Jimworcs, thanks for the insight and agreement. I agree that the real root of the problem is with the FAA. Unfortunately I do not have the time to fight that battle, though I may forward an account of my situation to them and of course expect nothing to happen.
Cortney, I see your point, no I do not want them to "break an FAR just for me". I'm not sure if you are a parent or not, but I know when I became one protecting my children became foremost in my mind...above everything, including FARs. As Jimworcs said, a sensible solution would have been for the captain to override the flight attendant and allow us to use it as he had personal knowledge that the carseat was authorized for use in an aircraft. I also expressed to the crew that if they were going to physically check for the sticker they should notify passengers in some way so the passenger can verify that the sticker is present. I live in Las Vegas, I can only assume that the glue melted and it slid off somewhere. I now have a document from the manufacturer to prove it is safe for use. As a flight attendant I know that sometimes common sense must be employed.
The lead flight attendant gate-checked the baby carrier and it was returned to us at the end of the flight. In retrospect I should have refused to go, called Graco and flown a different airline.
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