Car seat dilemma. Help!

[flutterfly88]

DH's bro and wife just had twins and since we haven't been using the bucket seat, we loaned it to them, so they only had to buy one. We are now all going on a big family trip this summer (thanks to DH's parents and reward miles).

The problem is BIL & SIL are planning on bringing the car seats on the trip. I'm very uncomfortable with the thought of our car seat being checked (either normally or at the gate). Car seat safety is one of the biggest things I worry about. But I feel bad bringing this up, since that would mean they would end up needing to buy a seat anyway. DH is fine with saying something if I decide we should, but also thinks checking them isn't as big a deal as what is said.

Am I being crazy? Should I say something or just let it be?

[schmella]

We are flying in June and gate checking our seats. I'm more comfortable with that than relying on a rental company
Whoops, hit enter too soon!

Consumer reports has an article on car seat storage at rental companies, and even if it's rare, I'm just not comfortable with the chance that it'll be mishandled. At least with gate checking there is less of a chance of it being mishandled, and I have a few friends who work in the airline industry who said they would gate check no problem.

[schmella]

For your BIL & SIL, if they have 2 lap infants, they can't sit together, FYI. There are 4 air masks for 3 seats, so they need to sit on either side of the aisle.

As far as whether to say something... I actually made anyone who lent us something give us a "sale price" so that if something happened we had already agreed to it, I don't know what exactly the terms of your agreement were- If they broke the seat during normal use, would you expect them to replace it?
And finally, how old will the twins be for the trip? They might consider buying the Cosco Scenera Next- we got 2 for $80 on sale as our back up/airplane seats. They're airline approved for when they need to purchase seats, light and really inexpensive

[yummeecookee]

I've checked my infant seat more times than I can remember and haven't had issues with it. They usually set it aside w the oversized items so it's not just thrown all over the place like regular bags. (Or at least I'd like to think so!)
I'm not really sure what you're worried about, but if it's going to bother you and eat away at you, it's worth mentioning.

Maybe bunnyfer can come in here if she knows anything special about how car seats are handled.

[flutterfly88]

schmella thanks, I had known about only 1 infant per row, so let them know that and they have seats on either side of the aisle. The twins will be about 2 months old during the trip.

Broken car seat- we never discussed it, but they were planning on giving us the bucket seat that they bought, since they aren't planning on having anymore and it's a year newer than our old one.

[flutterfly88]

Apr 11, 2017 19:04:50 GMT -5 yummeecookee said:

I've checked my infant seat more times than I can remember and haven't had issues with it. They usually set it aside w the oversized items so it's not just thrown all over the place like regular bags. (Or at least I'd like to think so!)
I'm not really sure what you're worried about, but if it's going to bother you and eat away at you, it's worth mentioning.

Maybe bunnyfer can come in here if she knows anything special about how car seats are handled.

I'm worried mostly about unseen internal damage. Even if the baggage people are careful, there's no guarantee it won't bang around during flight. I'm in a car seat safety group (with car seat techs) on FB (shows you how obsessed I am with it! )

Here's a link about it.

vicarseattechs.com/2012/flying-with-your-car-seat/

[leviosa]

I check my car seats when I check in at the airport. Sometimes I am flying alone with all my kids and I can't handle all of them and hassle with those seats too. I would just let it go but that's just me.

[ashleymarie26]

We've gate checked our seat a few times with no issues.

If it bothers you enough to post- I'd say something to them about it. Ultimately it's your seat and if you're worried you have a right to dictate where it goes. They aren't renting it from you, just borrowing.

Is there any chance they will end up with one or both kids in an extra seat, and not end up gate checking? Out of 12 flights, we have been given a seat for O on 9 of them, no charge. When there are extra seats the default is to give them to lap infants. Just a thought.

[bunnyfer]

yummeecookee Just got this.....DO NOT CHECK IT WITH THE LUGGAGE....I REPEAT....DO NOT DO IT!!!!

If it must be brought...Gate Check it...This way its not out of your hands to long. Car seats are NOT handled with care I am sorry to say...They are tossed just like everything else...

[yummeecookee]

Apr 12, 2017 16:23:07 GMT -5 bunnyfer said:

yummeecookee Just got this.....DO NOT CHECK IT WITH THE LUGGAGE....I REPEAT....DO NOT DO IT!!!!

If it must be brought...Gate Check it...This way its not out of your hands to long. Car seats are NOT handled with care I am sorry to say...They are tossed just like everything else...

Well now I know :/
It's just always been the easiest for us to check. With strollers, carry-ons and kids, we don't have any free hands.

[bunnyfer]

Gate checking isn't a great option either as I have seen them toss stuff from the top of the jet bridge to the ground and that can be a 15ft drop. Not that this happens everytime, but these guys are in a rush, and they just want the plane gone so they can turn the next plane. They don't care about your 300 car seat or 200 stroller. But putting it in with luggage? No.. No way. Our system alone is 14miles of conveyor. It jams and when it does, people throw the bags around to clear the jam. And the #1 thing that causes jams, loose car seat straps dangling about. Those bad boys get cut right off. Then you have the TSA manhandling the stuff, then once it reaches the carousel they usually throw whatever it is on the tug. During the process, hope your bag tag does not come off because then we have no idea who the seat belongs to and it ends up in lost and found. Once it makes it to the plane,its tossed in like the rest of the bags and once it hits your destination, it's tossed back out.

And this is why I never check luggage of any kind

[flutterfly88]

Wow! bunnyfer! Thanks for sharing. I feel at least validated in worrying about this.

And thanks everyone for chiming in. I'm still not 100% sure what to do, but I think I'll probably ask them to get a box for it, then at least it has some protection.