Canadian car seat conflict on American flight
Posted August 21, 2016 1:17 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – When you travel with your kids do you bring along a car seat for them to use on the plane? A Canadian passenger who wasn’t allowed to use hers on an American flight is sharing her experience as a warning to others.
When Tiffany Chan tried to board her flight from San Jose to Seattle with her two-year-old earlier this month, she hoped to bring her car seat onboard. Despite earlier approval, she was stopped at the gate by a flight attendant who insisted she check it because it didn’t have an American sticker.
“On the Alaska Airline’s website, it clearly states that foreign stickers are allowed so I showed them the Canadian sticker, which is called the National Safety Mark. She didn’t know the sticker so I showed her the manual and it says in the manual this car seat is certified for aircraft use.”
“The staff person with Alaska Airline was very firm on seeing an American sticker which I obviously didn’t have because I am from Canada,” she explains. “When I brought up how it was safer for my child, I was told I could just buckle her in or if I was really worried I could put her on my lap.”
“I am just surprised with the inconsistency. Every flight attendant had a different take on it.”
Bryan Zidar with Alaska Airlines says the situation has been addressed. “We have apologized to Ms. Chan for her experience earlier this month. We have also followed-up with our employees to ensure they understand the correct car seat guidelines going forward.”
