Flying with a Pushchair or Car Seat: Check-in to Collection

Start with a separate plan for your pushchair and car seat. Permission to transport a car seat does not mean permission to use it during the flight.

For cabin use, check with the airline operating your flight before booking your child’s seat. Give them the car seat’s exact make and model, dimensions and approval-label details. Ask whether it is accepted for your child’s age and size, whether it can face the required direction, and which aircraft seats can accommodate it. A road-use approval label alone does not establish airline acceptance.

Using a car seat on board normally requires a separately booked aircraft seat for your child. Buying that seat does not automatically make every child restraint acceptable. Keep the manufacturer’s aircraft-use instructions and any airline confirmation accessible.

If you only need the car seat for your onward road journey, check the airline’s hold-baggage arrangements instead. For a pushchair, establish whether you can keep it until boarding or must leave it at check-in.

Check how many child-equipment items your airline accepts, whether charges apply, and whether the allowance depends on your child’s age or booking. Do not assume a pushchair, detachable carrycot, car seat and base count as one item.

Before leaving home:

- Practise folding the pushchair and securing its folding mechanism. - Photograph both items and their identification labels. - Add contact details to each separately handled piece. - Remove toys, cup holders and other loose accessories; pack them within your baggage allowance. - Use suitable protective packaging that follows the equipment manufacturer’s guidance. - Keep the car seat’s harness, buckles and installation instructions protected and accessible if needed on board.

A cover helps keep loose parts together but does not guarantee protection from handling damage. Ask whether airport staff need to inspect the equipment before you seal or wrap it.

Follow your airline’s arrival guidance and check-in deadline. Allow room in your plan for tagging child equipment, reaching an oversized-baggage desk and managing security with your child; there is no single extra-time allowance that suits every airport.

At check-in or bag drop, ask staff:

- Does each piece need its own baggage tag? - Where should hold-bound equipment be handed over? - Can the pushchair stay with you until boarding? - Where will each item be returned at your destination?

Hold-bound car seats or larger pushchairs may need to go to a separate oversized-baggage point after tagging. Keep every baggage receipt until you have collected and checked the equipment.

If a car seat has been accepted for cabin use, tell staff so it is not mistakenly tagged for the hold. For airport-specific family preparations, see our guide to [travelling through Luton with children](/guides/luton-airport-travelling-with-children).

Pushchairs and car seats must undergo security screening. Be ready to remove your child and follow the security team’s instructions. You may need to fold the pushchair for screening; staff will direct you if it cannot fit through the equipment.

Empty the pushchair basket before reaching the screening point. Keep travel documents, medication and essential baby supplies in a cabin bag rather than tucked into accessories that could become separated.

If travelling alone, tell staff you need to settle your child safely before folding or lifting equipment. Do not assume staff can hold your child. A baby carrier may help elsewhere in the terminal, but it is also subject to screening instructions.

Check the departure airport’s current guidance for baby milk, food and liquids separately. Carrying a pushchair does not change those screening requirements.

At the gate, show staff your tagged pushchair and ask where to leave it. Handover might be at the gate, on the airbridge or beside the aircraft, depending on the airport and boarding arrangement. Do not leave it unattended until staff direct you to do so.

Before folding it, move nappies, feeds, medication, comfort items and valuables into your permitted cabin baggage. Secure the folded pushchair and make sure its tag remains visible. Plan how you will carry your child and bags from the handover point to your seat, including any stairs.

A gate-handed pushchair usually travels in the hold. Gate handover does not guarantee return at the aircraft door, so ask about collection again and be prepared to carry your child through arrivals.

If you want to take a compact pushchair into the cabin, check the airline’s folded-size, weight and baggage rules in advance. A product described as ‘cabin size’ is not automatically accepted by every airline.

For an approved car seat used on board, follow its aircraft-installation instructions and the crew’s directions. Do not improvise an attachment or assume the aircraft has the same fittings as your car.

At arrival, follow the collection instructions given by the airline. Equipment may be returned near the aircraft, on the baggage carousel or at an oversized-baggage point. If it is not at the aircraft door, ask staff rather than waiting indefinitely.

Keep your baggage receipts ready. Once you receive the equipment, check the frame, wheels, folding locks, harness and any detachable parts before leaving baggage reclaim. Report missing items or damage to the airline’s baggage handling desk and obtain a reference. Take photographs and keep the tags and travel documents; reporting and claim deadlines vary.

Our [delayed or lost baggage guide](/guides/lost-delayed-baggage-uk-airports) explains the reporting process. For the wider route through the terminal, see [UK arrivals, baggage reclaim and customs](/guides/uk-airport-arrivals-passport-control-baggage-customs).

If a car seat appears damaged or you suspect it has suffered a significant impact, seek advice from its manufacturer before using it. Do not assume that a visual check proves it is safe. Arrange an appropriate replacement for the onward road journey if necessary.