Dutchsmommy...I'm so glad your trip went well. SWA is a wonderful airline. I think, for being such an industry leader, SWA gets such a "bad wrap" on the these boards. I remember, when I started working for them, hearing a LOT of people say, "This is such a no-frills airline....I don't think I will ever fly you again....imagine, not serving a hot meal!!"...now, most airlines don't (at least not for free). SWA is amazing at what they do...and now, most other airlines are following suit.
chr...I don't mean to be harsh, but you are nervous for a good reason. As part of my yearly "training" to keep my flight status, I had to sit thru what is called "FAA recurrent training". This was usually a two-day training in which we recertified on cpr, the defribilator, rescue breathing, etc. We were also "updated" on any FAA changes, and we had to watch any new "videos" of plane crashes which had taken place in the last year. I ALWAYS hated this part!!!
The thing that was stressed to us OVER and OVER again was how, when you crash...you are typically going 500 miles per hour. The truth of the matter is, babies in arms do not survive plane crashes...their parents sometimes do...babies, never. The FAA has a dual mandate....to "ensure airline safety and promote airline travel". About 7 years ago, they decided that it was completely unsafe for "lap children" to exist on flights. They were looking into banning the practice (the "ensure airline safety") mandate. Then, they began to poll families with small children. They asked them, "would you travel as frequently if you were required to purchase a seat for your infant under two" (the "promote airline travel" part? Of course, the answer was no, so the FAA decided to follow mandate #2, rather than mandate #1. Their theory...due to the statistical number of accidents, a child is safer in the arms of a parent on a plane, than they are in a car seat in a car.
Is something likely to happen on your flight...no. But, as a flight attendant, we were trained to prepare for something on EVERY flight. Notice flight attendants sitting on the jumpseats. They always sit on their hands during take-off and landing. Why? Because a water crash several years ago showed the flight attendants drowned in their seats. It seems that when they landed, their arms were thrown up over their heads and their wrists were snapped. They were not injured in any other way, and would've survived if they could've opened their seatbelts. Many passengers survived this crash, but no one helped them out, and they could not help each other. Since then, fa's are told they MUST sit on their hands for all take offs and landings (I would say about 80% of SWA fa's do this...I ALWAYS did).
In 8 years of flying, I NEVER had a crash (although, I was thrown to ceiling in turbulence), but I prepared for each and every flight as though I could have one. I wanted to "better my odds" that I could walk away from such an incident. Sometimes....it is just luck. But, to the best of my knowledge...no "lap child" has ever walked away from a crash. Babies smaller than 1 need to be facing backwards because the force of the impact would snap their necks, and smaller children need to be secured safely. Study after study has shown that in the impact of a crash, a parent CANNOT hold on to their child...with inertia, that child weighs somewhere near 500 lbs. No matter how much you love them....you cannot keep them in your arms in a crash.
So, to me...with the "special" fares that SWA offered on flying...it just didn't seem worth it. When I was pregnant, I told my dh, "We will NEVER make this baby a lap child on a flight. I am miserable, I have stretch marks, I am on bedrest....she is too expensive, and too precious to ever risk that." I just wanted him to know. We bought the safest car to put her in (that we could afford...yea!!! Honda Odyssey!!). We looked at Consumer reports to find the safest car seat for that car, and when we fly it is no different. I hope that I will NEVER have to be involved in a crash...the thought terrifies me. But, if I were ever to survive such a crash, and my dd did not...I don't think I could live with myself if I knew that "$100 could've saved her life." She is worth that, and so much more.
I guess you can tell by my writing that I am a "hope for the best, prepare for the worst" kind of person. But, there is another phrase that I love....."To a fireman, a fire is not a catastrophe....it is 'business as usual'". When you prepare for all the possibilities...not much can throw you.
I'm sure this is not what you wanted to hear...I'm sorry. But, if you had attended the training I have...and seen what I have seen...you might feel differently. Airlines are really good at telling people, "Oh, we're perfectly safe". But, in the backroom....we are told a lot more details.
It's your baby...you decide. I just wanted to offer more information.
Beca
My 4 yr old girl was kept busy with crayons/coloring books/portable DVD player/and stickers (to put in the coloring books) I brought along juice boxes and water for them as well as some snacks. The flight home was almost the same (including the napping by my 2 yr old). Overall, I enjoyed flying with them and thought everything went smoothly! GL!
and SWA was great. No probs whatsoever. I packed a few sticker books and regular books and the flight went great. We pre-boarded both ways. On the way down, I go a boarding pass at around 5:30am (our flight was at 7) and it was a "B". This allowed for curb-side check-in which was really nice (at BUF). The flight left on time and, although there were quite a few pre-boards, the boarding process didn't seem lengthy to me. We gate-checked the stroller, again no problem. The flight back was basically the same - no probs, nice flight attendants, DS slept the whole way so we read some mags we had picked up at MCO (really nice airport, easy to navigate). They gave us juice, coffee etc and vanilla wafers on the way down, and then pop, juice etc and crackers and peanuts on the way back - not bad for what we paid (got a super deal). I would fly SWA again without a doubt.
