Originally Posted by
giporlos
OK... can't see how old the twins were, except "under 2". Mom wanted one in a seat alone, presumably next to her???? So that's allowed under FAA and NTSB regulations??
So you put your infant in a seat alone with the seat belt wrapped around what (???) , the infants waist (???)... hard ro believe the salt belt design was made for infants sitting alone. So what if the plane has to pull an emergency brake during takeoff and... the kid goes flying through the cabin, or the infant slips down and the belt wraps around it's neck, or anything else... AND THEN what's the lawsuit say????
Mom may have won.... but her plan was just as stupid as AA's decision to go to court.
The twins were 18 months old, according to the article, so not floppy-necked newborns/infants, more accurately described as toddlers. While preferable to use a car seat, they can be a pain to manage through the airport, security, and onto the plane, which was her reasoning from the article. And using a car seat requires taking the window (for the car seat) and middle, which might be an additional hassle if she needs to get up often. We usually bought seats for our kids when young and used car seats, but it was a pain and I was very glad when they outgrew that phase!
And, as mentioned, AA's policy is very clear, and while I understand FAs aren't perfect and don't expect them to know the nuances of the AAdvantage program, for example, I expect them to internalize and know published AA and FAA safety policies well, as that is of course their primary purpose.