They wouldn't let me bring my carseat on the plane!

[tintal]

I got it through check in and screening and lugged it around the airport. The stewardess on the plane said that it didn't have a FAA sticker on it. I couldn't find anything saying it was safe for flying in the instruction booklet attached to it. Anybody know anything about this? I had to put it on the cart and pick it up when the plane stopped.
thanks

[bobandjess99]

What kind was it? Possibly it was not FAA approved...was it a regent? I knwo for certain they are NOT approved. but most infant seats and convertible seats are....and since your child is only 1? chances are it was an approved seat.

[Love_My_Bubba]

Unfortunately, I have to say that the flight attendant was correct to do what she/he did. If there is not specific wording on the car seat that "this seat is approved for use in motor vehicles and is FAA approved for use in aircraft" that flight attendant would have been opening herself/himself as well as the airline up to MAJOR fines and could have lost their job if an FAA inspector had been on board and inspected the seat.

I know that is SO unlikely to happen (but it does.) If your job security rested on you following rules set by the Federal government, as a flight attendant's does, wouldn't you ladies have done the same thing and refused the seat? It's possible that the sticker came off and unfortunately that is the only way crew members can verify that the seat is FAA approved.

(BTW-I was a flight attendant and a station manager in the airlines for 8 years and this is the way it's always been.)

[bscal]

Sorry but I have to agree w/pp... if it did not have a sticker then you shouldn't have been allowed to fly with it. I'm actually impressed that the stewardess checked for the sticker, I have flown 4 times with the kids in carseats and they have never checked.

Beth

[sweetangelbrynlie]

bummer, im sorry.

[BeckC]

I have the same question as a PP - what kind of seat is it?

[an_aurora]

There are only a couple seats on the market that are not FAA approved, so more than likely she just couldn't find the sticker.

I had a FA argue with me about my Nautilus and we ended up not being able to use that.

[tintal]

It was a britax roundabout. I am upset because the people at the check in saw me with the seat and didn't say anything about the sticker. They should ask "Is your carseat approved"
I would have said "I am not sure" and I would have checked it.
There wasn't a sticker on the seat.

[an_aurora]

Originally Posted by tintal

It was a britax roundabout. I am upset because the people at the check in saw me with the seat and didn't say anything about the sticker. They should ask "Is your carseat approved"
I would have said "I am not sure" and I would have checked it.
There wasn't a sticker on the seat.

There is a sticker. It's at the very bottom of one of the main stickers, in red letters. This is why it's important to locate the sticker ahead of time, so you can point it out to them and be on your merry way

[PGTlatte]

In addition to knowing where the sticker is ahead of time, it is also a good idea to bring a printout of the airline's written policy for child restraints, printed from their website, with the airline name or logo on it.

I had an experience when our DS was 4 mos old and a flight attendant tried to tell us we could not install his carseat rear-facing unless we were in the bulkhead seat. It was an idiotic thing all the way around because carseats aren't even allowed on the bulkhead row. And the airline's own policy specifies rear-facing until age 1 and 20 lbs. I did not have the copy of the policy with me and this uninformed attendant had the power to prevent us from installing it correctly. I was not going to intall it FF for a 4-mo, and I thought we were going to have to refuse the flight because of him and get someone higher up on the phone to make arrangements for us on the next flight. Fortunately, another flight attendant stepped in and corrected him. On our return flight I carried the printed policy with me in case we had trouble again. I also formally complained to the airline and received a written apology and statement that the "training issue would be addressed". From now on I tell everyone I know who is flying with a carseat to know where the sticker is, and have a printout of the policy in their pocket, with the installation details highlighted.

[DahliaRW]

Originally Posted by an_aurora

There are only a couple seats on the market that are not FAA approved, so more than likely she just couldn't find the sticker.

I had a FA argue with me about my Nautilus and we ended up not being able to use that.

Really? The nautilus says right on it it's approved.

[Aries1985]

Wow, I'm so sorry. I flew with my safeseat and didn't have any issues. No one even asked me if it was approved or not. The flight attendants didn't even glance at me.

[an_aurora]

Originally Posted by DahliaRW

Really? The nautilus says right on it it's approved.

Tell me about it. The FA was insistent that "FAA approved when using the harness" meant you could only install the seat with LATCH

[tintal]

there isn't a sticker

Seriously, just checked No Sticker! Should I call Britax or email someone to get one?

[an_aurora]

Originally Posted by tintal

Seriously, just checked No Sticker! Should I call Britax or email someone to get one?

It's on the bottom of the main sticker, if you dont have that big sticker you need to call Britax ASAP.

[lemurmommies]

If the Roundabout stickering is anything like my Marathon sticker, it's on a triangular sticker on one side of the seat, close to the rear-facing lock-off and partially covered by the cover. The last sentence on the sticker is in red, and states "This restraint is certified for use in motor vehicles and in aircraft."

[DahliaRW]

Originally Posted by an_aurora

Tell me about it. The FA was insistent that "FAA approved when using the harness" meant you could only install the seat with LATCH

Goodness! Did you at least write the airline and complain?