Car seat and airplanes

Next month my husband, son (17 months at the time of trip) and I will be flying to the east coast to visit family over the Christmas holiday. We need to take a car seat with us, and I'm looking specifically for a car seat that will easily fit and install in an airplane seat. I'm looking at either the Cosco Scenera or the Evenflo Tribute 5. Does anyone here have any experience with either of these two seats? Any other seats that I should consider (preferably under $100)? Any tips or tricks I should know when it comes to installing a car seat on a plane (we're flying on Virgin America)? Is is possible to have him rear facing on the plane? Flying is always a bit stressful for me so I'm trying to be as prepared as possible.