Chrisinhouston

Just a head's up for those folks traveling United with small kids that normally would need a car seat if a separate seat for the child is purchased. The UA website section on traveling with children has been amended to allow the CARES child restraint system. This simple harness makes bringing a car seat on board no longer necessary and is the only other FAA approved child restraint system.

After a family tried to use it on a US flight BOS-SFO and were denied UA to their credit amended their website to reflect the change and acceptance of the device.

Child safety seats
You may use an approved infant car seat on board the aircraft when you purchase a seat for your child. --- You should place your child in the child safety seat for takeoff, landing and during turbulence.---The FAA has approved the use of a child safety restraint system for travel. The system, CARES (child aviation restraint system), uses an additional belt and shoulder harness that goes around the back of the seat and attaches to the lap belt. Children weighing between 22 and 44 pounds may use this device. More information is available at www.kidsflysafe.com.

Has anyone seen this in use yet? It does require the parent or adult to lower the table behind the seat for a moment to install the harness but it doesn't seem to interfere with the tray table or inflight entertainment screens.

DCA writer

Mrs. DCA writer and I have taken a CARES harness for Mini DCA writer on at least three UA flights over the last year and a half without hearing a peep from FAs or other passengers. It's a good system: only takes a minute to set up and is about 500 times easier to haul through an airport than a car seat.

emcampbe

I was looking into the system as we are expecting - won't need it for a while, but was looking into things. Was UA ever really not allowing folks to use these? As long as it's FAA-approved, and there isn't a UA policy preventing their use, can they really not allow people to use them? Especially since a child of that age probably isn't safe in a regular seat and parents wouldn't have an alternative since they likely have already ditched the car seat.

Correct - it does require, from my reading, the tray table in the seat behind you to be lowered momentarily while it is installed - as it needs to wrap around the back of the seat, but I can't imagine it being much of a problem.

mduell

This isn't new, it's been on the website for 1.5+ years. The wording changed a bit, but the CARES device was unambiguously allowed. April 12, 2013:

AmSafe's CAReS (Child Aviation Restraint System) may be used onboard United Airlines aircraft. Other booster seats, restraint vests and restraint harnesses may not be used aboard United Airlines aircraft. Note: The Amsafe device must have the FAA label attached and its correct use on board the aircraft is solely the responsibility of the customer.

dbross

We've been using the CARES restraint belts for at least a couple years. It's basically creating a 5 point harness like a booster seat. My only advice is I wouldn't recommend for really little ones. You're going to want to wait until the child can sit upright on their own.

greg99

I had to check the date of this post, because we were using it (as far as I can recall) 4 or so years ago on UA flights with no issues.

Greg

boiflyer

I've used our CARES harness several times. No FAs had questioned it (on UA) until recently our first return segment went MX and we transferred over to USAir. The first segment of that was on a CR9 operated by Skywest.

As I was getting my son set up, one of the FAs walked up to me and told me I could not use it. I told her it was FAA approved, she went to the back for a while. After coming back, she said we could use it on the USAir flight, but that some carriers that Skywest flies for does not allow use.

I find that at odds with the FAA and the relevant CFRs. Relevant links for anyone finding themselves in a similar situation. The FAA explicitly states that no operator may prohibit an FAA approved device.

http://www.faa.gov/other_visit/aviat.../InFO11007.pdf

http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/

http://kidsflysafe.com/2014/10/08/fi...t-safety-rule/

mahasamatman

Sounds more like an FA lying to cover up her mistake.