Brooklyn, NY – A Crown Heights couple are taking an airline to task after flight attendants insisted that they face their infant’s car seat toward the front of the plane, despite FAA recommendations that babies be placed in a rear facing safety seat when flying.
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Yosef and Sarah Shidler were returning to New York from Florida on June 11th on Southwest Flight 4173 from Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport to La Guardia with a stopover in Atlanta when the incident occurred.
Boarding Flight 3128, the connecting leg of the Southwest flight in Atlanta during family boarding, the couple, who had paid for a seat for their 10 month old daughter Tiferes, strapped the child safety seat into the window seat in the plane’s second row when the difficulties began.
“The passenger in front of us went to lean her seat back but it only went halfway back because of the safety seat,” Sarah Shidler told VIN News. A discussion ensued between the couple and the passenger in the first row and a flight attendant intervened, telling the Shidlers that they had to turn the safety seat around to the forward facing position.
“I tried to explain that I paid for a seat for my daughter for her safety and that I feel bad that the woman couldn’t recline her seat but there was really nothing I could do about it,” said Yosef Shidler. The couple said that they are loyal Southwest flyers who travel monthly with their young daughter, either on business or to visit out of town family members, and that they have never been asked by Southwest to turn their safety seat to the forward facing position before.
The woman in the first row relocated to another seat, but the situation repeated itself when another passenger sat down in the same front row seat and experienced the same difficulty reclining her seat. While Yosef Shidler left the plane to speak with a supervisor, Mrs. Shidler said she was issued an ultimatum by a flight attendant and the pilot: turn the seat around or get off the plane.
“This was expected to be a turbulent flight,” said Mrs. Shidler. “I told the pilot, you are an educated man and you understand that if the plane takes a quick drop, my daughter’s tiny body will be thrown forward instead of her just leaning into it in the rear facing position. He just looked at me and said ‘this is our policy.’”
This Shidler’s car seat, an Evenflo SureRide DLX Convertible Car Seat is certified by the Federal Aviation Administration for airline travel and according to the manufacturer the seat can only be used in the rear facing position for infants weighing less than 22 pounds. Tiferes Shidler’s parents say that she weighs only 18 pounds.
On its website, the FAA “strongly urges” parents to secure children in a government approved child safety restraint system during air travel, with a table on the agency’s site saying that children weighing less than 22 pounds should be placed in a rear-facing child restraint system. As stated on their website, Southwest does offer special infant fares and recommends proper use of a child safety seat in order to enhance child safety during air travel, with no further mention of which direction those seats should be faced on the aircraft.
According to the Shidlers, the airline made no attempt to address the problem by arranging for them to relocate to the front row of the full flight, where the reclining issue would have been resolved and that after being pressured by the flight crew to either comply with their requests or to leave the aircraft they turned the safety seat around, against their better judgment.
“It was the last flight out of Atlanta and when they told us we should try a different flight, they made it very clear that we would have to make those arrangements on our own,” said Shidler. “They kept pushing us, telling us that we were delaying the entire flight.”
The day after their return to New York, Mrs. Shidler posted the story of her flight on Facebook where it sparked outrage and caught notice of baby gear expert Jamie Grayson, who posted the story on Twitter. Grayson’s tweet attracted the attention of Southwest, who responded that they had already reached out to the Shidlers and are investigating the incident.
While the Shidlers say they do expect to be compensated for their experience, they are far more concerned about what they call an industry wide failure to educate flight crews about the proper use of child safety seats in flight.
“My primary concern is that no child should ever have their safety compromised because of flight crews who put the comfort of a passenger ahead of the safety of a child,” said Yosef Shidler, who noted that a similar incident took place just days earlier on an American Airlines flight.
“So many people travel with child safety seats and flight crews need to be educated about safety,” added Mrs. Shidler. “This is serious stuff and I want a paper I can take anywhere so that I won’t have this problem ever again.”
there should be a section on the plane just for families traveling with infants & toddlers who use the seats. that way no one will be inconvienienced
A educated flight manager would immediately place such infant in a Bulk Head row.
To avoid a Chillul Hashem the father of the child should have sat in the seat in front of the child.
Why are Jews so stubborn? You’re not the only person who’s traveled with children, I’ve flown dozens of times with small children and I usually bend over backwards to accommodate passengers sitting near us. Use some common sense. You truly believe that if plane goes down it’s gonna make a difference what way the car seat’s facing??!! Seriously.
