safety question: providing oxygen to a baby in the case of a drop of cabin pressure

On 25 Aug 2005 12:46:58 -0700, wrote:

That's the first time I am trying to post in this group, apologies if
my question is perhaps a little bit off the main stream. It's motivated
by (a) the recent crash of an airliner going from Cyprus to Greece
(under truly horrific circumstances, if you ask me) and (b) a planned
journey where my wife and I want to travel with our two children (4 yrs
and 10 months) by airplane to and from our destination. The 10-month
old will be 14 months old by the time of the journey and I am concerned
about what may happen to her in the case of a drop of cabin pressure --
like on that fatal flight from Cyprus to Greece. The standard procedure
is to put on one's own oxygen mask first and then take care of one's
child. So far so good, but what if your child doesn't have it's own
mask? -- since (a) it's so young that it does not have its own seat and
(b) all seats in the vicinity are occupied, which means that there
won't be any otherwise unused mask that one could grab. It seems to me
that exactly one mask per seat will drop from the cabin ceiling, so I
am assuming that the question is valid.

I can only speculate about what safety procedures may usually be in
place to prevent this kind of situation. Are there perhaps oxygen
flasks stowed somewhere in the cabin together with appropriate masks?
But how shall someone make it with such a flask to your seat if the
pilots are following proper procedures and take the plane into a dive?

Well, I do not want to speculate too much. I usually enjoy flying,
trusting the general safety standards, but the crash in Greece has made
me concerned as a father of a small kid. Hope somebody who is
knowledgeable will provide an answer.

Best regards


I believe certain rows have an extra mask. I recall several flights where
people were moved about so that the infants could be seated in the
appropriate rows for that reason. But you should be able to check with
your airline.


Thomas

Ron (EPM) (N5843Q, Mooney M20E) (CP, ASEL, ASES, IA)