[capital]

I had the same concerns as we flew when my son was just three. He did sit still, but the seat belt is so riduculously loose that there is no way he would ever stay in the belt in a crash. Does anyone have info on those airline flight vests and what carriers allow their use. Our car seat is too wide to fit in the airplane seat.

[Matty]

She was just doing her job.
I've found that they will insist on following the rules unless it's obvious it won't work for your child.
If the hostie won't listen to reason, (on any airline) ask to see the Iinflight services manager, unless she is a complete cow, she will accept sensible reasoning from a parent, and will usually be a parent who has had to go through it.

This week I flew CX to Sydney, and although I was lucky to have 2 empty seats beside me, my 11mth old kept trying to fling himself on the floor in his sleep, so the option was to hold him allnight, or ask them to allow me to put a bassinet on the seat.
The bulkhead seats were all taken.
He is technically too old for the bassinet, and it is totally against the rules to use one unsecured, but they could see the onlly other option was to let him fling himself on the floor.

It came down to the ISM taking responsibility if anything went wrong.

[nanzbier]

thanks for all your replies. i've decided to never take cathay again. not only because of this experience but because i think they have gone downhill. for the price, their airplanes are extremely old and the bathroom doors were held together by electrical tape. i will stick with eva airlines. unfortunately, i still need to fly back on cathay for a return trip. does anyone know if a regular car seat will fit onto a economy seat on cathay? otherwise, i may need to look into purchasing the sit and stroll. i actually dont mind her crying in her own seat...just that she will wiggle out in a split second. =) i think safety comes first.

[Genro]

Hi ALL;

I would HIGHLY recommend the Sit 'n Stroll. You can order them direct from the company at http://www.strolex.com/indexss.html ... I don't think anyone sells them in Hong Kong. I have seen a mom of twins selling 2 though on http://hongkong.asiaxpat.com.

I would not travel without the Sit 'n Stroll. I realize all “our little” ones are different, but I find that if I wheel my daughter on the plane in the Sit 'n Stroll and strap her right into the seat she is happy to sit there for short (1 to 3 hour) flights. I think it just doesn't enter her brain as a possibility she can get out. I only take her out to go to the bathroom for a nappy change. She also sleeps in it great. On longer flights home (10 hour +), we of course have to take her out, but we try to keep her in it as much of the time as we can. I usually have to hold her while she falls asleep, but once she is down she goes right into the seat and sleeps comfortably.

It also makes me feel better when we hit turbulence that she is safely strapped in. I have read several FAA report that basically says if you hit server turbulence there is no way you can hold your child. I was also told by the flight crew on Thai Airways in March that they no longer use infant seat belts that connect into the adult one because it increases the risk of you crushing your child and it is safer to hold them. I didn’t really want to think about it, but I assume they are saying that in a crash it is safer for your baby to fly out of your arms than be crushed by your weight.

The US actually wanted to require children to be in car seats by law or CRS (Child Restraint Systems) as the report calls it. The only reason they have not made it law is because they realize if they required parents to buy a seat for their child many families will not be able to afford to fly and will drive instead. Since there is a higher chance of being in a fatal car accident this would actually put the child at greater risk.

In the US you can also use the Sit 'n Stroll as a car seat once you arrive which is also GREAT. But I do know that my Aussie friends can't due to different regulations ... I guess the Sit 'n Stroll has never petitioned for approval in Australia. I also use it in Hong Kong in taxis.

A few flight crew have questioned the seat, but all you have to do is show them the FAA approval on the side and then they leave you alone. In economy you also have to lift the arm rest up to get the Sit 'n Stroll in the seat and then put it down. Depending on the seat belts you also sometimes have to ask for an extension.

When you use the Sit 'n Stroll as a pram, your child does sit low but it is no problem ... you just have to watch people with their luggage!

One website I also like for its info is http://www.thecarseatlady.com. They have a lot of info about flying and recommend many products at http://www.thecarseatlady.com/airpla...rplanes_7.html ... including products that allow you to use your car seat more easily on planes.

Well I hope this helps a bit …. unfortunately, flying with small children is never that fun ;)

[jane01]

I think that the flight attendant did the right thing - try to enforce the rules they are required to follow unless it becomes impractical/dangerous. I think that the fact that they insist on following safety procedures is a good thing. I have always found Cathay to be the best airline by far ! Try arguing your case with a Qantas flight attendant, ha ha.

[fee]

I have used a regular car seat on Cathay. Seem to remember it being a bit of a squeeze so if you are travelling with another adult get them to go on first when they allow families with young kids to board then you go on later when they have had a chance to install the seat.

[Neha]

I dont think it is available in HK, But babies r us in US has them. We saw a similar incident last year on a CX Flight. The flight attendant was insisting alot for the child to sit but he refused finally the attendant told the mother that it is her responsibility of something was to happend to the child. It is just procedure because the FA has to inform the chief purser about it. They tell all passengers that theyc annot take off or land but that is just to make sure everyone is seated.

[kellyst]

that sounds horrible. we flew UA business from Vancouver a while ago and they were super flex, i was surprised. we bought upgrades so my daughter (just under 2) did not have a seat. i tried to hold her during take off and landing but sometimes, she won't even be held. and would just play on the floor, it is dangerous but i didn't hear a peep from any of the air hostess. i'm a big cathay fan, so good to hear these stories, it's worth considering before buying plane tix.