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Home>>Airline
Passenger Information>>Child Safety
Seats
Tips
for Safe Air Travel with Children
Proper
use of an approved child restraint system
(CRS) on an aircraft enhances child safety
in the event of turbulence or an accident.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
strongly recommends that all children who
fly, regardless of their age, use the appropriate
restraint based on their size and weight.
Before You Fly
Ensure
that your CRS has received FAA approval. Check
for a label reading, "This restraint
is certified for use in motor vehicles and
aircraft."
- Check
the width of your CRS. While airline seats
vary in width, a CRS no wider than 16"
should fit in most coach seats. Even if
the armrests are moved out of the way,
a CRS wider than 16" is unlikely
to fit properly into the frame of the
aircraft seat.
- Ask
the airline if they offer a discounted
fare for a child traveling in a CRS. Purchasing
an airline ticket (discounted or full
fare) for your child is the only way to
guarantee that you will be able to use
a CRS.
- Check
with the airline to determine their busiest
days and times. By avoiding these times,
you are more likely to be on a flight
with an empty seat next to you. In many
cases, airlines will allow you to seat
your child under two years of age in your
CRS in the empty airplane seat without
having to pay the airline fare for the
child. Be sure to ask your airline for
its policy regarding an empty seat.
- If
you purchase a ticket for your child,
reserve adjoining seats. A CRS must be
placed in a window seat so it will not
block the escape path in an emergency.
A CRS may not be placed in an exit row.
If
you need to change planes to make a connecting
flight, it can be very challenging to transport
a CRS, a child, and luggage through a busy
airport. Most airlines will help parents
make the connection if they can arrange
for assistance in advance.
Choosing The Correct CRS
Always follow the manufacturer's instructions
regarding use of the CRS. Do not place a
child in a CRS designed for a smaller child.
Be sure that shoulder straps come out of
the CRS seat back above the child's shoulders.
Fasten the aircraft seat belt around the
CRS as tightly as possible.
The
FAA recommends that a child weighing
Under
20 pounds be placed in a rear-facing
CRS.
From 20 to 40 pounds use a forward-
facing child restraint. Although the safety
technology of forward-facing child restraint
systems in aircraft is still developing,
cur-rent restraints offer dramatic improvements
in protection compared to lap-held or unrestrained
children.
Over
40 pounds may safely use an aircraft
seat belt.
Reminders
- The
safest place for a child on an airplane
is in an apporved CRS based on the child's
weight. While booster seats and harness
vests enhance safety in automobiles, they
are banned for use during taxi, take-off
and landing. Although they are permissible
for use during the cruise portion of flight,
they do not afford the same level of protection
as a hard-shell CRS.
- In
the United States, supplemental lap restraints,
"belly belts," are banned from
use in both automobiles and aircraft.
- Use
an approved CRS when traveling to and
from the airport, and when you arrive
at your destination.
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