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Mother Almost Kicked Off Plane for Using Car Seat
Scuffle over infant seat leaves mom in tears.
The debate about whether or not children under the age of 2 should be required to have their own seat on an airplane has reached fever pitch. This summer, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration require infants to be in their own seat and in November, the FAA faced pressure from the Association of Flight Attendants to change their regulations regarding restraints for babies.
So it’s strange to think that a flight attendant would tell a mother that she couldn’t place her infant – who had her own seat – in a rear-facing car seat during takeoff, but that’s exactly what happened to Melissa Bradley. Bradley was flying Sky West from Aspen when she “was told to remove the baby from the car seat and hold her during takeoff – or get off the plane,” Colorado’s KKTV reports.
A flight attendant reportedly told Bradley that the use of rear-facing infant seats was not allowed, but Bradley showed the crew a sticker on the seat that said it was in fact FAA approved. As Heather wrote in November, “The Federal Aviation Administration has always acknowledged that buckling little ones into seats is safer than having them on your lap.”
Bradley’s scuffle with the flight crew left her in tears. She continued to argue with the flight attendant who told her only forward-facing car seats were acceptable on board the aircraft. Yet the FAA’s website recommends kids under 20 pounds be in a rear-facing seat. Bradley and her family did ultimately stay on the plane, and United, who partners with Sky West, has apologized for the incident and spoken to the flight attendant in question.
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6 Comments
Jenny commented on Jan 03 11 at 5:35 pmIn 2005 I took my 5 month old on a plane in her rear-facing car seat. She had her own seat, and as I was strapping her into it a flight attendant asked me if “that thing” was really safe, and wouldn’t it be better for me to just hold her and she could store my “baby carrier” until the plane landed.
Maybe I’ve been a mom too long, but I honestly thought car seats were something most people recognized as safe nowadays…
Emily commented on Jan 03 11 at 11:37 pmI’ve never flown without a carseat – if only so i don’t get trapped under a sleeping baby for a long flight – and the only “issue” I’ve encountered is multiple staff (at the gate and on the plane) reminding me to put it in the window seat.
A situation like this would baffle me.
jensunnyside commented on Jan 04 11 at 1:30 pmSame thing happen to me on Aer Lingus. I was told any infant younger than 6months had to be strapped to my seat belt during take off and landing. After arguing with them, I said fine. Then as soon as we were about to take off, I put my son right back into his seat. Won’t ever fly with them again.
Rosana commented on Jan 04 11 at 4:14 pmWhat a mess. Something for me to be nervous about when I fly back home at the end of this month. Ugh!!!
Lee commented on Jun 25 11 at 7:30 pmFor children under 2 they have a harness. I believe it’s called baby borne? For kids 2+ up to 50 lbs.. The CARES harness is wonderful!!! A 5 point harness that takes a few minutes to set up and gives little ones 5 point protection. I would always get my child a seat of her own. And if you have an infant a car seat. The baby borne harness is for when you hold them during flight time. It attaches to your seatbelt.. In case of turbulence they won’t fly off.
The flight attendant in question needs to brush up on her safety rules.
michelle commented on Apr 06 12 at 7:33 pmI have flown often with my now 3 year old. I find it very disconcerting that the crew that is supposedly trained to protect our safety is so ignorant of the rules related to infants and toddlers. Heck all they have to do read their own companies websites! The very first time I flew with my daughter she was 6 weeks old. The flight attendant told me that I was installing the seat wrong and that it needed to be forward facing. I politely told her that the car seat was a rear facing. She didn’t buy it but to her credit went and looked it up and came back to tell me I was right. Another time I was flying with the CARES harness (which IS AWESOME) but my daughter had fallen asleep so I just strapped her in with the lap belt in order to not wake her. The lap belt that everyone else on the plane is using. The attendant told me that I had to either hold my daughter during take off or put her in the harness. How is that even logical? The harness is an optional piece of equipment that I purchased. It is not required or provided by the airline. And holding a 25 lb object of any sorts is just a safety hazard for everybody. What pissed me off the most was that she was just an @$$ for no reason at all. So much for customer service.
And @Lee – those baby harnesses are not legal for take off and landing in the US.
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