Is traveling with a car seat and stroller more cumbersome? Of course. Do different airlines have different policies about these items? Unfortunately. But thankfully, there are some tried-and-true lessons parents have learned, and Chicco is here to offer these tips to make your next experience traveling with strollers and car seats as painless as possible.
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There’s already so much for parents, especially new parents, to learn and figure out. And then comes that first trip with your baby or toddler, when you look down at the stroller, car seat, and mountain of luggage you have to get onto the plane and to your destination. It can make a parent want to just stay home, but traveling with children and their necessary accessories is actually highly doable, as long as you plan ahead and know a few things in advance.
What Are the Benefits of Flying or Traveling With a Car Seat and Stroller?
If you’re preparing for your first time traveling with your baby or toddler, you may be wondering if it’s even necessary to bring along a stroller and/or car seat. A stroller comes in handy at several points in your journey, starting at the airport. If you’re flying, you’ll be going through at least two airports (more if there are layovers), which means crowds, waiting in lines, and hanging out at your gate. Unless your child is small enough to comfortably strap onto you, you’ll be glad you have a stroller. The same likely goes for when you get to your destination. If you’re planning any touristy outings or participating in activities that involve a lot of walking or navigating crowds, a stroller is almost a must. Consider bringing a lightweight stroller for better on-the-go capabilities.
When it comes to car seats, parents do have a choice with most airlines, but the American Academy of Pediatrics and the FAA do recommend a child safety restraint system when flying for young children. Once you get to your destination, it’s pretty much guaranteed you’ll then be traveling by car to some degree, requiring a car seat.
While there may be the opportunity to rent a stroller or car seat once you arrive wherever you’re going, there’s no guarantee that one will be available when and how you need it. You may have to wait in long lines to obtain one, you don’t know how they’ve been maintained or cleaned, you aren’t used to how they work, and your child isn’t familiar with them and will be more likely to get irritable being strapped in. So while traveling with your own items may be a bit of a hassle, there are benefits to doing so.
7 Tips for Flying With a Car Seat and Stroller
Luckily, parents all over the world have figured out how to travel with a car seat and stroller and lived to share their tips. Here’s what’s recommended.
Every airline has its own rules and size regulations, so be sure to check that your car seat and stroller will be allowed and will fit. If you have multiple car seats or strollers, go with your most compact one, pending it’s a good option for your travel needs and the age of your child.
Removing all toys, securing straps, and detaching any unnecessary elements will make going through the airport and stowing away items much easier, as well as decrease the likelihood of damaging or losing items. You don’t want a pacifier or lovie getting yanked off or torn.
Car seats and strollers can be checked just like any other item (at no charge at most airlines). If you do check items either at the ticket counter or gate, get your luggage tag for them straight away. Even if you’re not boarding any time soon, attach your luggage tag to your items as soon as possible. If you wait until it’s time to board, the attendant may have to go elsewhere to locate tags, or there could be another issue that holds up boarding, which is the last thing you want with kids in the airport.
Bonus Tip: If you do check these items, consider putting them in a car seat travel bag or another durable, waterproof option so they’re not soiled or scratched in transit. Car seat travel bags are especially useful because they can be wheeled or carried through an airport.
If you’re going to use your car seat on the plane, it must be approved by the FAA. Car seats in the U.S. have a sticker with red lettering indicating whether the seat has aircraft approval. If you have an infant or convertible seat, this sticker should say, "This restraint is certified for use in motor vehicles and aircraft.” Booster seats are not certified for use on airplanes, this includes all-in-one models or combination seats that are in booster mode. A flight attendant will likely ask to see the sticker, so you’ll want to verify that the sticker is on the car seat long before heading to the airport. For that reason, you want to verify that the sticker is on the car seat long before heading to the airport. Also note that car seats are not allowed in emergency exit rows and can’t block other passengers from exiting.
Car seats must also fit in the seat—most coach airplane seats are 16 inches wide. Familiarize yourself with where your FAA approval sticker is, the dimensions of your car seat, and the manufacturer instructions for how to install your car seat before getting on the plane so you’re not sweating and frantically trying to figure it out on board.
If you have any questions about installing the car seat on an airplane or need additional proof that it is suitable for airplane use, consider keeping your car seat manual handy.
When flying with an infant seat, you usually only need to bring the infant carrier onto the plane. Remember, most infant seat bases aren't approved for use on aircraft.
If you have a convertible car seat that's set up to face the back of the plane, you'll often position it more upright than is permitted in a car. Be sure to check your car seat manual and review the instructions for installation on airplanes.
