Can you take a child car seat on a plane?

The summer holidays aren't far off and for many parents, thoughts will be turning to an upcoming trip abroad with their baby or child.

If you're flying, you may be considering whether to bring your baby or child car seat, as sitting on a car seat can provide a more comfortable flight for young children and it could be handy if you're hiring a car at your destination. 

Here are the five essentials you need to know before you book your plane ticket and board that flight, including which car seats are certified for use in aircraft.

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1. Pros and cons of bringing your car seat

Cons

• Taking a child car seat on a plane is more expensive, as you'll have to pay for a seat for your child – generally you don't need to pay for children under two. 
• Young babies should be in a child car seat for no longer than two hours, according to experts, as they can experience breathing problems (no longer than 30 minutes is recommended in the first four weeks of a baby's life). A flatter position is considered the best position for babies to travel in, especially those who are premature, newborn and young – not only for comfort, but also to help their breathing.

Pros

• Older children can sleep in it. 
• Being properly secured for take-off and landing will help to avoid preventable injuries as opposed to your little one sitting in your lap. 
• It means your child is safely secured in the event of turbulence. 
• You can use it when you're travelling to the airport and when you get to the other end of your journey in a hire car or taxi. Make sure you can legally use the car seat in the country you're visiting. 
• In all countries within the European Union, you can use a UK car seat as long as it's approved to ECE R44.04 or UN R129 (check the label).

If you're planning to drive on holiday abroad, take a look at our guide to car seat laws around the world

2. Will the airline let your car seat on?

Some child car seats are TUV-approved and will have a sticker that says 'Certified for use in aircraft', but that's not a mandatory requirement for taking a car seat on a plane. 

Typically the car seat must: 

• Be designed to be secured with a lap belt. 
• Have a restraining harness (some require a three-point harness). 
• Not exceed the dimensions of the aircraft seat. 
• Remain secured to the aeroplane seat at all times during the flight. 

If you want to use a car seat on your flight but don't want to carry your own, some airlines have their own child car seats that you can hire for the duration of the flight. However, you do need to book it in advance. 

It's essential to speak to your airline before you fly to find out what their rules are. Not all airlines will allow you to use a child car seat on the plane, even if the seat is approved for use in an aircraft, and some don't allow rear-facing car seats.

 When you speak to them, it's worth confirming the make and model of your car seat. Try also to email ahead of time and get something in writing that you can show airline staff if queried at the gate.

Go to the best baby and child car seats to jump straight to the most impressive we've tested and read our free car seat buying advice

3. Will your car seat fit the aeroplane seat?

All major airlines publish the width of the narrowest and widest seats in each class, so it's vital to check your car seat is compatible with the aeroplane seat before you fly. 

If your car seat doesn't have airline approval, or it's too big for the airline's restrictions, you may be asked to check it in as baggage, which means you won't be able to use it on the flight. 

Below are the narrowest seat widths of the economy seats for the most popular airlines, so you can compare at a glance to see if your car seat is suitable.

Measurements are based on data from Measurements are based on data from seatguru.com

Which airline has the best seats? Find out how they compare in terms of size and legroom

4. How to install your car seat in an aeroplane

Whether your car seat is forward or rear-facing, it's essential that it's placed next to a window. This is because, in the event of an emergency, all passengers can evacuate quickly and easily. 

How to install a forward-facing child car seat on a plane

Here's our step-by-step guide to setting up a forward-facing child car seat on an aeroplane seat:

1. Position the car seat by the window, or in the middle seat of a central row on larger planes 
2. Recline the plane seat back and place the car seat forward facing onto the plane seat 
3. Thread the plan lap belt through the holes at either side of your child's car seat 
4. Buckle the release flap towards the back of the plane seat, pull the loose end taut and raise the aeroplane seat back.

How to install a rear-facing child car seat on a plane

But if your car seat is rearward-facing, it's slightly different. Here's our step-by-step guide to setting up a rear-facing child car seat on an aeroplane seat:

1. Put the car seat by the window facing the backrest 
2. Thread the belt under the guides of the car seat 
3. Buckle it and pull the loose end taut.

5. Which car seats are certified for use in aircraft?

Below are three child car seats from the full list of those that are TUV-approved. This means they are compatible with most aeroplane seats. 

Nuna Pipa Next, £240

The rearwards-facing Nuna Pipa Next is an i-Size-approved car seat for infants measuring 40cm to 83cm, which should see your baby through from birth to around 15 to 18 months old. The car seat fits onto the Next Isofix base, which you can also use with the Nuna Todl car seat. The seat is also compatible with the Nuna Mixx Next pushchair.

Read our Nuna Pipa Next review to find out more about this TUV-approved car seat.

Bugaboo Turtle Air, £199

The Bugaboo Turtle Air is an i-Size rearward-facing baby car seat that's approved for children measuring 40-83cm. It's compatible with a range of Bugaboo travel system pushchairs including the Bee 6, Donkey 5 and Fox 5.

It has a no-rethread three-point harness and memory foam headrest, which is height-adjustable to seven positions.

It also has a fabric mesh canopy that you can stretch over the front of the car seat to shield your baby from the sun – useful if you're taking this car seat on holiday to sunnier climes.

Read our review of the Bugaboo Turtle Air to find out how it scores in our tests.

Maxi Cosi Pebble 360 Pro, £480

The Maxi Cosi Pebble 360 Pro, the latest version of the popular car seat, went on sale a couple of years ago. As well as taking it on an aeroplane, you can also fix it to travel system-compatible Maxi Cosi and Quinny pushchairs.

If you use the car seat with the FamilyFix Pro base, you can rotate the seat towards you to make it easier to get your child into the seat. 

Read our review of the Maxi Cosi Pebble 360 Pro to find out how it fared in our tough crash tests.

See the full list of TUV-approved car seats on the TUV website.

Can I also take my child buggy on our flight?

As well as a car seat, many airlines also allow you to bring a pushchair on a plane. 

Some strollers are small enough to be taken into the cabin with you, while larger buggies will need to be checked into the hold. 

Find out more about airlines' pushchair policies and what pushchairs we'd recommend for flights in our guide to taking pushchairs on planes.