Yapta Yapta Blog

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is now recommending that parents strap their children in when they take them on a plane.  While it’s just a recommendation for now, it could become a requirement for families traveling with small babies to put them in a child seat.  That of course would require the purchase of an additional seat.

It’s not the child’s size and weight that is of concern.  Officials worry about what happens when the plane moves suddenly.  According to a safety alert issued today by the NTSB, the worry is turbulence and survivable crashes.  Severe turbulence can be equally as traumatic as a minor car crash.  If a parent is wearing a seatbelt, the child can be out of their hands in an instant and the injuries can be severe.

Unrestrained children have become separated from their parents during survivable crashes and their parents were unable to locate their children during evacuations.

Here’s some more travel news you can use:

• When two airlines merge, there’s a benefit to travelers who want to rack up frequent flier miles – but according to the Dallas Morning News, they “must play their cards right.”   Essentially, you can buy your way to bonus miles by getting affinity credit and debit cards, and once the airlines merge, you’ll be able to roll all of those miles into one account.

• Officials from the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) have advised passengers to consult airlines over flight status before arriving as the number of people travelling over the Memorial Day weekend is expected to go up. Around 769,000 travelers are expected to pass through LAX during the four-day Memorial Day weekend — a 5.3 percent increase from the same period in 2009.

• A Michigan woman who fell asleep on a Philadelphia-bound flight and awoke to find herself trapped in the cabin more than three hours after it landed sued the airline Thursday, alleging false imprisonment.

Starting Monday, foreigners with HIV-AIDS will be able to travel or immigrate to the United States without having to get a waiver from the Department of Homeland Security.

Earlier today President Obama eliminated a travel ban that had been in place since 1993, forbidding people with HIV-AIDS from traveling to the US.  “If we want to be the global leader in combating HIV/AIDS, we need to act like it,” Obama said.

The President announced the repeal of the ban in a ceremony marking the fourth re-authorization of the Ryan White CARE Act, legislation that provides treatment for low-income HIV/AIDS victims. The legislation was named after the Indiana teenager who contracted HIV from a blood transfusion in 1984.

According to a new committee opinion issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, occasional air travel is safe for healthy pregnant women.  That holds true even in the last month of pregnancy, although most doctors generally prefer that women stop air travel around 36 weeks in case they go into early labor.

The ACOG recommends that soon-to-be-moms exercise “normal precautions” by drinking lots of water, getting up and walking, wearing support stockings and keeping your seat belt fastened while seated.  Because pregnant women are at increased risk of blood clots, these measures are “even more important.”

“If your stomach has been on a roll during pregnancy, consider taking an anti-nausea pill before getting on a plane. Also, avoid consuming foods or drinks that can cause gas because gas will expand in your stomach at high altitudes.

Some airlines require a note from a doctor if a pregnant woman wants to travel up to a month before her due date. ‘”It’s not that flying is particularly dangerous at that time,”‘ said Dr. William Barth Jr., chairman of ACOG’s Committee on Obstetric Practice. ‘”It’s that the probability of going into labor is higher,”‘ and airlines want to avoid that possibility.

If you have control over your schedule, traveling by plane in mid-pregnancy (14 to 28 weeks) is preferable because that’s when the risks of miscarriage and premature labor are lowest, according to the Mayo Clinic.”

The ACOG says that pregnant women who fly constantly (perhaps for work), are at greater risk because of the exposure to cosmic radiation. This form of radiation comes from the sun and outer space and is more intense at higher altitudes.   If you’re interested in calculating your exposure to cosmic radiation from a specific flight, visit the FAA’s website: tinyurl.com/cosmicrad.

Pregnant women who travel occasionally don’t have to worry about radiation, even if they take long trips. Even the longest international flight will expose a passenger to no more than 15 percent of the recommended annual radiation limits.

Here’s some more travel news you can use:

• JetBlue is offering a one-day fare sale (today only) for Halloween flights.  you can fly to any destination that JetBlue has an extra seat for, for just $31 one-way. The catch is that you have to fly after noon local time on Oct. 31, and the fare does not include your return flight.  The offer is valid on all nonstop US routes.

• Southwest Airlines is hosting a photo contest where one Grand Prize winner will receive a pair of round-trip tickets.  From Oct. 20th to Nov. 13th, travelers can submit travel photos via the Southwest Airlines Travel Guide.  Visit http://www.southwest.com/vipcontest/ for details.

• Los Angeles Airport is getting a face-lift.  Airport commissioners approved $1.13 billion in construction contracts to revitalize the primary entry and departure point for overseas travelers at LAX.