If your car seat includes a tensioning plate, check the instructions in your manual carefully, as there may be a different way to route the seat belt. Regardless of the type of car seat you own, follow the instructions in the manual.
It’s a good idea to research and call the airline to find out how you’ll collect any checked items after you land. Will they be on the baggage claim carousel or the oversized luggage counter? You don’t want to have to hunt them down with a potentially fussy child post-flight. It’s also a good idea to take photos of your items before the flight in case they’re returned damaged.
Should your car seat or stroller get damaged or lost, go ahead and research in advance where and how you’ll get replacements at your destination, the costs involved, etc. so you’re not scrambling.
Bonus Tip: You may want to have a sling or wearable baby carrier on hand. Not only will this come in handy post-flight if it takes a while to retrieve your stroller or seat, but it may also be a lifesaver moving through the airport when your items are unavailable or too clunky for the situation.
Getting Through the Airport
Moving throughout the airport with a car seat can be tricky. However, there are a few ways to make maneuvering to your flight a little easier. For example, families frequently on the move with infants may consider purchasing a travel system or car seat travel bag to carry their car seat through the airport.
Travel systems feature car seats that connect directly to the stroller, making it easier to get through the airport after checking in with TSA. During boarding, your airline should let you gate-check the stroller and board with the car seat.
Parents can also consider applying for TSA PreCheck to speed up their journey through airport security. These perks are beneficial when you have a baby on board.
Thanks to TSA PreCheck, parents can avoid the hassle of pulling out liquids and bulky electronics from their bags. These are just a few ways to get through the airport more swiftly when flying with a baby.
Airline Policies for Flying With a Car Seat and Stroller
Be aware that airline policies vary, so what you did for one may not work on the next trip. While this information is subject to change (always reach out to the airline), here’s what to expect when flying with car seats and strollers.
When you fly with Alaska Airlines, you can check your stroller free of charge at the gate or with your other baggage at the ticket counter. Same goes for your car seat. If you have not purchased a separate seat but there is an open seat next to you, a lap infant may sit in a car seat free of charge.
Each adult can check one stroller and one car seat free of charge. Smaller strollers can be checked at the gate, while larger ones (20 pounds or more) must be checked at the ticket counter. To carry on a car seat, you must have purchased a seat for your child or a free seat must be available next to yours. If there is not an empty seat next to you, a flight attendant will check the car seat to your final destination.
With Delta, strollers can be checked for free at the curb, gate, or ticket counter. If traveling with a lap infant, you can take advantage of an empty seat next to you as long as your car seat is FAA-approved. If there’s no free seat near you, the flight attendant will check it to your destination.
Strollers can be checked for free at the gate, and FAA-approved car seats can be used if you’ve purchased a seat for it. Frontier recommends putting car seats in window seats so they don’t impede the aisle.
Strollers can be checked for free, and any non-collapsible or large (50 pounds or more) strollers must be checked. Rear-facing, FAA-approved car seats can be used if you’ve purchased a seat for your child. The car seat will not count as a carry-on item in this case.
Strollers, car seats, child carriers/backpacks, and booster car seats can all be checked for free at the gate or ticket counter. They do stress, though, that not all seats can accommodate some car seats, so you need to check with them in advance.
One stroller per child can be checked at the curb, gate, or ticket counter for free. Southwest offers infant fares that allow you to purchase a seat for your baby to sit in an FAA-approved car seat.
Spirit permits one stroller per child checked free of charge, as well as a double stroller for two children. If you are using a car seat and did not pay for an assigned seat and the seats do not fit the car seat, the airline will try its best to move the parents and child in an aisle that will accommodate the seat, excluding Big Front Seats. Big Front Seats are a premium item available for an extra fee.
United permits checking a stroller or foldable wagon for each child at the ticket counter or gate at no additional charge. Small, collapsible strollers can be brought on board free of charge and stowed in the overhead compartments. They also allow customers to check a car seat for each child traveling. United does not reserve space for FAA-approved child seats unless a ticket has been purchased for that seat. If space is available after boarding is completed, customers may use adjacent unused seats for car seats. If space is not available after boarding is completed, the item must be stowed in an approved storage space.
Traveling With A Car Seat & Stroller in Conclusion
While it may seem like a hassle if it’s your first time, traveling and flying with a car seat and stroller doesn’t have to be as stressful as you may imagine. The key is to plan ahead and know what to expect from the airline you’re traveling with. In addition to using these tips, also make sure your stroller and car seat meet the compliance standards for flying and are comfortable and durable for the trip you’re planning. If it’s time to buy or upgrade either of these items, Chicco has a variety of car seats, strollers, travel systems, and baby carriers for parents to choose from.
