Virgin Atlantic Introduces Child Safety Seats

In April 1992, we introduced dedicated child safety seats aboard Virgin Atlantic aircraft, becoming the first airline to provide this service for young passengers. The initiative was designed to improve onboard safety for infants and toddlers, offering families a more secure alternative to carrying young children on an adult's lap during flights. It formed part of our efforts to address the particular needs of families travelling on long-haul services. The specially designed seats, known as CareChairs, were developed for children aged between six months and three years. They could be secured to a standard aircraft passenger seat and featured a dedicated restraint harness to keep children safely positioned during flight. The seats were provided without an additional equipment charge, although parents needed to purchase a separate passenger seat for their child and reserve the safety seat when booking. At a time when dedicated child restraints were not routinely provided by commercial airlines, the introduction represented a practical improvement in family travel safety. By making aircraft-approved child seats available onboard, we helped reduce the need for parents to transport their own equipment through airports while providing an additional level of protection for younger passengers. The initiative established child safety seating as a specific part of our onboard service and contributed to wider discussions about the use of child restraints in commercial aviation.