Travel Tips

Travel Tip: Safe Flying With Infants

In this economy, everyone is looking to save money, but there’s one place where it doesn’t pay to cut corners: I’m talking about flying with infants on your lap.

All domestic airlines allow parents to fly with a child under the age of 2 in their lap. Why?

Because the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says it’s OK. But it’s not.

Both the National Transportation Safety Board AND the FAA have studied this and came up with the same conclusion: In the event of a hard takeoff or landing, the G-forces are so strong you physically can’t maintain a grasp on a child.

Yet, the FAA’s excuse is that if parents have to pay another seat, they’ll choose to drive, and that’s a statistically more dangerous way to travel.

If I want the FAA’s recommendations on highway safety, I’ll ask them.

Children under the age of 2 should be secured in a hard-backed, FAA-approved child-restraint system in his or her own seat.

Children 22 to 40 pounds can also be secured by a harness-style child aviation restraint system.

Those are the facts, so don’t skimp where it matters the most.

You’ll find more helpful tips in our Family Travel section.

And check out the rest of our Daily Travel Tips here.