# "Flight Is Canceled After a Child Refuses to Be Seated" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 10, 2026, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-is-canceled-after-a-child-refuses-to-be-seated/1032260 "2026-08-10T01:32:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-is-canceled-after-a-child-refuses-to-be-seated/1032260/141 "2026-08-10T23:31:27Z")
You can actually use a regular carseat on a plane as long as it’s been approved by hte appropriate government agency ( FAA in the US ). Problem is that you can’t order a plane ticket with a car seat (like you can sometimes do with Uber) and it can be difficult to carry a car seat through the airport and onto a plane. [There](https://www.amsafe.com/product/kidsflysafe-com/) is a restraint specifically for planes that looks like it would be easier to carry but it’s not very well advertised. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-is-canceled-after-a-child-refuses-to-be-seated/1032260/142 "2026-08-10T23:32:24Z")
My father, much later in life, sort of apologized for his parenting techniques, saying he only knew what he learned from his mother (who was an ignorant, uneducated, backwoods sort of person). I give him credit for learning better things as an adult than he was taught as a child, but it came too late to do me much good. ---
**Author:** ![billy-jack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@billy-jack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billy-jack)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-is-canceled-after-a-child-refuses-to-be-seated/1032260/143 "2026-08-10T23:42:21Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > For US carriers, it is rarely required to remove luggage of people who are being removed or who are missing the flight for whatever reason. Back immediately post 9/11 the rules were created such that bag removal was _always_ required. That has not been true for about 20 years now. I flew out of LAX once on my flight and my luggage came on the next flight. I was sitting in the window seat watching them load the luggage and saw my very distinctive luggage fall off of the conveyor belt. When they finished loading the luggage, they noticed my luggage on the ground and didn’t put it on the airplane. I was a bit upset. In my luggage were several floppy disks containing certain law enforcement information for about 100,000 people in the state. My entire trip out there had been to get that information and take it back to my office for analysis. I could easily imagine the loss of that information making all the newspapers. Fortunately, the airline brought it to my office that night. I made up my mind that from then on, I would bring my briefcase and put it in there. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-is-canceled-after-a-child-refuses-to-be-seated/1032260/144 "2026-08-11T00:20:07Z")
My Daddy was a tough old Marine but he wasn’t without love and compassion. On one hand he expected everyone to toe the line. OTOH if I was in a pickle at school, as I often, was he would fight a pair of tigers on my behalf. Because my own difficulties I was not able to explain or talk it over. The schools were generally afraid to outright punish me, my Mother was either ill or had died so they called Daddy. He took no shit about me with any school admit. or teacher. And don’t think I didn’t notice this was a plus for me. Yeah, so I availed myself of this knowledge, a few times. Used it to my benefit. Daddy told me when I was grown, he knew I was doing it. And he understood why. I was a brat. My Daddy was strict and had insane rules. But we all loved him to a fault. He was not alone, by design when he died. He had an aneurysm burst. Doc said he was dead before he hit the floor. Horrible time in my life. Lost my biggest defender. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-is-canceled-after-a-child-refuses-to-be-seated/1032260/145 "2026-08-11T00:39:04Z")
> [@billy-jack](#): > > I could easily imagine the loss of that information making all the newspapers. When i flew with important information, part of the deal, very explicitly told to me, was that the information (mine was on paper) had to be taken carry-on. So long as you didn’t plan to be separated from your luggage, there’s no special security risk to it flying separately. > [@doreen](#): > > it can be difficult to carry a car seat through the airport and onto a plane. I suppose it is, but i see people do it all the time. TSA has procedures for it, and flight attendant will help set it up. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-is-canceled-after-a-child-refuses-to-be-seated/1032260/146 "2026-08-11T01:49:02Z")
Ever since the 1988 Lockerbie Bombing, airlines and airports have been wary of letting passenger luggage fly check-in unattended if the person himself doesn’t accompany the luggage by boarding the plane as well. ---
**Author:** ![Apodder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apodder/32/17727_2.png) [@Apodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apodder)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-is-canceled-after-a-child-refuses-to-be-seated/1032260/147 "2026-08-11T02:30:10Z")
It’s easier to keep a kid restrained in a carseat. An airplane seat (assuming the parent didn’t bring the kid’s carseat) can be slid under and escaped from. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-is-canceled-after-a-child-refuses-to-be-seated/1032260/148 "2026-08-11T02:30:15Z")
