child seat for infant

My bub is 17 mths old. I've tried buying him a child seat on Cathay before but they always say that I need to bring a rear facing child seat with me. The problem is we don't want to bring a car seat with us because with another kid aged 3 and heaps of luggage when travelling, we just don't have the space or free hands to carry it. I can buy an infant seat and if the seat beside us is free, I can of course place my little one in it during the flight and no one will say anything and yet, they won't allow me to actually pay more and buy him a child seat, so I can be guaranteed of a seat for him. I told them before when trying to book that I will have my boy secured with a child restraint device on my lap during take off, landing and turbulence and at other times, place him on the seat, but they said that they couldn't allow it.


Someone I met recently said that she got her travel agent to lie that her 16 mth old was 2 years old in order to buy her a child seat on the flight and she was going to travel without a car seat. I must find out how that went...


We'll be flying with Cathay next month and with Finnair in March. I tried booking online with Finnair and tried buying a child seat for my infant, but when I entered his actual birthdate, it said 'birthdate error' or something like that.


How do you people do it?

On most airlines the rules are:

- Children under 2 may travel in your lap, but you may buy them their own seat if you so wish.

- Children over 2 must have their own seat.

- Most airlines do not have a requirement for you to bring a car seat with you. In fact I have never heard of this.

- There are bassinets sometimes available but these are for kids under 6-9 months.


I think by "child seat" you mean a normal seat at a discounted price. That sort of thing varies from airline to airline. Most airline will give a discount given that a 2 year old doesn't need a full meal and doesn't have drinks.


If you want your 17 month old to have his own seat, why don't you just book one? Call the airline in any case. It's easier to do so than booking online if you have small children.

There is a Britax (Club Class, but the new ones are called First Class I think) car seat that fits perfectly on airplane seats, including the front bulk head row.


We have a 2 year old and a 9 month old.


We bring the one seat, and they alternate. It works great. When the 9 month old is 2, we will buy another so they both have one. What makes this seat great is it works from 9 months to 4 years and has a steep recline. Also, the toddler can be in the seat for take off, landing and turbulance, while the baby is on your lap for those times.


But we have found that ALL airlines and airline staff are at a complete loss as to what the regulations are about car seats, but in the end, we show up at the airport, convince them to let us take it on the plane, they crew sees it fits in the seat, and everyone is happy.


The other thing is, you can tell the airline that since you are travelling with two young children you need ground assistance - we have had airline staff meet us at the check in counter and take us all the way to the gate, and from the gate to the parking lot at the other side. It is great! They help carry the car seat, push the trolly and sometimes carry/entertain a baby :)


Cathay does let you buy your baby a seat if you want, you just need to ask them, we did it once in economy, and our friends have done it regularly on economy and business. Although they tell you on the phone you need a rear facing seat, the FAA only recommends this, but does not require it http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/


The rules are complicated, and yes it is a pain to carry the car seat, but we have found it makes the flight much better as the toddler is more comfortable and can sleep better, and the baby too when she is in the seat.


But even if you decide not to bring a car seat, you can still buy a ticket - what they tell you over the phone compared to what happens at the gate and on the plane (in our experience) are two very different things!


Good luck!

"But we have found that ALL airlines and airline staff are at a complete loss as to what the regulations are about car seats, but in the end, we show up at the airport, convince them to let us take it on the plane, they crew sees it fits in the seat, and everyone is happy."


Wow. In the US every F/A seems to know how to strap the seat in and can answer every question you have. I guess it's different when there are laws about using them in cars.

Axptguy38, by 'child seat' for an infant, I mean buying a ticket that's actually meant for a child aged 2-12, so my 17 mth old bub actually has a seat on the flight.


crj, so you're saying I can buy a child ticket for my infant, and if I turn up without a rear facing car seat, there shouldn't be a problem?

I had a similar situation when I was flying with my son. At the time he was 18 months old and Cathay would not allow me to purchase a seat for him. In the end, I lied about his year of birth (making him a year older) and got him a child’s tickets. No one questioned it at the check in. We did not have a car seat for him.

"At the time he was 18 months old and Cathay would not allow me to purchase a seat for him. "


That's so weird. They're giving up revenue unless it's a full flight and they can get an adult fare paying person in the seat. In the US it tends to be easier since the discount for a child in a seat is minimal at best.

I suppose thinking about it, if the check-in or boarding staff tell us we can't sit bub in a passenger seat without a car seat, there's nothing much they can do if we have already bought a ticket. I mean... if the seat is already paid for by us, then no one has the right to sit there.

The first I knew about it was when I was trying to make a phone booking direct with CX. The staff had taken all the details and made the booking when he mentioned about the car seat. I tried reasoning with him but he said those were the rules so in the end, I didn't get my baby a child ticket. For the next trip we took, I booked through our travel agent and again when I tried booking a child ticket, I asked the travel agent to check with CX if I could buy a child ticket for my infant and not bring a car seat with me, and she came back and said I couldn't do that. I suppose, if I hadn't asked, I wouldn't have known. I have now decided to just go ahead and buy child tickets for my infant for our next two trips. If the staff make noise, I will just say no one told me that I needed to bring a car seat. I am completely prepared to secure him with a child restraint device during take off, landing and turbulence but at other times, I would prefer that he sits comfortably in his own seat than on my lap. Of course, this has a big impact on my comfort too ;)