A few years ago, a mom of young twins had her stroller taken from her on an American Airlines flight from San Francisco to Dallas. This set off a chain reaction that resulted in a yelling flight attendant, a mom in tears, a viral video and lots of news stories. Some might say the mom should have known better than to bring a stroller on the plane in the first place, but that begs the question of how one parent could possibly manage to carry twin toddlers and all their stuff on the plane without some type of contraption or assistance. (Here are TPG's favorite single and double strollers.)
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(Image courtesy of Yasser Chalid / Getty Images)In the United States the overwhelming majority of airlines do not officially permit strollers to go beyond the boarding door. The common policy is that strollers may be used to transport little ones and their gear as far as the gate, at which point the stroller must be given up and stowed as checked luggage. There's usually no cost to check a stroller at the gate; even fee-happy airlines like Spirit allow them to be checked at the ticket counter or gate at no extra charge. This leaves the family to board the aircraft without the stroller and also necessitates waiting around on the jet bridge after the plane lands (hoping the stroller is still in one piece).
I know from my own travels that occasionally small collapsible umbrella strollers or newer fully-collapsable models do make it into the overhead bins of US airlines, but that has often been the exception and not the rule. Notably, this may be changing a bit as United Airlines does now permit small strollers onboard as carry-ons at no extra charge.
Outside the United States, additional air carriers do allow strollers to be treated as carry-on baggage. This shouldn't be too surprising as non-US airlines are more child-friendly than US airlines in almost every category, offering things like airport family rooms, onboard nannies, in-flight baby food, child-friendly meals, milk and even diapers. In fact, several of the international airlines that don't permit strollers on board actually provide free strollers to be used in the airports.
(Image courtesy ofDenBoma / Getty Images)Because policies vary airline to airline, it is tough to know all the rules when it comes to strollers and airlines. Here's a rundown of the latest stroller policies of 20 airlines around the world. Some allow onboard strollers and some don't. Of course, policies can change at any point, so please double-check with your carrier of choice before travel if you need additional clarification on current stroller rules.
You can transport a foldable stroller and car seat in the hold at no extra charge. Some strollers may be accepted in the cabin, subject to space availability. Depending on the type of stroller, the following size limits apply.
Note: Strollers must be packed in a carrying case that covers the stroller fully. In addition, for security reasons, some airports may have to deny access to strollers inside the boarding areas.
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If you have a small, fully collapsible and lightweight pushchair/stroller (with maximum dimensions of 117 x 38 x 38 centimers/46 x 15 x 15 inches when the pushchair is collapsed), you will qualify to take this right to the aircraft door and collect at the aircraft door at most airports.
Pushchairs that fold down into a carry bag, such as the Yo-Yo Zen and are within the maximum hand baggage dimensions, can be taken on board in place of, but not in addition to, your larger cabin bag. As with all larger cabin bags, this is not guaranteed to travel in the cabin, but our staff will make every effort to accommodate it so long as space is available.
All other, larger pushchairs, including double and multi-piece pushchairs can be taken to the departure gate, however, on arrival you must pick up these larger pushchairs at the baggage carousel in the baggage hall.
The bag allowance for infants includes an approved car safety seat, a small bag of food (for consumption on the flight), diapers and an umbrella-type collapsible stroller or any type of foldable stroller within the standard cabin bag size and weight after folding (if cabin stowage is available).
Passengers traveling with infants in any class of service are permitted one handbag for infant food (weight must not exceed 5 kilograms/11 pounds) and other inflight necessities, and one fully collapsible stroller or carry-cot, as a carry-on item if cabin space is available and you are not bringing a child seat. If no space is available in the cabin, the stroller/carry-cot must be transported as checked baggage in the hold.
Some special items are not suitable as check baggage and [you may] request permission to carry in the cabin. Such baggage should be stored in the closed overhead bin or under the seat. If it cannot be placed in these locations, it will be treated as cabin baggage and [you will be charged] for an extra seat. Rules for baby baggage include:
When traveling with a lap child, the items listed below are accepted as carry-on or checked baggage, exempt from baggage fees, when checked in by an accompanying ticketed adult. However, your stroller must be checked if it is noncollapsible and/or weighs more than 50 pounds. If you prefer, you may check your stroller at the gate.
You may use your baby stroller up to the boarding gate at some airports. Inquire with airport personnel if this is possible when you check-in.
