Originally Posted by
azepine00
$250-300 for carseat?
Cosco scenera is $50 or less
Exactly what I was thinking. In the mid-1990s, I bought two seats for about $30 each from Cosco or a similar company that were top-rated by Consumer Reports. Not only did CU find that they provided the same protection as seats costing several times that amount, but they were narrow enough to fit in economy airplane seats, although my kids generally occupied F or J seats.
One thing I never did was check the car seats so that the airline baggage handlers could mis-treat them. My kids actually sat in them on the airplane.
Originally Posted by
COSPILOT
You get what you pay for. We always used Britax car seats for our kids which aren't cheap.
Nothing wrong with that, as long as everyone is clear that the airline owes you nothing if it's damaged as checked baggage. We didn't check the extremely expensive Peg Perego stroller when we traveled with the kids - we bought a cheap one for $40 or so.
Unfortunately for the OP, they've learned an expensive lesson. It's good to know the rules before you act.