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Flight Attendants Urge NTSB to Keep Recommendation on
Child Restraints
The Association of Flight Attendants- CWA, AFL-CIO, will brief the
National Transportation Safety Board today and push the Board to continue
its recommendation advocating child safety seats be required for children
under two onboard aircraft.
Currently, there is no requirement for children under two to be placed in
a safety seat onboard an aircraft, in stark contrast to the laws adopted
by all 50 states covering child restraints in vehicles. Although the NTSB
does not have regulatory authority, the Board's safety recommendations are
well respected in the aviation industry and will pressure the Federal
Aviation Administration to keep this issue as a top priority.
"While we have made strides regarding protection of children in motor
vehicles, the same cannot be said for aviation," said AFA's Director of
Air, Safety, Health and Security Chris Witkowski. "To withdraw this
recommendation means that the safety of aircraft passengers under two
years of age is no longer a priority, and these children will not be
afforded the same protections as others in the aircraft cabin."
Witkowski will appear along with Jan Lohr, a retired United Airlines
flight attendant who was working onboard United Airlines flight 232 from
Denver to Chicago on July 19, 1989. The aircraft broke into three pieces
during an emergency landing and a 22-month old child, who did not have the
benefit of a safety seat, died in the accident.
"Flight attendants are required to secure all items onboard an aircraft to
comply with FAA regulations, including carry on baggage and coffee pots,
but not infants and small children," Lohr said. "This is about the safety
of our smallest, most defenseless passengers -- and the safety of those
around them. If the FAA and the airlines continue to allow children under
two to be held on a parent's lap, many parents will continue to have the
false impression that this practice is safe.
"When preparing the aircraft cabin for an emergency, flight attendants
should not have to look a parent in the eye and instruct them to continue
to hold a child on their lap when we know there is a very real possibility
that child may not survive without proper restraints," Lohr said.
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