Originally Posted by
CDTraveler
One explanation I've heard, but can't guarantee the accuracy of, is that some seats are too hard to remove the child from in a hurry, as in emergency evacuation. I could easily see a kid getting tangled in the cloth top of the seat linked in the original post - a hard back seat would not cling to the child.
No, it's not that. It's the fact that airplane seats fall completely foward. Those in your car don't. So boosters or other soft-backed seats don't offer any protection in an airplane. Only FAA approved seats are those with a hard shell.
Where the logic starts to head out the window is when foreign car seats are discussed. That is too big a topic to launch here. When Lufthansa took my seat away, I told the purser (nicely) "You realize you're making this flight
more dangerous for my baby" and he agreed but said he was contrained by the rules. Ugh!
But it is logical to not have any lap baby in any "restraint". Those double seatbelts are dangerous. In forward impact, the parent would simply crush the child. Babies are safer loose in laps but only safe in a car seat.
I smell insurance rules coming into play here...