Originally Posted by
Eclipsepearl
Because they're not as safety-conscious. They also use those dangerous "belly belts" for infants on U.K. aircraft.
Generally, I find that you and I share similar points of view but in this instance, I feel that your comment may be a bit off the mark. While I do not personally support the use of the belly belt (I've documented why elsewhere in the forum), its use is mandated over much of the world for lap held infants and I understand the rationale for that. Outside of North America, regulatory authorities might view the FAA as not being safety-conscious as they permit lap held infants to travel without any means of restraint.
EU-OPS does require that all occupants are restrained using a safety belt, harness or restraint system:
OPS 1.320 Seats, safety belts and harnesses
(b) Passengers
1. Before take-off and landing, and during taxiing, and whenever deemed necessary in the interest of safety, the commander shall ensure that each passenger on board occupies a seat or berth with his/her safety belt, or harness where provided, properly secured.
2. An operator shall make provision for, and the commander shall ensure that multiple occupancy of aeroplane seats may only be allowed on specified seats and does not occur other than by one adult and one infant who is properly secured by a supplementary loop belt or other restraint device.
COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 859/2008 (EU-OPS)
I feel that the bigger question is the ability to travel with an infant on your lap and how to adequately restrain that item of mass in the event of an incident or accident. While not perfect, most authorities have elected to require the use of the belly belt as it provides a level of protection during normal or abnormal operations and periods of in-flight turbulence not afforded to an unrestrained infant. In the event of an accident, neither choice is ideal with the belly belt coming in slightly worse due to the demonstrated hazard it may pose to the infant. It is not possible to accurately test or measure what will happen to the unrestrained infant in an accident...
In the end, I feel that the safest method to transport an infant is in their own passenger seat, using a restraint system that has been approved for use on board aircraft (whether a car seat or one specifically designed for aircraft use).
As to the UK requirements, their website provides the following information to parents:
Child seats and child restraint devices
Infants under the age of two need to be secured whenever the seat belt sign is on. This can be achieved through the use of a seat belt loop provided by the airline to secure the infant on an adult’s lap, or by using a child restraint device i.e. car type seat, or an alternative provided by the airline.
Forwards facing child restraint devices may be installed on both forward and rearward-facing passenger seats but only when fitted in the same direction as the passenger seat on which it is positioned. Rearward-facing child restraint devices can only be fitted to forward-facing passenger seats.
Child restraint devices can only be fitted on a suitable aircraft seat using the type of seat belt/harness for which they were designed. For example a child restraint device that needs to be secured by a car type seat belt which includes a shoulder harness, cannot be installed on an aircraft seat that is fitted with a lap belt only.
The permitted use of restraint devices can differ between airlines, so it is important to contact your airline in advance of your booking or flight to ensure that the device that you may wish to use is acceptable.
UK CAA - Information on how an airline may allocate seats and what restrictions may apply.
Now, there is an exemption issued by the UK CAA that has been in place since September 2003 that refers to the carriage and use of child restraints. I'm not certain to whom it applies as I am not familiar with the construct of the regulatory requirements of the various NAAs and EASA. However, there is a provision in that exemption that would
appear to prohibit the use of a rearward-facing child restraint: