Car seats on planes

Help!!! What the heck is up with FA telling people they can't install their seats RFing on a plane? My poor friend FINALLY took her car seat with her on the plane after prodding from me. He is under 20 lbs. This is what happened...

So what should she be saying when she calls NW airlines?

So after all the BS I went through all day yesterday with flying. I FINALLY get on my airplane with Kailen. I installed my car seat in the window seat rear facing and Kailen's all buckled in. This flight attendant comes by and says that I can't have the car seat rear facing. She asked "DO you wanna pay for the seat in front of you, too?" because it wouldn't be able to recline. I told her to check the manual on rear facing seats.

So she comes back and says that it has to be forward facing because this isn't a car. Blah Blah Blah. I question her and she gets even more agitated. Okay whatever. So I take Kailen out and turn the stupid thing around.

So I put the thing in and tighten it and then realize there is no way to get the thing unbuckled if it is tight. So I am trying like hell to get it undone. This ***** comes back and gets in my face and keeps saying this isn't a car. The FAA says it has to be forward facing. I am trying to explain to her that I was going by what I was told and that I understand this isn't a car. She then THREATENS TO HAVE THE CAPTAIN THROW ME OFF THE AIRPLANE!! And walks up to her little cubicle and gets on the phone.

Some lead flight attendant guy comes back and says, no it's not the FAA's policy, it's Northwest Airlines policy that it has to be forward facing. He was fairly nice. I said, so asking about it gets me threatened to be thrown off the plane?? He couldn't believe she said that!

So now I am trying to find out what the FAA's policy and I am going to be throwing and absolute FIT and complaining to this airline. Ugh!!

http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/

"Always follow the manufacturer's instructions when using a CRS. The FAA recommends that a child weighing:

Less than 20 pounds use a rear-facing CRS
From 20 to 40 pounds use a forward-facing CRS
More than 40 pounds use an airplane seat belt
A child may also use an alternative device, such as a a harness-type device, if it is approved by the FAA. The FAA has approved one device appropriate for children weighing between 22 and 44 pounds. This type of device is not safe for use in motor vehicles."

She's calling and throwing a FIT. Especially since they tried to have her thrown off the plane for saying something.

I told her she better get some free tickets outta that!

See the attached advisory circular from December 2006 by the FAA.
http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgAdvisoryCircular.nsf/0/60d70126cf679d5a8625723b007841e7/$FILE/AC%20120-87A.pdf

If you scroll down to paragraph 18, you will see that you can install the seat according to the labels on the seat. So you can ERF on an aircraft.

And, IMHO I think the FAA trumps the "policy" of any U.S. airline.

Don't forget to call the local media as well if needed!

Susan

This keeps happening... I think the problem is that the manual for the plane says no child restraints can be installed on rearfacing plane seats, and the idiot FA's (I'm sorry, they are idiots...the smart ones know what the heck they are doing and don't cause a ruckus for parents like this), can't distinguish a rearfacing child seat from a rearfacing plane seat. I'm SO afraid of getting into a skirmish with an FA that I bought a Scenera instead of trying to use my Safeseat... Leah still fits in her SS1, but she looks huge, and if they try to tell me to install it ff, I don't want it to be totally wrong, so it's easier to take a scenera and install it FF if they raise a fuss. I"m a wimp, I know, I know

Remember, its not the FAA that trumps, but Federal Law.

Attached below is a copy of the Federal Regulations that airlines must follow.

Sub Section 135.128 (b)(2) is the section that requires an airline to allow a parent to use the seat subject to certain criteria including, but not limited to, paying for the seat and using it correctly.


Sub Section 135.128 (a)(2)(iii)(A) is the section most often mis-interpreted by FAs. It states "The restraint system must be properly secured to an approved forward-facing seat or berth;" Obviously, this applies to the way the airline seat is facing, not the car seat, but that doesn't mean they don't get confused.

Please make sure that she calls the FAA in addition to Northwest. It sounds like this has been a problem for a lot of people lately and the FAA needs to address it.

See, this and all the other things that have happened recently on planes with children have me so scared of flying in Sept with my 3 kids, 2 of which will be in seats (1 may be in a CARES..??)
Anyway, this info about rear facing seats and then the thing that happened to the one woman with her son saying "bye bye plane" getting kicked off.

I am just so nervous. Even going armed with the above pamphlet, it makes me so nervous about the seats and also about my children being nervous and crying.....

I have to say, I'm afraid of flying these days with my kids as well. It is the biggest.hassle.ever. And now, the FAs have so much *power* that they are tossing people off left and right. Sure, you might get a plane ticket out of it, but you also just had to deal with the inconvenience and expense of being tossed off. They are totally threatening and intimidating, and unless I have to, I refuse to fly with my kids.

I try to take my kids with me. I've only once been confronted by someone while trying to get my marathon in RF. I travel with paperwork so I don't have to hassle with FAs. It all depends on the FAs. some are great, some are just a pain

This is one that confuses me every time. I'd check the airlines website to see if they have modifications and then I'd print the overview of both the airline and FAA (great link above) guidelines and take it with me in case of something like this.

There are some international carriers that have flights which originate in the US, some of which do not allow RF seats. Aer Lingus comes to mind--though, when I've flown them on flights to/from the US, I've never had a problem. I think their site even says that a child under 6 months can't fly in car seat.

This had to be very frustrating for your friend, and it's so sad that (some) flight attendants make this into a power struggle instead of working w/the customer to find the right/safe solution.

For what it's worth, I've flown with both of my girls, RF on Alaska, American, United, Delta and Aer Lingus. It's not the greatest scenario for the person in front, so when the four of us flew, we would sit two behind two, with the RF seat behind our eldest.

This one is insane! The same think happened to ALL 32 infants flying from Germany to America when we moved. We were all seated in the back of the plane even with our tickets having seperate seats. But so it was more convient for everybody else not to hear crying, makes since I guess. Then ALL 32 inants were put RF and the damn FA's came like 6 of them and said we had to either turn the FF or we were getting off. We tried argueing but to no avail they all went FF. :jaw:

well better FF than in your lap.