Q. My kids and I will soon fly to my visit my mother in Florida, as we do every spring. This year my husband will join. He's a pretty big guy, and requires a seat belt extender when we fly. To save us from having to ask the flight crew, we ordered one of our own and it worked out fine the last time he went. However my husband says he heard that these were banned. How can that be?

A. This is partly true. The FAA didn't ban all seat belt extenders, just those that passengers bring from home. That includes any that claim to be FAA-approved. According to the rule, the seat belt extender must be provided to you by the airline.

Seat image via Shutterstock