What Parents Need to Know About Flying with Strollers and Car Seats

As a new parent, there’s a lot to learn about flying with strollers and car seats. U.S. airlines are generally helpful, and do allow parents to bring along most necessary items for free.

Here’s what you need to know, by item and airline.

Strollers in Airport

The domestic airlines all permit strollers on board. Some of the airlines require you to check “large” strollers – make sure you check your airline for the specific details. Each airline has a different definition of “large.”

Alaska 

You can travel with your stroller free of charge as checked baggage. Strollers can be checked at the gate or with your regular checked baggage at the ticket counter.

American 

On American, each ticketed adult is permitted one stroller to be checked free of charge. Large strollers (20 pounds or more) must be checked at the ticket counter. All other, smaller strollers can be checked at the gate.

Delta

Strollers can be checked free of charge at the curb, the ticket counter or the gate.

Frontier

Strollers can be brought with you free of charge but must be checked at the gate.

Hawaiian

You can check a stroller free of charge. You must check non-collapsible and large (50 pounds or more) strollers. Beach-friendly wagons are also permitted as a free item, but must be checked as baggage.

jetBlue

jetBlue has an expansive checked baggage policy for people traveling with small children/infants or even folks meeting them on arrival at their destination. Strollers, car seats, child carriers/backpacks, and booster seats can all be checked for free at the gate or ticket counter. There is no limit to the number of “assistive devices” a customer may transport within reason.

Southwest

Southwest invites parents traveling to check one stroller per child at no additional charge. This policy extends to every type and size of stroller (umbrella, jogging, full size). Strollers may be checked at the curb, ticket counter or gate.

Spirit

Spirit permits one stroller per child to be checked free of charge, as well as a double stroller for two children.

United

United permits a stroller or foldable wagon to be checked free of charge for each child at the ticket counter or gate. Small, collapsible strollers can be brought on board free of charge and stowed in the overhead compartments.

Car Seats in the Airport

Each domestic airline has specific seating allowances/restrictions for car seats. In general, emergency exit aisles are prohibited, one car seat per row is allowed, and all special accommodations are left to the discretion of in-flight crew members. Car seats must meet FAA-approval (check for red lettering on the seat itself to see if it meets approval). Car seats made for use in the U.S. after 1985 should be compliant.

Alaska

When flying with Alaska you can travel with your car seat free of charge as checked baggage. Check car seats at the gate or with your regular checked baggage at the ticket counter.

If you buy a seat for your infant, please make sure the car seat meets FAA-approval. 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.

American

Ticketed adults can check one car seat free of charge.

To carry on a safety 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.

Delta

Delta invites parents to take advantage of empty seats with an FAA-approved car seat. If a seat is not free, the flight attendants will check your car seat through to your final destination. If you’ve bought a seat for your infant, you can always use your car seat.

Frontier

You can use FAA-approved car seats when you purchase a seat for your child. You may not place car seats in emergency exit rows, in the rows directly in front or behind of emergency exit rows, or in the very first row. Frontier also suggests placing car seats in window seats so they do not impede access to the aisle by other passengers.

Hawaiian

Use a rear-facing, FAA-approved car seat con board when you’ve purchased a seat for your child. Please communicate with the airline in advance to determine if the seat purchased will accommodate the car seat size. The car seat will not count as a carry-on item if you purchased a seat for your child.

jetBlue

You can check a car seat for free at the gate or ticket counter. You may use an FAA-approved seat in an empty seat. Not all seats on jetBlue can accommodate a car seat.

Southwest

Southwest offers “infant” fares that allow you to purchase a seat for your baby to sit in his or her FAA-approved car seat.

Spirit

You can bring an FAA-approved car seat on board when you purchase a separate seat for your child. If you did not pay for an assigned seat and the seats to not fit the car seat, the airlines will try its best to re-seat the parents and child in an aisle that will accommodate the seat, excluding Big Front Seats. Big Front Seats are a premium item and are available for an extra fee.

United

United permits customers to check a car seat for each child traveling. You must purchase a seat to reserve space for FAA-approved child seats. You may use adjacent, unused seats to secure a child seat if space is available after boarding. Stow this item if space is not available after boarding.

Miscellaneous Items in the Airport

Carry-on Allowances

Each airline has slightly different rules for special items in carry-on baggage allowances. Please make sure to check directly with each airline, as these guidelines are subject to change.

Alaska Airlines

A diaper bag counts towards standard carry-on allowances. Breast pumps are an exception to the carry-on policy and do not count against allowances.

American

American Airlines has a liberal carry-on policy for parents. Diaper bags and breast pumps (soft sided with breast milk) do not count against your standard carry-on allowance.

Delta

Delta’s policy toward breast pumps is a little bit vague. It should count as a medical device (which do not count against carry-on allowances). A diaper bag counts towards carry-on allowance.

Frontier

Diaper bags and breast pumps are exempt from carry-on charges.

Hawaiian

Hawaiian Airlines makes no special accommodation for diaper bags and breast pumps as carry-on items.

jetBlue

Diaper bags and breast pumps are exempt from carry-on charges.

Southwest

Carry-on items include breast pumps and milk for Southwest. They do not count against carry-on allowances. There is no mention of diaper bags on the website, so it appears that a diaper bag counts towards the carry-on allowance.

Spirit

Diaper bags and breast pumps are exempt from carry-on charges.

United

Permitted carry-on items on United include diaper bags, breast pumps and milk. These do not count against carry-on allowances.

Checked Baggage Allowances

Each airline has slightly different rules for special items in checked baggage allowances. Please make sure to check directly with each airline, as these guidelines are subject to change.

Alaska

Alaska charges a fee when items other than strollers and car seats exceed size requirements.

American

Play pens, cribs, wagons and pack ‘n’ plays count as regular baggage and will count towards standard checked baggage allowances. American charges a fee when these items exceed size requirements.

Delta

No mention of additional items allowed for free on the Delta website.

Frontier

Play pens, cribs, wagons and pack ‘n’ plays count as regular baggage and will count towards standard checked baggage allowances. Frontier charges a fee when these items exceed size requirements.

Hawaiian

Play pens, cribs, wagons and pack ‘n’ plays count as regular baggage and will count towards standard checked baggage allowances. Hawaiian charges a fee when these items exceed size requirements.

jetBlue

Play pens, cribs, wagons and pack ‘n’ plays count as regular baggage and will count towards standard checked baggage allowances. jetBlue charges a fee when these items exceed size requirements.

Southwest does not appear to have standard fees policies in place for play pens, cribs, wagons and pack ‘n’ plays. Southwest charges a fee when these items exceed size requirements.

Spirit

Play pens, cribs, wagons and pack ‘n’ plays count as regular baggage and will count towards standard checked baggage allowances. Spirit charges a fee when these items exceed size requirements.

United

Pack ‘n’ Plays, collapsible cribs and similar items count towards your checked baggage allowance on United.

For more information about flying with infants and small children, check out our series: Air Travel with Your Infant, Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

Search Flights