Right: Yosef, Sarah and Tiferes Shidler.

Crown Heights Couple Takes On Southwest Airlines

A Crown Heights couple is 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.

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.”

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23 Comments

  • Federal Law

    It might be true that it’s the FAA approves the seats, It also might be true that the flight crew were not being “fair” but Federal Law is balanced in their favor, they could have removed the family from the flight and arrested them for (intimidating or) interfering with the flight crew. This is thin ice….

    http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/49/46504

    • Fed up

      You sheeple crack me up being “afraid of arrest” for interfering with a flight crew. The captain needs to be sanctioned by the FAA for violating FAA policy. The FA needs to be put in her place because she ain’t nothing but a waitress in the sky.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMRUszqMVM8

  • Citizen Berel

    Comments on the website that shall go nameless point out that would one of the parents have taken the seat in front to their child then this would not be an issue.

  • space

    A parent should have booked a seat in front of the carseat, or bought the seat in front. Overweight people who overflow into the next seat need to buy an extra seat…

    • southwest seats

      southwest seats are NOT booked in advance, rather you are just given a section to sit down in and you choose seats there. it could be someone had already taken the front row.

  • thats a no no

    Full support to these responsible parents. Never compromise your children’s safety. Huge mistake by the airline for endangering a passenger and a child no less. There certainly was psychological and emotional distress. Shame on the other passanger for not being just a little more moral and ethical

  • this calls for a lawsuit

    compensatory damages, punitive damages, exemplary damages etc etc

  • cheski

    Airline should give u first seat. That way no one is front of you. Problem solved.

  • Safety

    Not sure that I agree that the passenger needs to compromise. They paid a full fair that includes a seat that reclines. Maybe you need to compensate the person sitting in front of you or you should sit in front of your childs seat and be uncomfortable. Can’t put the onus on another passenger.

    • Milhouse

      AIrline seats are built to recline, but usually if you recline all the way the person in front has no room, so you can’t do that. This is no different. There is no reasonable expectation on an economy class airline seat that you will be able to recline all the way back. (And exit row seats don’t recline at all)

  • Neurotic parents

    Please, get a grip. The point of making the seat rear facing is primarily in a car where there can be an impact collision and the baby is safer with her head’s pressure against the seat back vs. lurching forward into the void. On a plane there are no impact issues – turbulence causes up and down motion. They are just being difficult, making a scene and also creating a chillul hashem with that twitter handle. The pic with the ear covers at a wedding just proves the point.

  • To #10 - smart for covering ears!

    My hearing has gone down significantly due to the loud music at weddings – we’re the fools, not them!

  • Travelers who are not young

    This has nothing to do with Yiddishkeit. If I want my seat to recline I have the right to.do so. I traveled with my kids and took my chances. Expect special treatment- stay home!

  • REALLY

    under 24 months is FREE why waste the money 2nd its a short flight just hold your daughter
    3rd #10 your right
    chillul hashem for no reason.
    i dont know if their lubavitch so no chillul lubavitch

  • Joshua Katt

    You are a whiny and complaining person in search of a fight and lawsuit. Some stereotype!

  • crown hts grandmother

    Really surprised at the mean spirited, and nasty comments being posted here. Kudos to the parents for attempting to do the right thing and publicizing this. Traveling with my young son years ago, I definitely experienced bias on the part of a flight crew. The rudeness, disrespect and inappropriate behavior we were subjected to surprised my non-Jewish seatmates, and would not have occurred had my little boy not been so obviously Jewish,ie. yarmulka and tzitzis.

  • ear covers

    try silicone earplugs – that’s what i always did for my babies at weddings. they mold right into the baby’s ears and aren’t as unwieldy as those earphones you got on her! good luck! good parents!

  • Let's be honest here

    This story isn’t about child safety, it’s about getting compensation. And for added measure, (crown hts grandmother) why pull the race card?

  • Esty B

    Sorry, but if the FAA makes recommendations on child safety, it’s up to the airline to comply. It’s their responsibility and obligation to see to the safety and comfort of ALL passengers. Baby needs to face the rear per FAA guidelines, Southwest needs to make it happen. Passengers want a seat that fully reclines…also up to Southwest to make it happen. These parents paid for their daughter’s seat and have as much right to expect she travel safely as other paying passengers have to expect a fully reclining seat. Shame on Southwest for putting the onus on mom and dad!

  • Dolores O

    The flight crew should never have the opportunity of flying again! They are dangerou to passengers, especially the little ones that depend on all of us for their safety. Shame, Shame,. SHAME!

  • It's bulliying

    bsd
    It’s bullying by these airline waitresses who do not have or want children of their own that makes us angry