Originally Posted by
fatlasercat
There is a thread with the details:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unit...-infant-3.html
Bottomline is that there are FAR's that say the "no certificate holder may prohibit" the use of a car seat if all required conditions hold. One interpretation is that a forward facing Polaris seat satisfies all conditions. And UA's prohibition is just a result of laziness, because it was easier for them to ban carseats from all Polaris seats instead of just the angled ones (more than 18 degree angle rules out a car seat). I am not sure it's 100% clear cut in terms of the rules, but the end result of banning car seats in forward facing seats is definitely something that reduces safety.
How is it not in violation of FAA rules? There's no plausible explanation other than people will get confused, which is a lousy explanation.
People can also book an exit row seat (or the row in front or behind an exit row seat!) without realizing that carseats can't go there. They get reseated, big deal.