opus2002

Wife, 1-yr old baby and I are flying Southwest on a 737-700. Reviews on Seatguru said the seats are very cramp with minimal shoulder room. Seatguru list seat width at 17" with seat patch at 31". I am wondering if a Chico Key Fit 30 car seat will fit.

Also, I don't need the car seat base on the plane right? (I'll check in the base.) Also, since this is an infant seat, I assume I need to install it rear facing???

Lastly, where am I supposed to put the car seat? Window, center or aisle seat? I called Southwest, they said any seat. I got the impression that a car seat can't block any other seat from exiting.

chetatkinsdiet

So I did this a LOT with my first when I was doing MDW to SAN every 3 weeks.

I always found it easier to bring the base and strap the base in.

I don't know your specific car seat, though I got our Graco in there and our britax seats in there- the britax seats are BIG. It was a tight fit, but I made it work.

aptravel

My approach was to always put it on the window. IIRC, seemed to be even harder to someone to scoot past if its in center or aisle... YMMV.

A couple other reasons not to do the aisle...
1. People walking by and accidentally bumping the seat/baby.... especially if baby's sleeping
2. Baby reaching out and grabbing people walking by.

On another topic... Did you buy your baby a seat, or is she/he going lap-child? If the latter, and if there's open seats on the day of the flight, a friendly CSR will let you use the car seat in one of the empty seats (i.e., free ticket!). But it's risky if you really don't want to go lap-child.

Personally, on a short flight, i'd risk it.... but that all depends on your definition of "short".

good luck!

dlaue

You will only be allowed to bring the car seat onto the plane if there are several unsold seats. Otherwise, it will be gate checked by the gate agent and you will carry it down the jetway and drop it near the exterior access door.

If you bought a ticket for your child, then the car seat can be brought on board regardless of how full the flight is.

Once on board, you will be required to strap the seat into the seat next to the window. This is an FAA rule and keeps the car seat from impeding the emergency exit of passengers.

When your child is 2+ years old, you can teach her to give the boarding agent her boarding pass, help you pick out a seat, strap herself/himself in, not kick the seat in front, and exercise "indoor" voice at all times. Our 3 year old granddaughter loves to fly!

By way of history, our daughter flew unaccompanied at age 4 back in the 1980s! She had to lie and say she was five.

opus2002

One vote to bring the base in. What do the other folks here think? Bring base into the plane or put the base in check bags?


I decided to buy a seat for the baby, as I did not want to risk not having a seat. Also, I used points from the Chase bonuses.

That makes sense to put the seat in the window or where it can't impede exit of people.

expert7700

it'll need to go near the window. Larger child seats will not fit--especially with the Even More Seats (evolve) interiors. Seatguru is out of date-pitch is now 30".

FA's are trained to ask if it is certified for airline use. The labels on the seat will indicate if it is.

chuckworth

We also had a Chico Key Fit 30 for our infant daughter who is now 15 months old. After 20 flight segments on WN in her first year, I can confirm that the Key Fit 30 will fit in both devolve and non-devolve seats just fine. We installed rear facing on the aircraft but it will prevent the person in front of you from reclining. DO NOT bring the base on board (unless you intend to place it in the overhead), just the carrier itself and secure with the lap belt. We always left the base at home. You will be required to place the carrier in the window seat only. Good Luck!

toomanybooks

And the size/squirminess of the baby. Been there, done that.

Lap baby is over 6 feet tall now.

mdurette

Just another thought. I'm not sure you big/small your 1 year old is. But, I assume since you are talking about bases then your child is still in a bucket type seat. This is usually the age that most kids grow out of the bucket and into a regular 5 point harness car seat. If the childs head is 1 inch from the top or feet hanging over the edge it is time to change. Rear facing bucket with feet hanging over into the back of an airline seat will not be comfortable.

If you are at that time now, you may just want to get the next seat for him/her and bring that with you. No need to worry about the base anymore.

We flew with our DD a lot. She always had her own paid seat and once she was old enough not to bring the car seat on the plane, we checked it with baggage and used the "cares" airplane seat harness for her.

graupel22

As another poster says, make sure the label on the car seat says it's certified for airline use - not all car seats are, and a well-trained FA can cause chaos by insisting to see the sticker - I'm speaking from experience here, so learn from my lesson.

troutmd

We have flown a lot with the Chico car seat.

I will echo what others said, DO NOT take the base, it will HAVE to go in the window seat. Strap it in backwards. The seat in front can lean back, but not much.

We never buy our <2 year old a ticket. We get to take the carseat on probably 60% of the time.

I just loaded the car a bit ago, LBB-LAS-TUS with the 2 year old and 4 month old!

zookie

If your child is at least 22 pounds and you anticipate flying a couple more times in the next couple years, you should definitely get the CARES seat harness:

http://kidsflysafe.com/

It's basically turns the current airplane seat & belt into a 5 point harness. FAA approved, and they give you instructions for installing it. With a little practice, you can install it in a minute or two. It sure beats wrestling a big car seat onto the plane.

I used it with my kids when they were younger and would never go back to hauling a car seat through the airport... just check it.

opus2002

Thanks everyone. The car seat we have is certified for airplane use.


Good to know that the Chico Key Fit 30 fits in WN.

If you leave the base at home, what do you use at the destination then? We'll be renting a car down in FL.

What stroller do you use? Do you put your Chico Key Fit in a stroller or just hand carry it with you around the airport? We are in the process of buying a traditional/umbrella stroller and would use some help. (Now, we have a frame stroller, the Caddy Key Fit.) The umbrella Chico Lite Plus can accept the car seat, but at 20 lbs, it is a fairly heavy umbrella stroller. The Chico Cortina is a full size traditional stroller, but pretty big when fold (weighs 23 lb). The Baby Jogger City Versa feels easy to push around but even heavier at 26 lb. (maybe I should start a new trend at the flying with kids section)



Good suggestion. I don't know if the baby will be 22 pounds by then. In any case, we will likely fly at least once a year, so it will be useful by then or sometime down the road.

chuckworth

We simply install the Key Fit into the rental car using the seat belt in the rear seat. This installation method is detailed in the instruction manual for the Key Fit. Using the base with latch is the safest but the belt method is a little easier for traveling and acceptable per the instructions. Depends on how much you plan on driving/being in the car and what you are comfortable with.

We have a Baby Jogger CityMini GT stroller with the Key Fit installed in it via an adapter bar. This is by far one of the best strollers for traveling. Very lightweight and easy to maneuver, folds easily with one hand, and fits perfectly in the xray machine at TSA. It's a little pricey but worth it!

Feel free to PM me if you have any additional specific questions on strollers/infant carriers and traveling.

chuckworth

Forgot to mention... if it is your baby's first flight be sure to ask the FAs for a first flight certificate. If they don't have any on the aircraft SouthwestNicole can assist and mail you one. A fun little momento.