Can you bring your child’s car seat on an airplane? – Not only can you bring your child’s car seat on the plane, it’s strongly encouraged that you do so. Both the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recommend that all babies and young children travel in an FAA-approved car seat or airplane harness device.
Both should be installed using the airplane’s seatbelt, and car seats should be used without the base. If you’re unsure about successfully installing the seat without the base on the plane, read the manufacturer instructions and practice at home in the car until you feel more confident. Once on the plane, you can also flag down a flight attendant for help if you run into trouble.
A car seat or harness gives your baby or toddler the best protection against turbulence, the AAP and FAA say.
Can I bring a car seat on board the plane?
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.
How to install a car seat on a plane?
How do you install a carseat on a plane? It’s actually pretty easy – 
Do you remember your first time? The first time you huffed, puffed, sweated, swore and possibly cried through installing a car seat, that is. Installing a car seat on a plane won’t be like that. It’s generally the easiest kind of installation you can do. There are just a few simple steps for how to install a car seat on a plane:
Find the correct belt path on your car seat for rear-facing or forward-facingLoosen the adjustable side of the airplane seatbeltFeed that side through the belt pathPray that your hand is tiny enough to reach throughBuckle the seatbeltPut your weight into the car seat (possibly with the airplane seat reclined) while pulling the seatbelt tail to tighten
Here are few tips to help you out
An infant car seat is the easiest style to install since the “belt path” is just two little arms that are completely exposed.For a rear-facing car seat, the buckle is usually between your child’s feet or knees so it won’t bother them. As long as your child is on the older side of infancy, it’s ok to install your rear-facing convertible car seat a little more upright. Sometimes that’s necessary on airlines with tiny seat pitches.The biggest challenge with using a forward-facing car seat on an airplane is that the seat belt buckle may end up right in the middle of your child’s back. We usually shove a sweatshirt in there after installing the car seat to offer more padding and that’s worked well. Some parents also recommend looping the short side of the seatbelt around the armrest so that the latch plate connects outside of the car seat.If your car seat has a lock-off for seatbelt installation pretty please read the manual to understand your seat’s particulars. The last thing you want to do is break the lock-off on your super expensive car seat !
That’s pretty much it when it comes to car seat airplane installation! The best place to look for details on your car seat is in your manual.
Does a 2 year old need a seat on a plane?
Flying with car seat FAQs – Does a 2 year old need a car seat on a plane? Do toddlers need car seats on airplanes? While kids under 2 who have their own seat on a plane are often required to use a car seat, kids over 2 aren’t required to use one. However, it’s strongly recommended to use a car seat to keep your child safe through runway incidents or extreme turbulence.
Can you bring a car seat on a plane? If you buy a seat for your child and are flying a US-based carrier, it’s your legal right to bring a car seat on board and use it! If you don’t buy a seat for your child (under age 2), you may luck out and ask for an empty seat. If you’re flying a non-US airline, be sure to check their specific policies before booking your tickets.
Are car seats required on airplanes? While a car seat isn’t generally required on a plane, some airlines do require a car seat if you purchase a ticket for a child under age 2 (assuming he or she is under 40lbs). Not sure if you do need a car seat on a plane for your upcoming trip? Reach out to the airline to confirm, but remember that the recommendation/requirement is in place to keep your child and the other passengers safe in a runway crash or during serious turbulence.
Are car seats airplane-safe?
First things first, do kids really need to be in car seats on a plane? – The FAA does not require any child to use a car seat, but it’s advised. While some parents of children under 24 months choose to fly with their kid sitting on their laps, the Federal Aviation Administration says that using a “government-approved child safety restraint system (CRS) or device” in a forward-facing airline seat is your safest bet, 
The CARES safety harness fits most airplane seats. CARES Basically, not all car seats are okay to use on planes. The car seat you’re already using in your car certainly could be airplane-safe, but you’ll want to make sure it’s a hard-backed safety seat that’s approved for both motor vehicles and aircrafts.
If your car seat meets this standard, it will have the words “this restraint is certified for use in motor vehicles and aircraft” printed somewhere on it. The FAA also approves the use of the CARES Child Safety Device for children between 22 and 44 pounds, as long as it’s printed with the words “approved for aircraft use only.” Rachel Rothman, the chief technologist in the Good Housekeeping Institute, says that along with making sure your seat is airplane-approved, you’ll want to make sure that you check its dimensions to make sure it will fit.
“Airlines with a website are required to publish the weight of the narrowest and widest seats in each class,” she explains. If your car seat doesn’t have airline approval or is too big for the airline’s restrictions, you may be asked to check it as baggage,
