitcase.

However, a lot of families or single parent travelers would benefit from using a travel car seat carrier in the airport. These carriers turn your car seats into rolling luggage with your child riding comfortably and securely in the seat.

If you’re using an infant car seat the best carrier to get is the Baby Trend Snap N Go stroller/carrier. It is universal so it works with any infant car seat, plus it has a large storage basket underneath it. I used this all of the time at home and during travel when we used an infant car seat. It’s the best, take my word for it.

Here is a great article with 3 reasons you need a universal stroller frame.

Back to the carriers I mentioned above, here are a few great options. If you travel often you’ll get your money’s worth and your savings in keeping your sanity will be priceless.

Here are a few more important things to note from the FAA to make your plane travel with a car seat smoother:
– Make sure your car seat has a sticker stating it is Certified for Use in Motor Vehicles and Aircraft
– Car seats must be installed in the window seat and cannot be placed in an emergency exit row.
– Learn how to properly install a car seat on an airplane, most car seat manuals have a section with instructions.

So, by now you should have an idea of what car seat to use for each child when flying. You should also have decided the best way to transport it through the airport and you are now familiar with the FAA regulations on flying with car seats. It’s really not as intimidating as it all sounds. Go, have fun traveling with your little ones and if you have any tips or recommendations to share please leave a comment below.

Perhaps you’re pregnant and planning ahead to when you’ll be toting little one along with you on flights?  If so, check out this post about tips for flying while pregnant.

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Extra Resources:
Check out this post for more tips on traveling with car seats.

Here are some general tips on flying with a baby.

Here is a link to a review of one of the best travel prams on the market.  You may consider purchasing this one as well to make your travels easier.

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