Everything You Need to Know About Flying with a Car Seat

smiling baby in car seat on airplane — My daughter, awake and *energized* after sleeping well on a red-eye in her car seat on the airplane. (Whew!) Photo: Shelly Rivoli

This post helps with ALL SORTS of questions, issues, and advice if you’ll be flying with a car seat for your baby, toddler, or preschooler. But a good place to start is my post: 5 Things You Should Know Before Flying with a Car Seat, in case you haven’t seen it yet (especially if you’re debating whether or not to use a car seat on your flight). 😁

This article is dedicated just to flying with a car seat and can help you with:

Where can you use a car seat on an airplane?
Car Seat Certification Labels and Requirements
Will your car seat fit in the airplane seat?
What’s the best way to get a car seat to check in or to the gate?
What are the options for flying without a car seat?

And for help traveling with a car seat BESIDES FLYING, see the MEGA post: How to Travel with a Car Seat (without Losing Your Mind). Now then… let’s get to your questions!

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Where can you use a car seat on an airplane?

If you plan to use your child’s car seat on the airplane, he’ll need to have his own airplane seat reservation. In most cases, this will need to be a window seat on a non-emergency row.

On most wide-body aircraft, you may also use a center seat in the middle section, where it would not block other passengers from exiting.

Note: Some airlines will not allow a car seat in first or business class seating. Check with your airline if there’s any question.

Car seat certification labels and requirements:

Remember, your child’s car seat needs to be approved for air travel by the Federal Aviation Administration (with the FAA-approval sticker to prove it) if flying in the U.S.

Alternatively most U.S. airlines and airlines serving European travelers will also accept a child safety seat with the European Standards Mark or labeling that verifies it was manufactured under the standards of the United Nations.

Some car seats, such as the travel-friendly Doona infant car seat with fold-out wheels, may have the TUV Rheinland Tested for use in aircraft certification label that shows international approval (shown above).

The TUV Rheinland Tested for Use in Aircraft certification label for car seats.

Praise for Shelly Rivoli's Travels with Baby guidebook for parents — Over 400 pages of help for planning all kinds of trips: travel abroad, urban adventures, beach resorts, camping trips, cruise vacations, and more!

Will your car seat fit in the airplane seat?

But equally important, your child’s car seat also needs to FIT in the airplane seat! Most airlines’ economy seats are around 17″ to 17.5″ wide. However, a car seat rated for use with kids up to 8 years and/or higher height and weight limits may be much wider.

In fact, very few child safety seats measure less than the 17″ wide airlines typically recommend for cabin use. One exception is the Pico WAYB folding car seat for toddlers (see full review here and read customer reviews on Amazon). See more toddler car seat recommendations here (including dimensions) and infant car seat recommendations here.

Extra cup holders and comfy armrests may be the last things you want to squeeze into your row. If these items are removable, you might want to take them off ahead of time so they’ll be out of the way.

Also, a rear-facing car seat that needs to recline for newborns or young infants may not be able to with ever-decreasing legroom and reclining front neighbors. You can avoid this by booking a bulkhead row window seat, but remember seats on those rows often have fixed arm rests that can’t be lifted out of the way if needed.

For more on this topic, see What Can You Do if Your Child’s Car Seat Doesn’t Fit in the Airplane Seat? And be sure to see the tips for installing a car seat on airplanes below in the On the Airplane tips.

What’s the best way to get a car seat to the ticket counter or the gate?

It’s generally best for your car seat — and for your odds of having it meet you on the other end — to check your car seat at the gate instead of the ticket counter. Sending it through the airport baggage system along with 50 lbs. suitcases could cause damage you might not see.

There are lots of clever ways to help get your car seat through the airport and to your gate. To see which might be best for your child’s current car seat and your travel plans (and logistics!) see Seven Easy Ways to Get Your Car Seat Through the Airport.

A protective car seat travel bag can also be a good investment–and provide extra storage for stashing extra jackets, toys, or blankets you’ll want at your destination. See my recommendations in the Best Car Seat Travel Bags & Carriers.

There is SO MUCH MORE help for traveling with babies, toddlers, and young children on this website! Here are more popular posts and pages that may be of interest to you (and of course there is the Ultimate Guidebook!):