Use of approved car seat denied on flight

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on what happened to my family (husband and 13 month old son) on a return flight home from Washington DC to Ottawa. When we tried to board the aircraft with our car seat the flight attendant basically said that our car seat was not approved for the aircraft and would not let it on. It was really upsetting to both my husband and I as we never travel with our son in our arms and have always paid for his own seat. We tried to show her the sticker on the back but she refused to even look at it. Basically it got the point where I was either going to have to leave the aircraft or fly without the seat - having no option we chose to fly without the seat. The experience itself was very stressful but what was worse was knowing that all throughout the flight he was not properly protected. We asked her to write down the specifics in the manual which stated that the airplane seat strap must go across the car seat which she insisted. Of course there is nowhere in the manual which states that. I think that she was getting our seat mixed up with an infant "bucket" seat. Our seat is a Cosco Scenera and is approved by TC for air travel and even has the sticker. She explained that the seat would not be safely installed since the strap would either go behind or below the seat (depending on if it was forward facing or rear facing). She then also quoted some regulation which makes mention that booster seats or seats without a back or a high back seats may not be acceptable even if they are approved by TC. I explained that this wasn’t a booster seat it was a normal car seat. She also gave us a lecture about how she is the only flight attendant that has cared enough about our safety to bring this up and that she knows we think we are doing the right thing by using a car seat but that it is not a safe seat.

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts or experienced a similar situation and what the outcome was.

Was it a Canadian or American airline? I believe it's an FAA violation to refuse to allow you to use your carseat onboard any American flight. I know a technician who went after the airline (and WON!) because of this same situation happening, so I've asked her to post.

-Nicole.

Regardless if it's Canadian or US, I follow this up all the way.

This is the norm, as far as I understand, for the majority of the airlines

This is from the Air Canada website http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelinfo/before/youngtravellers/infant-child.html
Infants for whom a seat has been purchased must be properly secured in an approved child restraint device whenever the seat belt sign is on (see 'Restrictions for infants and children occupying a seat' below).

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I would be livid!!!

Absolutely.

I would expect, at a minimum, the following:
1) Full refund on the purchased seat
2) Reimbursement for replacing the carseat you were then forced to put in the hold
3) A letter of apology from the airline, with the promise that they would focus on re-educating their staff so that this does not happen again.

They put your child's life at risk, despite the fact that you did everything to make sure your child was traveling as safely as possible. If it's an American airline I believe they can be assessed a fine through the FAA, to boot.

-N.

I'm not surprised. Staff all the time deny use of car seats for various reasons. Car seats are not popular on planes (among staff) since they often increase boarding times etc.

The experience itself was very stressful but what was worse was knowing that all throughout the flight he was not properly protected.

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I understand how you feel but flying with a child is the safest thing you will ever do regardless if you use a car seat, lap belt, etc. Risk of turbulence hurting people is very rare and the risk of a child being injured purely due to this is almost unheard of despite over 25 000 flights taking off each day in US.

From FAA:

Fifty-five turbulence related accidents were reported during the period 1982-1991, ranging from a maximum of 10 in 1986 to three in 1989. One fatality and 79 serious injuries were reported, ranging from 14 serious injuries in 1986tp four sserious injuries in 1983″ (US Federal Aviation Administration)

They should have let you use your seat and it must have been very frustrating. But just keep in mind your child was extremely safe on the plane despite not using a car seat. He was thousands of times safer on the plane, without a car seat, than on the ride from airport to your home in a car.

If the flight was under FAA regulations, it is a violation if they do not allow you to use your CRS in a seat that you purchased for your child. http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgAdvisoryCircular.nsf/0/60d70126cf679d5a8625723b007841e7/$FILE/AC%20120-87A.pdf I'll bring to your attention section 10 e (page 7) and 9 b (page 5). Those are the sections that say they must allow you to use your approved CRS, and that a Canadian seat is an approved seat.

This was an Air Canada Jazz flight between Washington DC and Ottawa - would Canadian or US rules apply?

The whole experience was really upsetting and emotional. Another passenger also berated us while he yelled at me that the flight attendant can make decisions and that we were holding up the flight.

In addition to the safety aspect of the car seat we also purchased his seat because he is really active and it is difficult hold him for any length of time. I am lucky that my husband was travelling with me this time since I am five months pregnant and would not have an easy time holding him for any length of time.

Thanks for all of the input so far

I don't believe it's a violation to tell you that you cannot use a child restraint on board in Canada. In fact, on a Canadian airline if you were to stand up to the flight staff you'd likely have gotten thrown off the plane. However, they did endanger your child, potentially ruin the checked restraint, and have obviously failed to properly educate their staff. You should write a letter of complaint immediately--cc the local papers and Transport Canada.

-Nicole.

To Whom it May Concern,

I would like to bring to your attention an event of a very serious nature that took place on flight xxxxx on (date) between XXX and XXX, that resulted in my child's safety being endangered by your staff.

{Explain what happened in your own words here.}

...

Then cite the sources documenting how children are safer in restraints...talk about how you paid for a seat, had a flight approved child restraint that could potentially have been damaged in handling as you'd never intended it to be handled by baggage carriers.. and mention that were this an FAA flight the airline would be assessed a fine as it is a violation of FAA rules to fail to allow the use of a certified restraint.

Then tell them what you want--an apology, a full refund for the ticket price for the ticket you were not able to use, full replacement of the child restraint as it was potentially damaged by luggage carriers as a result of you being forced to check it, that they identify the staff on that flight and ensure that each member is made aware of the situation...then that they commit to educating their staff about child restraint use in order to better protect their youngest passengers..

sign it and

cc: Citizen, Sun, Star, Globe, Transport Canada.

She obviously didn't know what she was about because it's in the AC policy. http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelinfo/before/youngtravellers/infant-child.html (Child Restraint Policy section)


http://www.tc.gc.ca/CivilAviation/commerce/CabinSafety/tips/faq2.htm

http://www.tc.gc.ca/civilaviation/imsdoc/acs/600/605-003.htm#s3-1

I would totally follow up with at least the letter to AC and perhaps TC too.

Send the letter as soon as possible to all the above mentioned places. Regarding the airline, call and write often until you get your refund.

Good Luck!

Don't forget to post later to let us know the results.

Like others have said, WRITE! Not only was it a safety concern and you had taken all the appropriate steps only to have your planning thrown out the window, it is obvious that this really upset you, and made you anxious for the safety of your child. You had all the right stuff together and they went against their own policy and this FA was grossly misinformed. They need better training for their staff!

I would also make sure to mention YOUR safety regarding the matter.

You said you were 5 months pregnant? It would be dangerous for a "baby missile" (excuse the terminology) to be projected or squished into your belly in the event of turbulence or an accident. Children also do get VERY antsy on flights. You probably could not have managed safely without the aid of you dh with you. Your own child, in a temper, not restrained by an available child seat, could have proposed risks to you as a mother, already physically and resourcefully exhausted from being pregnant!
I think the flight attendant should be fired...:twocents:

Please follow up on this! And let us know what happens!

Sceneras are safe for planes? I'll keep that in mind...

Jonah Baby said:

Sceneras are safe for planes? I'll keep that in mind...

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They're one of the easiest for travel. I have traveled on my own with a 2 1/2 yr. old, and 1 yr. old with a stroller, Scenera plus all the food..... and walked long terminals. I totally recommend it for travel.

I have been told my a few flight attendants that my seat was unsafe for air travel, even though it is FAA approved. They didn't know the seat and just assumed it was unsafe they never had any reasons for it. I always argued with them until they realized I was right and not backing down, my kids safety is more important to me than making a flight.