We have Diono Radians at home. These are wonderful car seats, and have made a huge difference in our car travel. Ever since we switched them out of their infant bucket seats, they have been much better passengers. Instead of their previous two modes (sleep or scream) they now have three car modes- Sleep, Giggle, and Babble. Much appreciated to the rest of the passengers and the driver!
During our first flights, we gate checked these seats. It’s probably not a big deal for a singleton, but while I would absolutely recommend these for home use, I would recommend just about anything else over these for air travel.
We gate checked them, for a few reasons, which meant we had to transport them to the gate.
From the car.
So, from the car, through check in, through security, and to the gate.
We had two of these very heavy car seats, two backpacks, two additional carry-ons, and two toddlers to wrangle through the airport.
It was not pretty, or fun.
We have since purchased two car seats just for air travel. We went with the Evenflo Tributes. We have used them for one trip so far, and we are happy with our decision. They are much lighter, and easier to maneuver. We had a learning curve while installing them in the rental car, but I’m confident it’ll go smoothly next time!