Space on board is limited, so checking-in your stroller is strongly encouraged (though it does not say required). Checked strollers will be returned to you as quickly as possible upon arrival. Please use the free baby stroller service provided by your departure airport at Narita International, Kansai International, Chubu Centrair International, Frankfurt International (Germany) and London Heathrow (UK).
Umbrella strollers (max. 15 x 30 x 100 cm / 6 x 12 x 39 inches) may be taken into the cabin, if space allows for it. If it does not fit underneath the seat or in the overhead baggage compartment, we will take it into the hold at no extra charge. Larger buggies must always be checked in. If facilities allow it, you may wheel your child in the tagged buggy to the departure gate. At the gate, the buggy must be handed in for loading. The buggy may be covered with a protective cover, but this cannot contain any other items.
A car seat, folding buggy or pram, or a baby seat may be transported as carry-on baggage free of charge.
Further information on this is available on the Carry-on Baggage page, where the airline states that the stroller counts as the passenger's one allowed piece of carry-on baggage.
You have two options for stroller check-in:
Because storage space is limited in the aircraft cabin, the acceptance of baby prams/strollers as cabin items will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the storage space is taken up, these items will need to be loaded in the aircraft hold.
You may carry on board any type of compact foldable lightweight stroller only if it meets the following requirements:
Compact foldable lightweight strollers will be checked if there is no space in the cabin. Strollers that do not meet the above requirements will also have to be checked. These strollers, when checked, will not be counted as part of your checked baggage allowance.
In Switzerland, a folding pushchair (one-piece) may be taken up to the aircraft door. For the applicable rules in other countries, please visit the website of the respective airport. So-called "pocket buggies" are only allowed on board as part of your free hand baggage allowance if they are packed accordingly and are no longer recognizable as pushchairs.
On SWISS flights, your folding pushchair will be delivered to the aircraft door on arrival, with the exception of the following destinations, where it will be delivered on the baggage carousel: Stockholm, Copenhagen, Catania, Dar es Salaam, Dresden, Rome, Hannover, London Heathrow, Nice, Olbia, Palermo, Berlin and Valencia.
Strollers may be checked to your final destination without a fee, in addition to your normal baggage allowance. Feel free to use your child's stroller throughout the airport, but please keep in mind that most strollers must be checked at the gate. If you have a compact folding stroller, you can bring it on board in addition to your carry-on bag and personal item. These strollers can be stored either in the overhead bin or under the seat in front of you. You'll need to collapse your compact folding stroller before boarding the aircraft and won't be able to open it while on board.
If your child's stroller can't fit on the aircraft, you can check it at the gate and we'll give it to you at the aircraft door at your connecting city or destination. Large, non-collapsible strollers or non-folding wagons cannot be checked at the gate, so please see a United representative at the airport check-in counter to check these items. United is not responsible for damage that occurs to strollers that are not packed in a box and checked at the check-in counter.
United Airlines (Image courtesy of Zach Honig / The Points Guy)Each ticketed customer is allowed one stroller and one car seat to be checked free of charge. Strollers over 9 kilograms/20 pounds must be checked at the ticket counter. All other strollers should be checked at the gate before boarding. If you have a stroller and a car seat, only one can be checked at the gate.
Children's strollers and seat restraints are not counted as part of the standard baggage and therefore can easily be checked for free. For your convenience, these items may be checked at curbside, the ticket counter or at the gate.
During the check-in process, Etihad will place luggage tags on any push chairs or strollers. You will still be able to use these within the airport. They will be placed in the aircraft hold at the departure gate shortly before boarding. Guests arriving in Abu Dhabi are welcome to use one of the airline's complimentary strollers, which are available in the terminal, close to the gate. They're bright orange. On arrival at your destination, you can collect your pushchair or stroller at the luggage carousel. Please ask the check-in or arrival staff for information about your flight.
Frontier Airlines has made many family-friendly changes in the last year, but onboard strollers are not one of them. Frontier states that if you bring a stroller, it can be brought to the gate, but then checked from there.
Most mainline Australian airports have strollers available for you to use once you have checked your own personal stroller. Staff will be on hand at the boarding gate ready to collect the stroller and to assist you further with pre-boarding the aircraft.
The number of rules and policies that affect flying families is pretty overwhelming, especially when you factor in how dramatically the rules can vary from carrier to carrier and country to country. Any parent who has braved air travel with one or more little ones in tow can easily identify with the stress travel can cause. What has been your experience when traveling the world with your stroller?
Be sure to check out these other articles that might help both novice and travel-savvy families:
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