What would make sense to me would be the airport having some of those harnesses people talk about. No need to have it on the plane proper, but if parents do often bring car seats (meaning kids being too small for the seats _ **is** _ a common issue) , then having something equivalent available could make sense, and a rental could make it cost effective if providing them for free would not be. Though, yeah, I can’t fault the idea of just having one on the plane just in case a kid that parents didn’t think need it actually does. If it takes little space, it might be worth the small chance it is needed. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-is-canceled-after-a-child-refuses-to-be-seated/1032260/149 "2026-08-11T02:33:09Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Though, yeah, I can’t fault the idea of just having one on the plane just in case a kid that parents didn’t think need it actually does. If it takes little space, it might be worth the small chance it is needed. You realized that this would have to go through very expensive testing that would take years. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-is-canceled-after-a-child-refuses-to-be-seated/1032260/150 "2026-08-11T02:33:24Z")
Stuffing a napkin in a screaming child’s mouth is assault, just saying. I too am surprised that no video has been posted. ---
**Author:** ![Apodder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apodder/32/17727_2.png) [@Apodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apodder)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-is-canceled-after-a-child-refuses-to-be-seated/1032260/151 "2026-08-11T02:34:32Z")
From another special needs mom, thank you. This is the way. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-is-canceled-after-a-child-refuses-to-be-seated/1032260/152 "2026-08-11T02:53:00Z")
I’ve said this before, and here I go again: Maybe I live a really sheltered life, but I honestly seldom see truly badly behaved kids in public, and when I do, 99% of the time, the parents are acting worse than the kids. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-is-canceled-after-a-child-refuses-to-be-seated/1032260/153 "2026-08-11T02:56:15Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > You realized that this would have to go through very expensive testing that would take years. Some colleagues / friends work on in-flight Wi-Fi and it blows my mind how much testing and certification their gear has to go through with each airplane manufacturer. I can’t imagine what it would take to certify a child restraint. * * * I’m not clear why so many replies are still discussing restraining a terrified kid. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-is-canceled-after-a-child-refuses-to-be-seated/1032260/154 "2026-08-11T02:59:27Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I too am surprised that no video has been posted. It was a smallish plane, and despite what Instagram suggests, most people don’t film everything around them. I suspect there isn’t a video. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-is-canceled-after-a-child-refuses-to-be-seated/1032260/155 "2026-08-11T03:01:39Z")
My experience is with automotive safety devices and it’s a lot. It’s been a while since my career ended but there were only like two companies who made 95+% of the seat belt buckles. They also made airbag components. Their products have production runs in the hundreds of millions. Why would they put any resources into the pidley number of specialized harnesses? ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-is-canceled-after-a-child-refuses-to-be-seated/1032260/156 "2026-08-11T03:04:33Z")
@Spice_Weasel , when my son was a toddler he had a half a dozen accidents where he needed stitches. He became terrified by the ER and would start screaming uncontrollably and would fight gentle approaches. Because I’m much bigger and it was a medical emergency, we went the way of physically restraining him, but I agree that’s a last resort and I wouldn’t have in your situation, either. I don’t have enough information about this case to say what should have happened. As someone noted above, it was a late flight and that could have been a factor. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-is-canceled-after-a-child-refuses-to-be-seated/1032260/157 "2026-08-11T03:16:37Z")
One of the companies that make airplane seat belts has already done the testing and is selling a harness. > **[Child Aviation Restraint System - AmSafe](https://www.amsafe.com/product/kidsflysafe-com/)** > > CARES Child Aviation Restraint System is designed specifically for aviation use for children age 1 and older who weigh between 22 and 44 pounds. I’m not sure why you assumed it would be a small number of harnesses - airlines are not the only customers. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-is-canceled-after-a-child-refuses-to-be-seated/1032260/158 "2026-08-11T03:22:44Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > You realized that this would have to go through very expensive testing that would take years. Well, no. The harnesses already exist (per previous posts), and so the rest is just doing math, which they can do on computers. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-is-canceled-after-a-child-refuses-to-be-seated/1032260/159 "2026-08-11T03:23:22Z")
It’s very small compared to seat belt buckles but I am glad to see that they already exist. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-is-canceled-after-a-child-refuses-to-be-seated/1032260/160 "2026-08-11T03:25:18Z")
> [@CaveMike](#): > > I’m not clear why so many replies are still discussing restraining a terrified kid. A lot of people support authoritarian parenting and get greatly offended if other parents don’t follow the same philosophy. Other parents had children who meshed well with their parenting style and they assume it’s the parent’s fault for not doing things right. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-is-canceled-after-a-child-refuses-to-be-seated/1032260.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-is-canceled-after-a-child-refuses-to-be-seated/1032260.md?page=9)