Booster for 4yo on southwest?

[autumnsmommy]

I'm trying to figure out if I need to bring a booster for my 4yo dd on my upcoming flight on SW in May. She's 40" and about 45lbs. And does an FTB approval equal an FAA approval as to rating?

 

[Tinker*Shell*Bell]

Booster seats are almost never FAA approved. Any booster that uses just the car (plane) belt would be unacceptable. Boosters that have their own belt system and strap into a seat are acceptable when used with the 5-point harness but that is usually not for children above 40 lbs.
My son is 6 yrs old and 50 lbs and required to be in a booster here in Maine, in Florida he does not NEED one but we will be taking it with us. The airline will allow it as carry-on to be stored under a seat (not used) or we will check it with the suitcases.

Hope that helps!

 

[CleveRocks]

If you sit and really think about what a booster seat's function is, you'll realize that booster seat on an airliner is completely useless.

In a car, very short people, such as children, can be injured by the car's SHOULDER belt (the one that goes diagonally across and down from the shoulder to the hip). A short person will have the shoulder belt going across the neck or face, a VERY dangerous situation in a collision. All a booster seat does is raise the child up so that the SHOULDER BELT will be a life-saver rather than a life-taker.

In an airliner, the only seat belt is the lap belt. There's no safety concern about a child being too low to safely wear a lap belt, and there's no safety advantage to the child being higher off the seat.

I hope this helps explain why booster seats are not at all helpful on an airliner.

 

[NotUrsula]

According to FAA guidelines for weight, the recommendation for a child over 40 lbs. is to ride using the plane's standard seat belt, no child restraint system.

If you need the seat for a car, you can either check it as luggage or gate check-it.

PS: For anyone who wondered about the label, the approval label does not mention any agency, it says "approved for aircraft use"