(RNN) – United Airlines has apologized for forcing a mom to improperly position her daughter’s car seat on a flight from Denver.
Cassie Hutchins was flying with her 8-month-old on Sunday when a gate agent told her the baby’s rear-facing car seat must face forward.
“You cannot put a rear-facing seat forward, it is not meant for facing forward, putting my child in a dangerous position,” Hutchins said in a Facebook post.
“They told us that the plane could not leave without us moving it, so I knew we would be kicked off if we did not comply.”
Hutchins said she asked the flight attendants to look up the policy for baby carriers. Before the end of the flight, they came back saying she was right and the car seat was turned around for landing.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommend children face backward until they outgrow their car seat, typically between 2 and 3 years old.
The practice protects young children until their necks get stronger.
“At United, our customers’ safety is our top priority,” United told Fox News. “We have been in touch with the customer and have apologized for her experience.”
The airline said it’s reviewing what happened and has refunded the daughter’s ticket.
“It was our mistake and we acknowledge that.”
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