Citing a lack of uniform rules for the use of child restraint systems on planes traveling internationally, the International Air Transport Association has drafted proposed guidelines and is calling on airline safety regulators to put the recommendations into practice.
When traveling from country to country, certain policies and procedures can get lost in translation. A prime example: the confusion surrounding how children should be secured in planes.
Standards for child safety restraints onboard airlines differ from country to country, and now the International Air Transport Association is working on a uniform standard that would apply across international airlines.
IATA promotes the use of approved child restraint systems (CRS) to secure infants and children onboard aircraft. As the association explains, some countries refuse to accept CRS that have been approved in other nations. Therefore, passengers are sometimes not allowed to use their child safety seat when flying on a foreign airline; instead, they are told to hold children in their laps or place the children in their own seats with no restraint but the seat belt.
In an effort to clear up the confusion and ensure safe global travel for small children, earlier this month IATA issued its Guidance on the Safety of Infants and Children on Board [PDF]. The association will collaborate with the United Nations-run International Civil Aviation Organization to implement the recommendations across the board…
