Into the Blue

By Cullen Curtiss
Web Exclusive, September 1, 2008

For many of us, our dearest are not nearest, and this can feel especially poignant when you are a parent. My son is now two-and-a-half, and he and I have made sixteen excursions by plane to see family. I do not wish so much air travel on anyone. It's hard on the body (especially a little body), expensive, and contributes measurably to changes in the climate. And then there are safety considerations. But I have plenty of suggestions to make those one or two trips a year manageable, safe, and even fun.

Ready, Get Set...

The ideal planning time is four to six months to compare airline fares, acquaint your child with the concept of flying, and file for a birth certificate and/or passport.

Concerned about radiation exposure? Fly at lower latitudes and altitudes. According to Diana Fairechild, author of Jet Smart and a flight attendant for more than 20 years, "Flights over the polar regions sustain double the radiation as flights over the equator, and radiation doubles every 6,500 feet." On her website (flyana.com), she writes, "Specifically, the jets which fly at higher altitudes are the ones usually found on the long-range routes. A one-way New York to London flight exposes passengers to about the same amount of radiation as a chest X-ray!"

Fly on less-full flights. Departures during the week, in the middle of the day, or with a return on a Saturday can also be less expensive. And if there are delays, you'll be more likely to catch the next flight out. If flying during the busier holidays is unavoidable, add a few extra days on either side of the intensity.

Consider connections. Connecting once or twice could make your flight cheaper and the layover could help distract or engage an unhappy child. The drawback is that most complications occur during "takeoff, climb, descent, and landing," according to airsafe.com.

Visit seatguru.com for most airlines' seating plans and services. Consider the bulkhead rows, where there is extra legroom. The drawback is that you have to store your carry-ons overhead, which may be impractical. Try for seats toward the front of the plane where turbulence is reportedly felt less acutely, and for faster on and off. Avoid exit rows, and in some planes, in the rows ahead and behind.

Weigh the cost of buying your under-two-year-old a seat. It is well-known that children under two may travel for free on the lap of an individual 18 or older, but the practice is controversial because of the safety issues. Turbulence cannot always be anticipated and is not always insignificant.

Though my little guy traveled on my lap until he was two-years-old without incident, there is a safer way.

That safer way is in a Child Restraint System (CRS), which can be your car seat. To guarantee a spot, you'll likely need to buy a ticket—it's pretty rare to happen upon an open seat. Ask your airline about their policy on discounted tickets.

For a child more than one-year-old and between 22 and 44 pounds occupying his/her own seat, most airlines quietly recommend the FAA-approved Child Aviation Restraint System (CARES), which is a harness weighing less than a pound that attaches to the airplane seat belt. It makes the adult-sized seats better accommodate a pint-sized person. For more information, visit http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/

Confirm a window seat. If you are traveling alone with one lap child, a window seat is the most private and roomy place, and a requirement if you want your child in a CRS. Before I had my son, window seats made me claustrophobic—now they feel like a refuge.

Don't special-order the special meal. If the airline offers meals, and you feel you must have one, you still ought to resist. Even the special meals are loaded with preservatives.