[nollbit]

Infant in lap is supposed to be secured with a seat belt that attaches to the parents seat belt. They are not unrestrained.

However, an infant is much safer in a car seat strapped to their own seat of course.

[larkost]

That is not the case in the U.S., we had an unpleasant (and highly patronizing) conversation with an airline steward who tried to tell us that FAA regulations prohibited such a seat belt and that "the safest place for an infant is in their mom's arms".

[usefulcat]

That requirement, if it exists, is either pretty new or must vary by airline and/or by country. I've flown multiple times with small children not in their own seat, within and to/from the US, on various US-based airlines, within the past ~5 years, and that was never a requirement.