Short answer: the best baby carrier for airplane travel is one you can put on by yourself and pack small. Konny FLEX AirMesh is one of these. It weighs 7 oz (195 g) and packs into its own pouch. On the plane, take your baby out of the carrier for taxi, takeoff, and landing. For the rest of the flight, ask your airline whether you can use a carrier.
The steps below follow a travel day from check-in to landing. To compare Konny's carriers side by side, see Find Your Carrier.
What makes a baby carrier easy for airplane travel
On a travel day, the carrier comes off before taxi and goes back on after landing. A carrier you can put on quickly by yourself and fold small makes those moments easier. FLEX goes on like a T-shirt. There's no long length of fabric to wind around yourself or drag on the airport floor, and no complicated buckles to fasten.
If you would rather have buckles and a padded waistband, a structured carrier is another option. Check that it fits in the bag you carry on.
Before you fly
- Get the size right. Konny sizes FLEX by your pre-pregnancy clothing size, not by your baby's age or weight. If you now weigh more than 22 pounds (10 kg) above your pre-pregnancy weight, choose a larger size. The Size Guide has the details.
- Practice at home. You can adjust FLEX's size from 1 to 13. Set it to a snug, secure fit at home. Then put FLEX on a few times with the tutorial video in the Carrier Wear Guide.
- Check the carrier. Before you pack, check that no buckle, strap, or other hardware part is broken. Follow all of the maker's instructions and warnings (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, CPSC).
- Read your airline's policy. Look up your airline's policy on baby carriers before you go.
Step 1: Keep the pouch in your carry-on
Put the pouch in the bag you carry on, not in a checked bag. Whenever your baby is out of the carrier, fold FLEX back into the pouch. FLEX is compact enough to fit in an everyday bag or a diaper bag.
Step 2: Put it on before check-in
Put FLEX on before you join the check-in line, while your hands are free.
- Slip FLEX on and spread the sashes wide across both shoulders, the way you would wear a shawl.
- Settle your baby in.
- Check that the sashes run from your baby's thighs all the way to the backs of the knees.
- Add the outer sash that comes with FLEX, and use it every time you wear your baby.
Step 3: At the gate
While you wear your baby, bend at your knees instead of at your waist when you pick something up, such as a bag at the gate. Bending at the waist can tip your baby out of the carrier and hurt your back (American Academy of Pediatrics, AAP).
Step 4: In your seat
Take your baby out of the carrier before the plane starts to taxi. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prohibits passengers from using baby carriers during ground movement, takeoff, and landing (FAA).
During taxi, takeoff, and landing, a child under two may be held on your lap. A child who is two or older needs a seat of their own with a seatbelt (Advisory Circular 120-87C).
For the rest of the flight, FAA rules do not prohibit a baby carrier, but airline policies differ. Ask your airline and crew before you put your baby back in the carrier, and follow their instructions, including when the seatbelt sign is on. If they say yes, look at your baby often. Make sure fabric or your body never blocks their mouth and nose (AAP). On a long flight, take your baby out for breaks, and check how long to wear the carrier at a time.
Step 5: After landing
Taxiing to the gate is ground movement too, so keep your baby out of the carrier until the plane has stopped at the gate. Then put FLEX back on for the walk off the plane.
FAQ
How much does Konny FLEX AirMesh weigh?
FLEX AirMesh weighs 7 oz (195 g). Its fabric is a lightweight, airy mesh that Konny developed exclusively.
Not sure FLEX AirMesh is the one for your trip? Find Your Carrier compares it with Konny's other carriers.
The FAA rules above come from the FAA's Kids' Corner page and 14 CFR 121.311, as explained in FAA Advisory Circular 120-87C. The carrier advice comes from the AAP's baby carrier tips and the CPSC's carrier safety tips.