Mothers express dismay over airline union plans to scrap ‘lap baby’ seats
Breccan F. Thies
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Mothers are concerned a union-backed push to ban so-called “lap babies” on airlines could force them to buy seats that would “never” be used.
As the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization makes its way through Congress, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA — an affiliate of the AFL-CIO — has renewed its call to ban the practice of allowing children below the age of two to fly for free in their parent’s lap.
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According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, domestic air travel from the top five most-trafficked airports would cost families about an additional $400 to pay for their infant’s seat.
Several mothers told the Washington Examiner that the new requirement would force families to pay for a seat that would “never” be used by their child because they do not want to — or cannot — be separated from their parents.
“Being required to buy an extra ticket for a baby is not feasible for many moms. Not only is there a cost barrier, but there is no way my baby would sit in a seat for that long on the plane, and I would likely have to hold my baby in my lap anyway,” one mother said. “Flying is also stressful for babies, with the cabin pressure changes, loud noises, and strange surroundings. Many of the top recommendations to help babies cope with this stressful environment require moms to hold and comfort their baby.”
She also mentioned the “obvious” fact that “no one, especially parents, want babies crying on planes.”
“By mandating families to purchase another airline ticket for their children two and under, the airlines are creating a large socio-economic barrier for Americans to travel,” Consumers’ Research executive director Will Hild told the Washington Examiner. “Mandates like this with little scientific evidence proving the safety and security of consumers put costly burdens on consumers while the airlines profit.”
“Lap babies” were the subject of the AFA-CWA’s lobby at the FAA’s March safety summit, where the group cited turbulence as a reason each baby needs their own seat.
In addition, Sara Nelson, the international president of the flight attendant union, testified before Congress that the practice is dangerous and “studies show that lap children are at higher risk of injuries caused by falling from their parent’s laps, sudden or severe turbulence, and trauma incurred in a crash.”
However, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) believes the evidence for increased safety is scant, and the push comes from a broader anti-family, anti-child culture in the United States.
In an op-ed for the Hill, Rubio argued, “Lobbyists … cite rare cases of turbulence that could cause a parent to lose hold of his or her child and point to two airplane crashes.”
Those crashes, which occurred in 1989 and 1994, are used by Nelson as examples of why infants need their own seats and seat belts, but Rubio argues that “there is no evidence that prohibiting lap-babies would decrease the number of such deaths in America.”
“At best, the only thing this special interest handout would do is inconvenience millions of families,” the Florida Republican stated, arguing that the cost to families is higher than the potential for infant death.
Rubio claims one result of the requirement could be more families traveling by car, which would increase the amount of infant death because car crashes occur at a much higher frequency than plane crashes.
Beyond the technical aspects of the issue, Rubio says the push from the unions is symptomatic of a broader cultural issue in the United States that increasingly sees families and children as inconveniences.
With only 23% of Americans under 30 years old believing it is very important to have children, Rubio says, “That is a near-death sentence for our society, which is built on the institution of the family and relies on children for its future existence and strength.”
The FAA reauthorization is before the Senate Commerce Committee, where ranking member Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) appears to share the concerns of Rubio.
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A spokesperson for Cruz and the Commerce Committee Republicans told the Washington Examiner that the senator is “concerned that a ban on infants sitting on their mothers’ laps during flights would increase travel costs for families without any additional safety benefits.”
Committee chair Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) did not respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.