If you don't check it on arrival, they will tag and send to baggage when you board.
Best way would be to check it like your regular bags. I have seen some who carry it on too. Might want to check with your airlines and see what they say.
Never check a car seat! The way they are handled, there is no way to ensure the car seat has not been compromised. Think dropped or thrown. Which compromises the integrity of the car seat. Check to see if your seat is FAA approved. If so then you just install it on the aircraft. If your seat is not FAA approved then you can gate check it, but it is still not ideal. The cheap $40 seats at WalMart are FAA approved and super light weight. That is an option as well. Manufactuers only recommend checking a car seat if it is in the original packaging or in a box with added padding.
Checked baggage
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