Ohio - Day 8: Flight home

We drove the 2-3 hours to Columbus (yes everything is 2-3 hours away from Van Wert). We ate lunch at Chris's favorite pizza place - Donatos. They have very good thin crust pizza. Then we headed for the airport. We didn't realize how small the Columbus airport was. We whizzed through security and then we had over an hour to kill. So we sat down at TGIFridays and had some desert.

We got on the plane, and as usual I asked for a belt extender for Ryleigh's carseat. We always fly with her Sit'N'Stroll. This is an awesome carseat for travel. It is FAA certified for use in an aircraft. It has wheels that pop out of the bottom and a handle that pulls out of the top to use as a stroller through the terminal and at your destination. Makes traveling through an airport with a kiddo SUPER easy.

From Evidence for carseat

Since we boarded close to the front of the boarding, we went back to about row 6-8 and set up shop. (It was a Southwest flight.) I buckled in Ryleigh just like the instructions for use say you should.

From Evidence for carseat

Granted I know it looks weird. Here's Ryleigh in the seat in the car (which is identical to aircraft installation) last November.

From 2010_11 November

When we first started using the seat, I had to read and re-read the instructions because it just didn't seem right. The seatbelt goes right across the kid's chest. And I didn't know if the arms were supposed to go on the top or under the belt... I mean how comfortable could it be to have them under the belt (guess it's the next best thing to a straight jacket)? So I know the manual well. I also realized that the seat is so deep (or the sides so high) that the force is put on the sides of the seat and nowhere near the child. Here's a side view of the seat.

From Evidence for carseat

The top belt path is for forward facing and the bottom clips are for rear facing. Think of the force distribution in a crash, the paths are right where you'd want them.

So on the flight, they do the pre-flight belt checks, and a young flight attendant stops at us and tells us to use the lower clips. I explain to her that it's not how the instruction manual indicates to install it and that the lower clips are specifically for rear facing seats, which this was not. She didn't like my reply and walked away. She came back with an older flight attendant, who I assume was the head flight attendant. He was not very nice!! He came directly up to me and said "Ma'am you're killing your child. It's going across her chest. You need to move it to the lower position." I explained the same thing to him I explained to the other girl. He and the girl both got very confrontational and were yelling at me to forget what the instruction manual says because the FAA has COMPLETELY different set of rules. They said the FAA states that the lap belt is to be worn as low on the lap as possible. I don't disagree with that, but what about when you're talking about a carseat? The kid is strapped into the carseat, and you're securing the carseat to the aircraft seat, not the kid. So I tried to stand my ground saying that this is how it is to be installed in an aircraft as well. But they wouldn't listen to my arguement. I very reluctantly changed the belt to the lower position (since I didn't want to get kicked off the plane) stating that I felt my child was at greater risk of injury with the belt in this position, but they didn't seem the least bit concerned. They just thought it looked better that way.

I knew I was right and that the lower position was unsafe, so as soon as we took off (and Ryleigh fell asleep) I changed the belt back to the correct position. I'd rather her get injured with me installing it improperly in a crash, than her get injured with the way someone else told me to install it in a crash. Then I covered her (and the belt) up with a blanket. The flight attendant serving our area of the aircraft was Mr. Head Flight Attendant - just my luck. I spent the entire flight looking over my shoulder constantly, hoping and praying he didn't notice that I had changed the belt. I was afraid of what he would do if he found out. But at least my kid was safe with all the turbulance we experienced and in case we had a rough landing.

As soon as I got off the plane I looked up the manufacturer's manual. And I was in fact right (see the instructions for use on an aircraft page above). On Monday morning I emailed the manufacturer of the carseat. I wanted to know if maybe there were other ways in which this seat was certified for use on an aircraft. Something I was missing in the instruction manual. They told me that the way the seats are FAA certified is first it's sent to the NHTSA for certification for use in a car. It's strapped into the car according to the manufacturer instructions then tested. Then after it passes the car crash tests, it is sent on to the FAA side. They then install the carseat per manufacturer instructions into the aircraft seat and turn it upside down and simulate a plane crash. The Sit'n'Stroll has passed every time. Therefore, you should ALWAYS use the manufacturer installation instructions when using your carseat!! (The owner of the carseat manufacturer is going to write a letter of complaint to Southwest as well so that it does not happen to other people using the seat.)

So then I went to the FAA website to find some information and possibly contact information. Come to find out, I didn't need contact information. I found exactly what I wanted. There's a page for traveling with children. There's a video for how to install a carseat in an aircraft. The message that comes up prior to the demonstration of installation specifically states to "Always refer to the manufacturer's instructions for your specific device." I made sure to get a screen shot of this! There was also a 2 page brochure for traveling with children. Here's the 2nd page of that brochure.

From Evidence for carseat

Direct from the FAA.gov website. "Always follow the the manufacturer's instructions for using a child restraint system."

So now 2 FAA documents on their website state the complete opposite of what 2 flight attendants were telling me. I was not pleased! Especially after being told I was killing my child when she's laughing and smiling in her properly restrained seat. I was completely ready to be proved wrong, but finding out I was in fact in the right just infuriated me more. I have filed a complaint with Southwest, the flight attendant union and the pilot union.

I just want everyone who's a parent of a child who needs/benefits from the use of a carseat on an aircraft to know that you are supposed to follow the manufacturer guidelines for installation. Go to the FAA.gov website and print out that brochure and take it with you when you travel so you have something to pull out if something like this happens to you. I am planning on printing this out and laminating it for future travel. I felt so helpless not having my instruction manual with me on hand, not having this brochure (which I even read before I left), and being helpless when an "authority" figure is telling you to do something that is putting your child in potentially serious danger. Moral of the story - always follow manufacturer instructions!!