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I buy a ticket and bring the seat now. The one time I had to gate check it, it came back damaged. It was in a nice travel bag that came back ripped too.

ETA: ours is a Keyfit also, though I doubt that makes a difference

We often were really lucky that there was an empty seat and they let us bring the car seat onboard although we didn't have a purchased seat for LO. So I voted check at gate. We never have had issues with our strollers or carseats being treated poorly.

While I realize it's not financially possible for everyone to do so, we always buy a seat for our LO and bring the carseat on the plane. That way, our LO can take a nap and we don't have to worry about holding her. We've gate checked our stroller many times and while it's always been ok (we put it inside a bag), the bag itself has gotten disgusting. There are weird black stains all over it and it has obviously been tossed around. If you are going to gate check the carseat, I would at least suggest getting a bag to put it in.

We checked it at the ticket counter. No issues. We also had the chicco key fit

Eta- my LO also HATED his car seat until very recently. So I would not have bought him his own seat. It would have been a total waste of money. Or everyone on the plane would have hated me for bringing a screaming baby onboard.

Check both of them at the gate. The airline told me that if I was worried, that's the safest way because it's the last thing on the plane and the first thing off. Worked well for me and no damage. And for what it's worth, I baggaged checked her regular carseat several times and it was fine too.

we use ours on the plane, but i would gate check over checking it at the ticket counter so you can make sure it gets on the plane (seen a few people over the years land with exhausted children when their luggage, including car seats, hasn't made it and they have to scramble to figure something out)

We first flew w/ LO at Thanksgiving so didn't expect an empty seat to use on our Southwest flight, but checked with the gate attendants, anyway. We gate checked the carseat & stroller, with the carseat in a canvas bag we borrowed to protect it. Next trip we will likely do the same & I purchased a "Bebishi" carseat/stroller bag to protect it.

@DesertDreams88: we flew with LO1 at 6 months. We had her ride in the car seat in the snap n go all the way to the gate and then gate checked both. No damages. I think this is your best bet!

When she got older I gate checked the umbrella stroller so my hands were free to the gate. When we traveled to visit my parents they were able to borrow a convertible seat so we didn't worry about it. When we went elsewhere I did buy a cheap seat and check at baggage claim but there was no damage.

I always gate check the stroller in a bag because he's too heavy to carry/wear all the time and too slow of a walker. So I use it through the airport. And I learned the hard way that if we are delayed and he needs to sleep, being without the stroller is a nightmare.

If I'm traveling alone and I didn't buy him his own seat, I check the carseat at the counter because I can't carry it all myself. If my husband is with us we gate check it in a bag because I do prefer that option.

So, if I were you, I would gate check both in an appropriate bag/cover. The convenience of the stroller for naps and your sanity is worth it, I think. And it probably really is the best/safest option for your gear.

ETA: oh yeah, forgot your question about buying one for travel. It's pretty common where I live. We have one "permanently" installed in our car and we have a cheaper, lighter one for travel in cabs and for air travel. Partly because our main one is too heavy to lug around and partly because we don't want to be super pissed if it gets damaged.
I've also rented one from a car rental place and it was perfectly fine. Wasn't gross and actually seemed like it was brand new. I would do that more if we didn't need to worry about first getting TO the airport. We take a taxi so we need one for that trip anyway, so might as well fly with it. But if I don't have to take a taxi (like if husband drops us off) I just rent one in my destination city with my rental car.

We buy a seat and use the car seat on board. I have relatives who are pilots, and they would be horrified if we flew without securing our child. I recently read that Southeest has infant fares for a fraction of the adult fare, but you have to get them over the phone.

We have done all the options at one point or another. The crazy thing is that I just ordered a couple car seats and you know who else tosses them? FedEx and UPS. So, you know....I think you just have to do whatever works for you.

I bought a "travel" car seat mainly because I wanted a light weight one and our Britax were heavy!

I like checking them at the gate - that way you can see if they have any open seats and if so you can get one for free - then at least you have the option of using it during the flight