Is there FAA safety requirements re. child safety seats?

Question

I spoke briefly with my nephew who said his 3 yr. old rides free. Does that mean he will not have his own seat on the plane? Doesn't FAA require children of a certain weight be strapped into a child safety seat while taking a domestic flight? My nephew booked his tickets on-line. They will be travelling from Hawaii to Europe with stopovers in the states.

Answer 1

Under FAA regulations, airlines currently allow children under the age of two to fly free of charge as "lap children" (not required to have their own seat). The steward/stewardess should place you in a front seat where you will have more room. Most airlines will provide you with a special baby seat belt that hooks onto yours so your child can be buckled up as well. And depending on the airline and length of flight the steward/stewardess will give you a crib type thing that attaches to the front wall to put your child in (however you can not uses this during take-off and landing).

This is not the safest way for a child to fly and the FAA recommens children to have their own seat with a child safety device, but does not mandate it because of the cost to the parents.

A child safety device is an FAA-approved alternative to using a hard-backed seat and is approved only for use on aircraft. It is not approved for use in motor vehicles. For example, the FAA has approved a new harness-type device appropriate for children weighing between 22 and 44 pounds.

Many airlines offer half-price tickets so parents can be guaranteed that their child can travel in a CRS or device. Parents should call their airline to ask for a discount and/or ask what the airline's policy is for using empty seats.
http://faa.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/faa.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=29&p_created=1071174367&p_sid=mn66D6wi&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9NCZwX3Byb2RzPSZwX2NhdHM9MCZwX3B2PSZwX2N2PSZwX3BhZ2U9MSZwX3NlYXJjaF90ZXh0PWNoaWxk&p_li=&p_topview=1

****Just a note: flying to/from Hawaii to mainland US is considered a domestic flight because it is still part of the US. Same goes from flying to/from Alaska.

Answer 2

There are no laws or regulations that children must ride in a safety seat on an airplane. If there were, then 'lap babies' would be illegal. I'm surprised the airline is allowing a 3 yr old to travel for free. The usual cut off age for a lap child is 2 yrs. On all airlines I've traveled on, all children who are above 2 are required to pay for a seat.

IFY-If they are flying from Hawaii to Europe it's not a domesic flight, but rather an international one. Domestic means they never leave the country.

Answer 3

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