Well, those options aren't as good as the rental car carseat for our upcoming
flights. My parents and my ILs both do have seats for the kids, but for a
variety of reasons, this winter we will have to rent a car in a farther-away airport for the
drive to their house. Once we get to their house, we could swap out for
the seat that they have. I do plan to bring a locking clip. My 7.5yo will do
without a booster for the drive from the airport to their house (he's 51"
and sixty pounds, so in some states he's exempt already, not that I would use
that as a guideline given the choice).
Since I have the memberships, the seat doesn't cost me any $$. We're going
with Hertz, which I have found to be quite reputable/reliable. My toddler will
be a few weeks shy of 3yo when we take the trip, and I'm not shlepping a toddler seat on
the plane when there is one (two, really
) waiting for us and when a 3yo
can use the lap belt on the plane (or, if I start thinking it wise, one of those
auxiliary shoulder things with that lap belt).
Cleanliness-wise, I'd rather clean the rental seat and then leave it behind
and give a good shower when we get home, then have to clean out travel
cooties from one of our good seats.
In the unlikely event that Hertz
1. doesn't have a toddler seat
2. can't get one from a neighboring car rental in the airport after I throw
a fit
3. doesn't even have a booster seat with belt-positioning that is sub-optimal
but would work in a pinch for a 3yo
...then I will buckle him in the lap belt in the center back for a short drive
to TRU, and expect a significant car rental discount.
We recently flew from BOS to ORD and drove to Champaign-Urbana, and
rented seats with no problem (both toddler and booster, from Hertz). It may
not be for everyone, but I don't think there's a wholesale problem with the
process.
--LG