Gate check infant seat?

[cmdnewton]

Has anyone gate checked their infant seat or checked it at the ticket counter? I did not purchase a seat for my baby and I know that the plane is full, so there is no chance of me getting a seat for the baby. I'm not sure what I should do? I would rather check the seat at the ticket counter so that I don't have to carry it through the airport, however, is it more likely to get damaged if I do it that way?

[hillview]

I have gate checked an infant seat (and base) and had no issues. I never checked it at the counter so can't advise there.
/hillary

[AddiesMom]

I always bring my car seat to the gate. You never know, if other parts of the country are having weather problems a lot of people may be missing connections and the flight now has openings.

[tylersmama]

I would highly recommend gate checking. If you're gate checking your stroller anyway, it's no harder to push the stroller with the infant seat in it. The advantage of gate checking is that it's much less likely to get lost since you're personally taking it right up to the plane. It is also less likely to get damaged. If the weather looks like it might be rainy on either end, ask for one of the big clear plastic bags at the ticket counter, and you can put your seat in that to protect it when you gate check.

[cmdnewton]

Thank you all for your advice. I was just being lazy and not wanting to carry the infant seat....gone are the days when I would walk up to the plane with a Starbucks and a bag of magazines.