Dear all,
The advice above is very much appreciated. PPRUNE at its best
Far from BA advice on my last flight not being what I wanted to hear, it actually prompted me to ask the question here so as to clear up in my mind an unclear issue. Please give me the benefit of this.
Clearly my experience suggest that perhaps not all crew also understand the issue. apaddyintheuk - Memo's are the poorest form of corporate communication I know, so perhaps its no wonder the message is not always followed.
I very much admire the job you all do day in day out and long jet lagged hour after hour. Great cabin crew, who I find reside on the majority of flights, really can make a passengers day.
A few of points:
1. Tiger - The return cabin crew was not wrong, but right and indeed I acknowledged the advice given to me. I simply pointed out that the same company had exercised different rules 3 weeks earlier; indeed in the landing phase, voluntarily. I am a very regular and safety concious flyer...I watch the briefing, read the card, know where my life jacket is, count the seats to the exit and keep shoes on until after TO. I simply didn't know about the lap belt issue as crew kept giving them to me. As a slight aside, I avoid my family flying airlines with herringbone seating as I believe one day this is going to cause a big problem and I don't want to be in one of those seats when it happens
2. There is no difference in the spine of a child that is 1 year and 364 days old and one who is 2 years an a day old, so I wonder is there a simple insurance issue here?
3. apaddyintheuk - With regard to the bracing issue, the bracing position on the BA backward facing Club seat is arms against the chest. I had chosen this seat to sit with my son as I believe it the safest in a rapid deceleration and would avoid crush. Admittedly, this is not the case on Qatar and SAA's forward facers. To be frank however, in a rapid decel, a small child would submarine the normal lap belt on a large leather clad business class style forward facer...its why child car seats have shoulder restraint.
Keep up the good work and Happy landings
TCU