Gate Agents Reportedly Forced Mom To Take Her Baby Out Of A Car Seat On Her Flight
They claimed if they allowed her to do it, they would have to grant the same privilege for every passenger.
Photobac | Shutterstock While aboard an American Air flight departing from JFK, a passenger was seated near a woman and her infant. The mom was lugging her carry-on bag with the infant in the car seat, which she placed in the seat next to her.
However, before takeoff, two gate agents boarded the flight and reportedly demanded the woman check the car seat despite the flight attendants giving her permission to bring it on board.
The gate agents allegedly forced the mom to take her baby out of the car seat and hold them on her lap.
The fellow passenger took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to recount the experience. “I was just a bystander, but the gate agents' actions against the flight attendants and a passenger were appalling,” they shared.
According to the passenger, the flight attendants “warmly greeted” everyone who boarded and assisted anyone who may have needed it. “Flight attendant Carly loved the box of goodies I was carrying home for my kids and said to be sure to bring the kids on my next flight as she loved having children on her flights,” the passenger wrote.
One of the people who needed assistance was a mother traveling with her baby. She was juggling one carry-on bag along with her baby’s car seat.
“Flight attendant Carly saw that the gate agent had tagged her car seat to be gate-checked but saw that it was approved for air travel,” the passenger recalled.
“As this was a half-empty flight, Carly stopped it from being gate-checked and brought the car seat back to the mother for the infant to use on the flight.”
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Even though the woman hadn’t bought the extra seat, no other passengers ended up sitting next to her as the flight was only half full.
However, shortly before the flight took off, two gate agents from American came on board and noticed the car seat. “They lost their temper, screaming at the mother and the flight attendants that they already told her it had to be gate checked and that the mom should have bought a seat,” the passenger shared.
The agents claimed that if they allowed someone to do it once without buying an extra seat, then they would have to grant the same privileges to every passenger.
The mom was forced to hold her infant on her lap for the flight to Cleveland while the agents gate-checked the car seat.
“Carly said she offered the gate agents to stow the car seat in the back of the empty plane so that the mother wouldn't have to wait for it in Cleveland and so that it wouldn't get damaged or dirty, but the gate agents refused,” the passenger wrote.
The passenger praised the kind efforts the flight attendants extended to the mother to make her situation easier. They even offered her and her baby one of the empty seats in first class to make them more comfortable, but she politely declined as they were already settled.
The passenger is calling for the airline to review its policies regarding infants and car seats on planes.
“The @FAANews says they strongly encourage infants to fly in car seats,” they shared.
The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) does not require but does strongly encourage children ages 2 and under to be placed in appropriate car seats while aboard flights for safety reasons. The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends the use of car seats on planes.
When a young child is unrestrained by a seatbelt, even if they are being held in a parent’s lap, it can lead to potential injuries. Airplanes can experience unexpected turbulence at any time, and there is a reason the fasten seatbelts signs light up when it does.
“There are lots of hard edges, corners, handles, and things that your kid can hurt themselves on if the plane suddenly lurches and you lose your grip on the child,” Dana Oliver, founder and CEO of Adventure Kids Playcare told Parents.
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The passenger also urged airline companies to be more lenient when it comes to bringing car seats on board. “If there are available empty seats, the airlines should allow parents to bring car seats onboard. The FAA and DOT should make that a required policy in the case of empty seats,” they added.
American Air responded to the frustrated passenger by taking accountability.
“Our team should approach every situation grounded in respect, and it's clear we missed the mark. We have shared your comments internally with our leadership team in JFK. Thank you for bringing this to our attention,” they wrote.
While every airline company has different policies regarding car seats on board, typically, parents only have to pay to bring a car seat on board if their child is 2 or older.
Others have the option to check their car seat or gate-check it before boarding the plane.
Ultimately, passenger safety should always be put first — and if that means using an empty seat to strap a car seat in even if they did not purchase the seat, then so be it!
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.