Thanks ladies! Good to hear that yours have all come out at the other end not damaged - i was just a bit wary of this as I've seen how rough they handle the baggage sometimes. Plus, I've only flown about 4 times in my whole life so I really have no idea how it all works!
We were just going to get one of the cheapo fares with carry-on luggage only so we didnt have to wait around for the stuff to come out on the belt and also I'm very paranoid about my stuff getting lost/broken... but it sounds like I might have to buy the more expensive fare and put the seat in the luggage. Sounds like it might be too much of a challenge to bring it into the cabin and use it.
(I was going to book my tickets tonight but my uni had the most epic fail with my exam timetable, expecting me to be in two places at once, and I now have to wait for them to re-do the timetable before I can book.... grr)
Have you signed up for emails from the airlines - they usually advertise their specials via email so if you know when you want to book you can just keep an eye out for the email. Also on the cheaper airlines, travelling Tues/Wed and sometimes Thursday can save you a lot of $$$. Virgin also do happy hour everyday between 12pm and 1pm and sometimes they just happen to have the right deals at the right time (they don't send emails about these fares, you have to check their website). Jetstar does Friday Fare Frenzy where you can get super cheap fares - they send an email every Friday with them listed.
I hope I can help hon. I've done a lot of travelling and I was a travel agent and still have a SIL in the industry so hopefully this helps!
Infants can travel free in their car seat providing you have paid for an extra seat on the flight. Unfortunately, I don't think toddlers are covered in Australia yet. They're expected to sit in the normal aircraft seat and their carseat travels with the luggage but phone the airline to be sure.
Normally in Australia, you would check your car seat in. We always fly Qantas and check our car seat in at the check in desk then it's taken to oversized luggage - depending on the airport, some times we take it and sometimes the staff take care of it. They've always wrapped it in plastic for us and it's never been damaged.
You would definitely need to purchase normal 'check in baggage' seats if you want to checkin a carseat. The carry on baggage only fares are VERY restrictive and you will be charged ridiculous amounts to take your car seat as 'excess'. Ph the airline before booking to be sure and get any confirmation of a 'good deal' in writing - an email or proof on their website.
Just another thought - There are places that hire carseats out here for weekly, fortnightly, monthly basis. I know the ambulance here does some as well and it is not too expensive. Is there anyway you could arrange car seat hire and have your sister pick it up before coming to get you from the airport? Might be worth looking into to save you a lot of extra hassle.
Thanks for your replies. I did think of hiring one and had a look at a website last night for a place that hires them. Theres a place that hires them pretty close to my sisters house and its around $40 for a week, so I think I might just end up doing that to save the hassle of bringing it on the plane!
Just wanted to say that we bought a CARES restraint for a recent trip, and it was excellent. Like you seriously couldn't be bothered carting a car seat as well as all the other junk that you need to take, and the CARES restraint is a harness that fits on to the seat and the seat belt and creates a proper shoulder harness for a toddler (in their own seat). Cost was about $120, for us we were very happy with it, because 1) it kept her still and stopped her from escaping, 2) it's similar to a car seat restraint so it was a familiar feeling for her 3) it fits in a little bag and we could take it in her onflight luggage very easily. And if there was a problem it would have actually provided some protection for her which a normal aircraft seat belt would not have done for a 12kg toddler. The hosties were all very interested as it seemed none of them had seen one before but it is all CASA approved.
We flew overseas with our 4 year old and used the carseat in the cabin (Qantas). I anticipated major delays/hassles trying to get it on board, but that turned out to be the easy part! The difficulties were actually in making the carseat fit in the airline seats and lugging the darn thing around the airport with us.
We're headed off overseas again in a few months. This time, no carseat on the plane. We'll buy a booster at the other end, LOL!
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