Car Seats on Airplanes: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know (Part 2: On the Plane)

Welcome back to Part 2 of the Trips With Tykes complete guide to car seats on airplanes. The goal of this guide is to answer every question you’ve ever had (and probably a few you’ve never had) about traveling on planes with kids and car seats. Part 2 covers car seat use during the parts of your journey when you are on the plane and in the air with your child.

Don’t miss the other parts of the guide here:

• Part 1: Car Seats at the Airport
• Part 2: Car Seats on the Plane (you are here)
• Part 3: Car Seats at Your Destination

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Car Seats on Airplanes Part 2: Car Seats On the Plane

6. Should I use a car seat on planes for my child?

This is probably the most controversial air travel parenting question of all. First, let’s cover what is required. The bottom line is that federal aviation rules do not require that a child of any age use a car seat on a plane at all. In addition, children who have not yet reached their second birthdays may travel as lap children. Whether to use a car seat on board (and whether babies and toddlers even have a seat at all) is entirely up to you and your discretion as a parent.

Whether more should be required is the subject of much debate. All the experts (and I don’t profess to be one) agree that the safest place for a baby or young child on a plane is restrained in their own seat in an approved child restraint system. Many airlines have language on their websites encouraging parents to use car seats for kids. While a car seat probably isn’t going to do anything to save your child in the case of a major airplane crash, it can protect against more minor incidents like serious turbulence or a hard landing.

I bought a seat for my kids when they were babies and toddlers probably about half the time (as much because of comfort as safety), but have also traveled with them as lap children in a several circumstances.

The bottom line?: This is your call. The safest option is with a car seat, but we all make calculated risks on a daily basis as parents.

7. If I want to use a car seat, can I bring my car seat on board the plane?

Yes (with a few exceptions). If you have a seat booked for your child and are traveling with a car seat that is approved for use in aircraft by the FAA, then you can bring and use a car seat on board for your child.

Almost all seats from major manufacturers like Graco, Britax, Chicco, and others are FAA-approved, but bring your manual or look for the sticker on the side of your seat just in case a crew member gives you a hard time (it happened to a friend of mine). Car seats will say “This Restraint is Certified for Use in Motor Vehicles and Aircraft.” Plenty of seats from other countries are allowed as well if they have a label showing approval of a foreign government or a label showing manufacture under the standards of the United Nations.

Just in case you need official confirmation, here are the rules on car seat use on planes from the FAA (I’d encourage parents to print or bookmark this circular to have in a pinch!):

No certificate holder may prohibit a child from using an approved CRS when the parent/guardian purchases a ticket for the child. (Certificate holders are encouraged to allow the use of empty seats to accommodate CRS; however, they are not required to allow unticketed children to occupy empty passenger seats, even if the child uses a CRS.)

If you have a baby or toddler traveling as a lap child, the only way you can bring a car seat on board is if you know you will have access to an open seat. Check with the gate agent to make arrangements beforehand if a flight is not full to secure an extra seat.

8. Will my car seat fit in the airplane seats?

Probably, with the right preparation. Airplane seats seem to keep getting narrower and narrower and car seats are getting bigger and bigger. This means that some of the bulkiest car seats won’t fit in the narrowest airplane seats. Bulkhead seats are especially problematic as the tray tables stored in the armrests make the seats slightly narrower (the armrests in bulkhead seats also won’t raise up to give you extra space).

Consider traveling with a more compact car seat model. I’ve never had any issues with the Cosco Scenera NEXT which is highly-rated, inexpensive, light, and usable rear and forward facing. Measure your car seat; as long as it is under 16 inches wide at the span about where the armrests will hit, it should fit.

Need other ideas? Check out my guide to the best car seats and boosters for air travel for seats that are tried and true for my family on planes!

9. What if my car seat doesn’t fit?

FAA rules require that if an approved car seat doesn’t fit, the airline has the “responsibility to accommodate the CRS in another seat in the same class of service.” This means the airline may move you around to find a place where the car seat will fit. But don’t create hassles for yourself needlessly.

But don’t create a hassle for yourself by bringing about a car seat that isn’t likely to fit. Before you travel with your gigantic Escalade of a car seat (you don’t want to lug the heavy ones, I promise!), consider getting a more compact and cheaper one for air travel.

10. Can I use my car seat rear facing?

Yes. If your FAA-approved car seat is approved for rear-facing in a car and your child is within the weight/height limits of the seat to rear face, you can also rear face on the plane.

Even though the rules permit rear facing seats, this can be a source of some confusion and conflict. Sometimes flight attendants will ask you turn your car seat around because rear-facing seats often block the recline of the person in front of you. This is incorrect. Be polite, but stand firm, particularly in the case of infant seats that are not approved for forward-facing use at all.

If you find yourself in this awkward situation, you can always offer to buy a drink for the inconvenienced person in front of you or to have another traveler in your party sit in that seat (if that is possible given your traveling party companions).

