If you are willing to buy your baby a seat on the plane - some airlines will let you bring a car seat (safe and sound have info about which ones are suitable for airplane travel but am sure the capsule isn't one of them) and will even let you drop off at check in and fit it for you (a friend did this for her one year old (trip to Europe) - can find out airline and seat used if you like? - I thought she was mad personally spending the money but each to their own).

I went to UK with DD when she was 5 months, MummaSue is correct everytime you hit turbulence and the seatbelt sign comes on you have to get your baby out of the bassinet which is a real pain. However I found it useful to have the bassinet especially on the leg I did on my own as meant I could pop her in while I stood up, re-organised had a stretch etc - personally I think looked as comfortable as most portacots which have only very thin bases too. Here is a pic of DD in hers (this was on Etihad). DD in bassinet. If there is two of you can pass bubs between you and may not use bassinet at all (you get more leg room in the bassinet seat so I would book one personally) - once they are old enough to pull up they can't go in bassinet anyway as is not safe (as illustrated by woman next to me who fell asleep on floor and her 1 year old was on the verge of climbing out and we had to stop him and wake her up) so if you travel closer to 9 months than 5 it may not be appropriate.

Car seats - in the UK my mum and dad bought one and put in their car which worked out about the same as hiring (we were there five weeks) but my MIL had one in her car that simply attached via the sash belt and could carry round easily (I saw people use these on a flight to Barcelona also) in my opinion not as safe as ones with anchor point (they are allowed to put them on front seat too) but really was fine and met all UK regulations. When we hired a car in Barcelona the hire company gave us the same seat - the difficulty there is they refuse to install it (seemed to be an insurance type thing they didn't want to be liable), and the car seat had no real instructions luckily because had used one before knew how they worked but still took us as long to sort that out as fly from UK - so car hire firms definitely don't have the best form with car seats. If you have a look on the Britax UK site (make safe and sound) at the Baby Safe range some of them can just be attached by seat belt, but some have a base which is either attached by seatbelt or the isofix attachment (which is built into car seat) and the seat can fit into this or be used on its own (sounds like what your sister is talking about - but I think are not available here because regulations stipulate anchor points, and due to this the isofix system is not common in vehicles yet here as isn't in the regulations although is a very good system).


I used an Ergo all round the airports, and you can use on the plane but I know I was told was not allowed for take off or landing even though is much safer than the silly lap belt they make you put on.