The
FAA released this news today, announcing they have certified the first aircraft
child restraint for onboard
use:

For Immediate Release

Release No. AOC 26-06

September 6, 2006

Contact: Alison Duquette

Phone: (202) 267-3883

FAA Approves New
Child Safety Device

Government Gives Parents More
Options for Safe Air Travel with Children

WASHINGTON, DC ? Air
travelers have a new option for securing their children on commercial flights
now that the U.S. Department of Transportation?s Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) has approved a new type of child safety device, the AmSafe
Aviation CARES.

CARES uses
an additional belt and shoulder harness that goes around the seat back and
attaches to the passenger lap belt to provide restraint for the upper part of
the body. It is designed for children weighing between 22 and 44 pounds. The
device provides a smaller and lighter alternative to using forward-facing child
safety seats. CARES is not approved for use in motor vehicles.

?We want to provide
parents with options so they can make the right decision for their children when
they travel by air,? said FAA Administrator Marion C. Blakey.
?We?re encouraging child seat manufacturers to design new types of
devices that meet the FAA?s stringent standards.?

Unlike hard-backed child
safety seats that are approved for use in airplanes and motor vehicles, CARES is
designed and tested specifically for safe use in airplanes only. Previously,
the FAA had allowed only airlines to provide these types of additional child
safety devices, but no U.S. airlines presently provide them.

According to the FAA, the
safest place for a child on an airplane is in an approved child safety device,
not on a parents lap. The agency encourages but does not mandate the use of
child safety devices on airplanes because of the increased safety risk to
families who, if forced to purchase an extra airline ticket, might choose to
drive. The risk to families is significantly greater on the roads than in
airplanes, according to FAA and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) statistics.

The big question
now: will airlines actually buy it? Since the seat will not be sold to the
public, airlines will have to purchase them for families to use onboard. And
since most airlines are not flush with cash at the moment (several are in
bankruptcy), it remains to be seen whether they will rush out there to outfit
their planes with CARES seats. It seems like the FAA’s move is calculated to
pressure airlines into buying the seats—hoping parents will start asking for
them, etc. It will probably take one major carrier that focuses on leisure
travel (hello, Southwest) to lead the way on this
issue.

UPDATE
and
CORRECTIONS:
Well, according to the Wall Street Journal, the CARES seat WILL be sold direct
to the public, despite statements to the contrary on the manufacturer’s web
site. Look for it on kidsflysafe.com for $75. American Airlines is thinking of
selling the CARES seat, but no word yet on when.