11. Are there seats on the plane in which car seats are not allowed?

Yes. Car seats are obviously not allowed in exit rows (nor are any kids under age 15). But car seats are also not allowed in any seats where they would block the exit paths of others in the row.

In a single aisle plane with a 3-3 configuration, for example, this means that car seats are for the most part allowed only in the window seats. The car seat could also go in a middle seat if the window seat in the same row was empty, as the key question is whether an exit path is blocked for other passengers.

On double aisle planes, like a 2-4-2 seat configuration, car seats can be (for all intents and purposes) installed in either of the two window seats in the side sections or in the two center seats of the middle section.

12. Can I use car seats in business or first class?

It depends. Car seats may not always work in every premium cabin. In domestic first class cabins (the ones with the slightly wider seats with more legroom that aren’t in fancy pods and don’t lie flat), car seats should nearly always work.

But on many international premium cabins, the seats are so specialized that a car seat can’t be installed properly. Call your airline to see if you can get advice in advance and also check out the aircraft and seat types used on your flight using SeatGuru.com. Remember if you are traveling with a smaller infant that many international flights offer a bassinet in some bulkhead rows so those seats may work better for your family if you simply are looking for a little extra space.

13. Can I use a booster seat on the plane?

No. Booster seats are not approved for use in planes by the FAA. The good news is that most of the low backed ones are small enough to stow in airplane overhead bins. So if you need one at your destination for use in a car, you can just carry it along with you without checking it.

For even more space saving, consider packing a BubbleBum inflatable booster for your children who are 4 years and 40+ pounds to take on your travels for use at your destination. It is one of my favorite products for travel with older kids. See my complete guide to the best car seats and boosters for air travel for all the options on the market today.

The one exception to this no-booster use rule is for combination car seats that can either be used with an included 5 point harness or with a seatbelt in booster mode. As long as you are using the seat in 5 point harness mode, it should be approved.

14. Are there any alternatives to a car seat for use on the plane?

Yes! We have regularly used the CARES harness, which is a simple set of straps that connect to the airplane seat belt, turning it into a 5 point harness. CARES is the only device other than a car seat that is FAA approved for use on taxi, takeoff and landing in addition to in-flight.

When my son was a toddler/preschooler, we found CARES to be so much more compact that lugging a huge car seat through the airport. On the few occasions we traveled with my son as a lap child, we were also able to use it if there was an empty seat on the plane for him too. I highly, highly recommend the CARES harness once your kids have reached the 22 pound weight minimum. It solves so many of the car seat hassles.

Of course, if you need a car seat at your destination as well, CARES won’t work for that. So consider this option for travels when you need to restrain your kiddo safely on the plane but when you already have car seat arrangements at your final destination (or won’t need a car seat because you plan to use public transit for example).

15. If I don’t use my car seat on board, is there any where to stow it?

No. The vast majority of car seats are too big to fit in airplane overhead bins. There is also not another storage space big enough on board to stow them. You either need to be prepared to use your car seat on board the entire time or check it ahead of time, either at the ticket counter or the gate.

One of the very few exceptions to this rule is the new WAYB Pico car seat for kids ages 2-5. The Pico folds small enough to fit in an overhead bin! Check out my full WAYB Pico review to see if this seat is right for you.

16. What if a crew member tells me I cannot use a car seat or that I must use it in a certain way that I know to be wrong?

It happens. In fact, it happened to a friend of mine who was told she could not use her son’s FAA-approved car seat during takeoff and landing. Her husband was made to hold their child in his lap for the two most dangerous parts of the flight or he would not be permitted to fly (even though they had purchased a seat for the baby). Crew members are fallible human beings who can be mistaken or forget their training.

If it happens to you, be prepared by having the relevant FAA rules and airline’s rules printed or bookmarked on your phone. Have documentation that your car seat is FAA-approved (either the sticker on the side of your car seat or the manual itself). Be polite but firm if it is a matter of safety at stake. Ask the crew member to check his or her manual or to check with another flight attendant for clarification. Whatever you do, keep cool or you can find yourself at risk of being thrown off a plane for disobeying crew instructions. Usually all of this will be enough for a successful resolution, but if not, be sure to complain to your airline (and perhaps a consumer advocate or journalist) after the fact.

Here’s a link to the relevant car seat rules for the major US airlines so you can be prepared for your next flight:

• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• Delta Airlines
• Frontier Airlines
• Hawaiian Airlines
• JetBlue (and be sure to check out my complete guide to flying JetBlue with kids)
• Southwest Airlines (and be sure to check out my complete guide to flying Southwest Airlines with kids)
• Spirit Airlines
• United Airlines (and be sure to check out these tips for flying United with kids)

More Car Seats on Airplanes Questions Answered

Need more information on car seats and planes? Check out the all three parts of the complete guide to flying with car seats that cover every stage of your journey:

• Part 1: Car Seats at the Airport
• Part 2: Car Seats on the Plane (you are here)
• Part 3: Car Seats at Your Destination

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