Flying With a Car Seat and Stroller

Car seats and strollers usually fly free

On US airlines, a car seat and a stroller for a child generally do not count against your baggage allowance and are carried at no charge, whether you check them or gate-check them. That is true even on fares where an ordinary checked bag costs money. The exception tends to be the fare that strips everything down — always confirm the allowance on a basic economy ticket before you count on it.

Using a car seat in the cabin

If you bought a seat for your child, you can bring an approved car seat on board and buckle it in, which is the safest way for a small child to fly and often the calmest. The seat has to be certified for aircraft use — look for the label that says it is approved for motor vehicles and aircraft — and it must fit in the airplane seat, usually meaning a window seat so it does not block the row. If your child is a lap infant with no seat of their own, the car seat is gate-checked instead.

Gate-check vs check at the counter

You can check a stroller and car seat at the ticket counter, or gate-check them and use the stroller right up to the aircraft door — usually the better move with a small child, since it carries them and your bags through the terminal.

• A compact, umbrella-fold stroller is easiest to gate-check; large travel systems sometimes must go at the counter.
• Gate-checked items are tagged at the gate and returned at the aircraft door or the jet bridge on arrival.
• A padded travel bag protects a car seat or stroller from the rougher handling checked gear can get.
• Label both with your name and phone number in case they are routed with checked baggage.

Make the airport part easier

Traveling with a child and gear is smoother with more time and the right seats together. Call (708) 866-8751 and a licensed agent confirms your airline's car-seat and stroller policy for your exact fare, seats your family together, and books connections with enough time to move a child and equipment between gates without a sprint.