I have travelled extensively, both short and long haul, with my son, now 2 years old. his first flight was at about 4 months HKG-SFO. that one went well and i have to say that (touch wood) we have been super lucky.
when he was smaller, we would bring a car seat and strap that in. during the flight he could be secured there (we always bought a seat for him). as we often fly business on long haul, that is getting more difficult as these new seats do not accomodate car seats. the issue for me is that a 2 year old really has limited concept of critical parts of flight and a regular seat belt does not secure him/her at all. indeed if a 2 year old were in a regular seat with a regular seatbelt, i do not believe it would restrain him/her in the event of a sudden stop.
airlines d a great job with these basinettes by the time the baby is 6 months old, the basinettes are just too small. it would be great if there were a widely accepted form of airline booster seat that could secure the 6 month to 30 month age group. by that time, i think they would be roughly big enough to be in a proper seat.
interested in any views on this.