car seat on plane?
- Thread starter aussiegal
- Start date
We took a car seat on the plane on our trip last month on Cathay. I think you can use any forward facing car seat that can be secured with a lap belt. This is what CX says on their website:
Personal infant car seat is accepted on board if it complies with the following requirements:
Forward facing
Designed for carrying an infant inclusively between the age of 6 months and 3 years, and weighs 18kgs or less
Must be in operational condition
We used a car seat that was FAA approved. CX didn't check on our way to Canada, but we were asked if our car seat was approved on our way back to HK. We bought a Sunshine Kids Radian car seat from the US especially because it is narrow enough to fit into an economy class seat. I'm not sure if our Britax car seat would have fit.
Personal infant car seat is accepted on board if it complies with the following requirements:
Forward facing
Designed for carrying an infant inclusively between the age of 6 months and 3 years, and weighs 18kgs or less
Must be in operational condition
We used a car seat that was FAA approved. CX didn't check on our way to Canada, but we were asked if our car seat was approved on our way back to HK. We bought a Sunshine Kids Radian car seat from the US especially because it is narrow enough to fit into an economy class seat. I'm not sure if our Britax car seat would have fit.
Aussiegal, be careful! Have just travelled last week with Qantas using an FAA approved seat. Booked it in advance with them and got approval to use it via the Sydney office, as they usually only accept Oz-approved seats. However, the ground staff at BOTH ENDS gave me endless grief even though there was a message in my booking from the Sydney ticketing office! If I were you, thinking because of your name that is where you will travel the most, I would look at buying an Oz-approved seat.... Good luck!
Miaka - Just a word of warning, although we really liked the Sunshine Kids car seat and found it easy to use both on the plane and in the car, not everyone likes it. If you do a search on this site, mum of 2 has one as well and didn't like it. It is heavy, so if you get one, it would be best to get a car seat bag or a luggage trolley to wheel it around the airport. Also, if your baby is under a year and you need to use it rear facing, it takes up quite a lot of room and you may need to push the front seat forward. Not a problem if you have a bigger car, but could be a problem in a small car. Forward facing, it fit easily into an economy class seat on the plane.
Last edited:
when i saw this post, i sent out an email to the FAA to see which car seats were approved for flying. here's their reply:
The FAA does not control the approval of child restraint seats. Nor does it recommend one over another. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards are the primary standards that manufacturers must meet in order to sell approved child restraint seats. Only then are two labels approved to be attached to the seat and must read as follows:
This child restraint systems conforms to all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards.
THIS RESTRAINT SYSTEM IS CERTIFIED FOR USE IN MOTOR VEHICLES AND AIRCRAFT.
A list of approved, crash tested seats is maintained by NHTSA Office of Vehicle Safety, Compliance, and Equipment Branch.
For more information about flying with children, visit the NHTSA's website at: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/CPS/CSSRating/Index.cfm
the website seems to have a thorough list. sigh, no idea what to get (sigh) ....
The FAA does not control the approval of child restraint seats. Nor does it recommend one over another. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards are the primary standards that manufacturers must meet in order to sell approved child restraint seats. Only then are two labels approved to be attached to the seat and must read as follows:
This child restraint systems conforms to all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards.
THIS RESTRAINT SYSTEM IS CERTIFIED FOR USE IN MOTOR VEHICLES AND AIRCRAFT.
A list of approved, crash tested seats is maintained by NHTSA Office of Vehicle Safety, Compliance, and Equipment Branch.
For more information about flying with children, visit the NHTSA's website at: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/CPS/CSSRating/Index.cfm
the website seems to have a thorough list. sigh, no idea what to get (sigh) ....
Miaka - Your choice might be made easier by what is actually in stock in HK, unless you are thinking of buying one elsewhere and bringing it back to HK as we did.
When I checked at Bumps to Babes a few months ago, there were only 2 car seats that could be used on the plane because all of the others needed a shoulder belt to secure them. We didn't realise this when we bought a Britax car seat when our baby was born. We then had to buy another car seat to take on the plane which could be secured with a lap belt.
You'll want to to check the user manual or speak to a salesperson to make sure that the model you are interested in can actually be used on the plane. Probably not all of the car seats on the NHTSA list can be used on the plane.
When I checked at Bumps to Babes a few months ago, there were only 2 car seats that could be used on the plane because all of the others needed a shoulder belt to secure them. We didn't realise this when we bought a Britax car seat when our baby was born. We then had to buy another car seat to take on the plane which could be secured with a lap belt.
You'll want to to check the user manual or speak to a salesperson to make sure that the model you are interested in can actually be used on the plane. Probably not all of the car seats on the NHTSA list can be used on the plane.
Another thing to worry about now with carseats on planes, is a new style of seat belt that has an airbag.
Cathay already have it inplace on its new aircraft and are gradually installing it as they refurbish their older aircraft.
They have some confusing new rules, and it's worth checking first whether your flight is affected.
Cathay already have it inplace on its new aircraft and are gradually installing it as they refurbish their older aircraft.
They have some confusing new rules, and it's worth checking first whether your flight is affected.
We have a Sit-n-Stroll. The wheels fold up under the seat and the handle is telescoping. In the airports it's a stroller, on the plane and in the car it's a car seat. Both forward and backward facing.
Because of the design it isn't really an open road stroller, but is perfect for airports and malls. This way, when we travel, we only need the one seat.
Because of the design it isn't really an open road stroller, but is perfect for airports and malls. This way, when we travel, we only need the one seat.