[Debbie]

I can't get my head around this problem so thought I would put it out here for ideas.
We has a large full backed booster seat for me 4 yr old and a heavy 5 point harness car seat for my 2 yr old.
We need some form of car seat to use to travel to the airport.
We will need car seats almost straight away in NZ so putting them in the container doesn't seem to work.
How do you transport them?
Will the airline let you but them in a box and put them in the main hold? or will they reject them as not being a standard size piece of luggage. It will take up a lot of our weight allowance but don't fancy the idea and stress of buying new car seats for the kids in NZ and I won't risk then travelling anywhere in a car without one.

Any ideas?
Debbie

[Oregonkiwi]

Yes, it's a tricky one. On my 2 trips with my toddler, the first time I took his car seat on the plane for him to use in flight, the 2nd time I left it behind and borrowed my nephew's spare one in Auckland.

You probably can't take the booster seat on the plane (I know Air NZ doesn't allow them, don't know about other airlines) but you should be able to take your 2 yr old's seat inside the plane and then it won't count towards your checked baggage allowance.

I have seen lots of car seats going around the luggage conveyor belt wrapped in plastic, so I guess people just check them with the other luggage.

(Check with your airline about their rules, I've only flown Air NZ.)

[backtonz]

Done it a few times. Carry some bubblewrap and brown tape with you. At the airport, wrap it up and check it in. Bit of a bother to walk around the airport with a baby in one arm and a carseat in the other. :)

[Bergita]

Hi Debbie

I found this on the Singapore Airlines website:

Child Car Seat
You may use approved car seats onboard for your child. The seat must be able to be secured onto the aircraft passenger seat by means of the aircraft safety belt and must conform to all applicable safety standards certified for use in aircraft. Your child should be seated in the car seat during takeoff, landing, turbulence, or anytime the fasten seat belt sign is illuminated.


On South African airlines, prams and carseats are just tagged and put in the hold, and don't count towards your total weight allowance. I would have thought most airlines would do this, but I don't have any experience in this area. It might be worth finding out what car seats are "approved" and if yours aren't, buying ones that are so you can keep them with you.

Hope this helped.

[sizzlingbadger]

When we said to the check in people we were emigrating they had no problems adding our 3 car seats to the luggage, no extra cost.

Someone had recommended hiring them this end but when we looked at the cost and x by 3 it worked out very expensive. Felt much better bringing the car seats with us rather than hiring ones we didn't know where they had been.

[kiwidebs]

Car seats can go in the hold - not counted towards your baggage allowance. We had two Britax Renaissance carseats - very heavy - not a problem on Singapore Airlines. That way you have them for to get to the airport and as soon as you arrive in NZ.

HTH
Debs

[Oregonkiwi]

Thanks Debs, that's good news - I had assumed that his car seat would count as one piece of luggage if we checked it, so I was planning to abandon his current seat in America and get a new one in NZ. But maybe we will be able to take it. (I'll double check with Air NZ, they might not be as nice about it as Singapore Air.)

[Oregonkiwi]

for those of us flying Air NZ...
I called Air NZ. Car seats and strollers DO count as part of the checked baggage allowance.
Oh well, back to the original plan...