Taking the Kids: Flying smart with the littlest passengers

There's no argument: babies and toddlers are precious cargo. That's why parents and grandparents wouldn't consider driving with a young child if they aren't properly restrained in a safety seat. Not only is it the law, but those seats save lives.

So why is it different on a plane? "We have to secure everything in the cabin -- from coffeepots to laptops, but we don't secure children under two," says consumer advocate Bill McGee, formerly in airline operations. The author of "Attention All Passengers," McGee has been advocating for safety seats on planes for many years and recently brought up this subject yet again at a meeting with consumer advocates and the Federal Aviation Administration.

What risk, you may ask? A child can fly out of your arms if there is severe turbulence, for example, never mind a crash. If the air on the plane becomes depressurized in an emergency situation, he said, "It is a matter of physics ... you can't hang onto a baby."

The FAA agrees. "Your arms aren't capable of holding your child securely, especially during unexpected turbulence," the FAA says in its special Flying with Children brochure. That's why the FAA "strongly urges" you to secure you child in a child safety restraint system approved for air travel (just look on the label of your car seat). "The safest place for your child on an airplane is in a government-approved child safety restraint system (CRS) or device, not on your lap," the FAA says. "It's the smart and right thing to do so that everyone in your family arrives safely at your destination."

But here's the rub. On a plane, unlike in a car, you aren't required to use a safety seat. In fact, as any parent who has flown with a young child knows, kids up to two may fly free as a "lap child."

As for the recent meeting at the FAA where this, as well as other consumer issues were discussed, "There was no outcome. We were there in force. The FAA heard us. DOT heard us," said Charles Leocha of Travelers United.

Airlines won't say how many lap children they carry each year, but you typically will see them on most every flight -- more as we head into the summer travel season. But it appears that few families opt to use safety seats. They may well bring them -- checking them as luggage. "It's so frustrating," says McGee. "Parents don't realize the risk."

"I don't worry about her safety because if the 'fasten seatbelt sign' is on, then I make sure she is held tightly on my lap," one mother of a 5-month-old explained some time ago. Another dad said he was trying to save the cost of a ticket while he could and a nursing mom said it was easier to hold her infant.

Attitudes certainly haven't changed, nor has awareness. Why aren't safety seats required? Consumer advocates, including McGee, explain that arguments are made that if safety seats were required on flights, thus requiring parents to purchase another seat, more parents would drive where statistically the dangers of a crash are higher. "But there is no study proving that theory," McGee asserts.

A tip: If you don't want to lug your safety seat to the gate, check out www.kidsflysafe.com, which makes an FAA-approved, harness-type safety device -- designed by a grandmother -- that fits into a six-inch stuff sac and adjusts to fit airplane seats. It is designed for kids 22 to 44 pounds (typically one to 1 to 4 years old).

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