{"id":3483,"date":"2019-08-28T15:51:57","date_gmt":"2019-08-28T19:51:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spintheglobe.net\/dir\/?p=3483"},"modified":"2019-08-28T15:52:34","modified_gmt":"2019-08-28T19:52:34","slug":"faa-wheelchairs-on-planes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spintheglobe.net\/dir\/2019\/08\/28\/faa-wheelchairs-on-planes\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Air Travel Authorities Say Yes to Lap Infants but No to Wheelchairs on Airplanes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Any wheelchair user who has ever flown on a plane knows exactly what a nightmare air travel can be. From having to be transferred by often inept wheelchair assistance airport employees to stressing out over potential wheelchair damage, the entire process is enough to cause a lot of anxiety. The best solution is clearly to allow wheelchair users to remain in theirWheelchairs during their flights \u2014 especially those with highly customized chairs designed for their safety and comfort. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) insists that this isn’t safe, despite the fact that they still allow infants under the age of two to fly unrestrained on someone’s lap. Here is the FAA’s reasoning behind these conflicting rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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FAA: Infants are safer on planes than cars<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I’m the mother of two children, and before I was a full-time wheelchair user, my ex-husband and I had the “pleasure” of flying with them several times. To be fair to them, they are actually great travelers, even when they were small. But spending several hours with infants or toddlers on an airplane is no walk in the park. Often, they need constant cuddling, feeding, and entertaining. Even if restrained in their own seats, they usually don’t stay there for long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For decades, the National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) has stated that “children are safest when they are properly secured in a child safety seat, in their own seat, when flying.” Since 1979, the NTSB has wanted the FAA to remove the exemption that permits babies and young children to fly as lap infants. Even the FAA has said, “Your arms aren’t capable of holding your child securely, especially during unexpected turbulence,” and they “strongly urge you to secure your child in a [child safety restraint system] or device for the duration of the flight.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My younger son flying at 18 months old while strapped into his car seat.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

So, with all of these warnings and recommendations by both the NTSB and FAA, why are infants and toddlers still allowed to fly on someone’s lap? Simply put, because planes are safer than cars. In 2005, the FAA issued a press release<\/a> stating that, “if forced to purchase an extra airline ticket, families might choose to drive, a statistically more dangerous way to travel.” The press release referred to the statistic that in 2004, nearly 43,000 people died on America’s highways as compared to 13 on commercial flights. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration supported the FAA’s decision based on studies at the time that showed a mandate could result in another 13 to 42 at a family member fatalities over 10 years in highway accidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FAA: Seats must withstand forces up to 16g<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The process of restraining disabled passengers in their own wheelchairs is more complicated than restraining anyone in an aircraft seat. In 2005, the FAA issued a new rule, which affected aircraft built after October 2009. This rule stated that aircraft seats must be able to withstand 16 times the force of gravity. Floors and the tracks the seats ride on must also be able to withstand those forces. Additionally, the new seats would have to undergo a battery of tests to determine their strength, similar to automobile crash tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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NTSB photo of a Boeing 777 cabin after Asiana 214 crashed in San Francisco. Only two of 307 passengers died, but more than 100 suffered serious injuries and two were paralyzed.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In response to a push for wheelchair users to remain in their wheelchairs on flights, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) pointed out that aircraft seats are constructed to meet rigorous safety regulations that include survivability at several times the force of gravity. So at the present time, these certified aircraft seats are the only permissible seating for all passengers.” All passengers, except for very small children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be very clear, the FAA is concerned that some passengers with toddlers or infants will travel under less safe conditions (and ultimately deprive airlines of revenue) if they choose to drive instead of fly. However, the FAA seems to be okay with wheelchair users traveling under less safe conditions over fear of wheelchair damage<\/a> and extreme discomfort in airplane seats (while also depriving airlines of revenue).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Realities of air accidents render wheelchair restrictions meaningless<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Statistics related to the survivability of an airplane crash are tricky. While technically, the majority of passengers involved in aircraft accidents do survive, that survivability is related to several factors that have to line up perfectly. Tom Farrier, former director of safety at the Air Transport Association, explained that three general conditions help determine whether an accident is survivable:<\/p>\n\n\n\n