November 28, 2004  If it's on an airplane, shouldn't it be a
planeseat?  Just got back from Thanksgiving at Grammy's house,
and here's the epiphany I had at O'Hare, watching armies of dads
lumbering under the weight--and bulk--of gigantic carseats while
balancing carry-on luggage and personal pan pizzas, and while
screaming after wandering, mini-wheelie-toting kids:   Of
course, it doesn't have to be a carseat. It could be a child
restraint specially designed for an airplane: a planeseat.
Families traveling with their carseats could then check them
with the rest of their luggage.  The airline is obliged to
provide wide-waisted people with seatbelt extensions, so why
don't they provide kids--at least those who are traveling on a
paid ticket--with the seating equipment they need?  Those
parents who roll the dice and don't buy their kid a ticket, who
hope for an empty seat in which to deposit their lap baby, could
pay $20 to rent a planeseat at the gate.  Not having to carry
your own car seat could transform fl