I am with you #3
It’s great that he paid extra for his kid’s seat, but what about the person in the front. Didn’t they also pay for a seat? They have the right to recline their seat to it’s normal reclining position. You can’t be extra safe on the account of someone else.
#3, they offered- and the passenger in front refused to switch seats. (This isn’t in the article but was in their letter to Southwest). This is not a matter of Chilul Hashem, but of childrens’ safety and the aircraft crew’s decision to illegally put an infant at risk. And it happens ALL the time. The only way to make a difference in mandated education for flight crew is to publicize.
It isn’t a matter of “extra” safe. Many aircraft seats do not recline at all- paying for a seat does NOT guarantee the extra comfort of a recline.
95+% of aircraft incidents are severe turbulence and runway incidents- which behave just like a car would, only at 200 MPH or more! Physics don’t change just because it is an airplane instead of a car. Children that young MUST rearface.
i’m truly surprised by the comments i’m seeing. these parents wanted to put their child safely in her seat, follow FAA guidelines, and the guidelines issued by the carseat maker. to #3, about “the plane going down” (chas v’sholom), the parents were trying to keep their child safe for TURBULENCE, in which case, rear-facing is best. i also have travelled many times with small children and bent over backwards to accomodate others. what about the person IN FRONT of the baby being accomodating? what if they said, “gee, that baby’s safety is more important than me having to fully recline.” i am honestly shocked that the first passenger – a woman, who SHOULD have had a woman’s sensitivity – insisted on moving her seat and that the second passenger felt they had to move as well. REALLY?!?? what the heck is wrong with THEM? THEY can’t put the needs of a baby ahead of their own? their fully-reclining seat trumps the safety of a BABY? they can’t hack it for a 3 hour flight? i feel disappointed in humanity reading both the story and the comments here.
Mr. Shidler was doing the best for his child by following the guide lines of the car seat. Not all seats recline and the airline should have used some better judgment. Personally I would have mover the father to sit in front of the baby and shalom al Yisroel
Facing rearward is for a car, where if the car crashes, the child will be held by the seat back (going forward) rather than the straps. When used in a plane, if the plane drops, as the father put it, it will be the straps holding the child in place regardless of whether the seat is facing forward or rearward.
Man people are so bored
I could understand why they are upset
But to take it so far I do not think that its normal
If the only motivation for this is to enact a policy change, I wonder why the article says the Shidlers expect compensation. Why? They were not removed from the flight and no harm ensued. Being spoken to rudely doesn’t really need compensation. Make sure you decline any compensation if you want people to take this seriously.
The father could have taken the seat in front of the child when the first person relocated. #3 had the right idea.
This is absurd but in the least because we are a minority as someone once said. . The majority of the minorities are minors in the major leagues.. that makes you think. . But this minor and I’m taking about the father he should of sat backwards see how it feels as his brain is thinking backwards he may change his thinking.. but what I’m not understanding why didn’t they just ask the baby. .
Or maybe just exchange places the baby with the pilot and then we would see what would be. .
The problem with Southwest is that the experience and educational level of its flight attendants, varies from flight to flight. Sometimes, Southwest has educated, accommodating flight crews who go beyond the call of duty to assist passengers. Other times, they have flight crews who are not that nice. Years ago, passengers were treated like royalty on commercial flights. Today, the animals in the cargo compartments, are treated more humanely than the passengers. It is no longer fun to fly; in addition to dealing with the crowds at the airport, loud mouth curbside porters, the TSA (a separate chapter could be written about them), surly ticket and gate agents, one has to deal with flight attendants. In many instances, they have a chip on their shoulders, from the minute they wake up in the morning. In addition, I’ve noticed at some airports, there are luggage attendants who will harass passengers, when they try to put coins in the machine, in order to rent a luggage cart. In their view, this is impacting their business. Years ago, people used to dress up to fly, and behaved very well. Today, there is very little difference in flying, and riding the NYC subways!
Well he has changed his tune and is happy with Southwest now. Guess the free tickets did the trick.
I was in a high speed german ICE train that made an emergency stop because of a person on the track. (there was a delay while the police and crew removed the remains.
I was sitting backwards, the slowdown pushed my body into the seat safely. many others were thrown from their seats. So the logic is correct that in certain cases facing rearward is the safer way.
Flying today is a nightmare. As for this couple, why do they have to make this a Jewish issue? Would other groups use a name of Cool Catholic or Cool Muslim?
Mr. Shidler was doing the best for his child by following the guide lines of the car seat. Not all seats recline and the airline should have used some better judgment. Personally I would have mover the father to sit in front of the baby and shalom al Yisroel