Airport/Plane Help with Double Stroller and Car Seats

[Mven]

Will be traveling with 4 1/2 and 2 1/2 year olds. Desperate for some info on how to do this with car seats and double stroller in tow. How does gate checking the stroller work? Has anyone rented car seats along with the rental car. Or I was considering checking them in with baggage, do we really need them on the plane???? Help

 

[saffymom]

Gate checking the stroller is really easy. You keep it with you until right before you get on the plane. You leave it right by the door, and when you deplane, it should be waiting there next to the door (or soon after).
I've never rented a car seat from teh rental company, just because I like knowing how my seat works and if it's been in accidents and such. Also, you never know how well they clean those type of things. I just feel better with my own.
I bought a carrying case for DS's seat. It has a strap so you can wear it over your shoulder. I would definitely recommend that!
I also would recommend having the seat on the plane for the younger child. My DS is 2, he was so comfy in his seat he slept the whole way there (2.5hrs.) and back. Also, he knows when he is in his car seat he can't get up, just like in the car, so there was no trying to get down and run around or anything like that.
Hope that helps, and sorry so long!

 

[Mven]

Very helpful, thank you. I feel the same way about the cleanliness of the car seat thing. But some others have recommended renting them? Thanks for the input. This will be their first trip on a plane and its about a 2 hour flight from Philadelphia. They are very excited.

 

[Colinsmom]

Note that renting a car seat doesn't GUARANTEE you a car seat. You could get to your rental desk and find out that there are NO seats available. That's incentive enough for me to bring our seat!

And FWIW, you can use most harnessed seats on the airplane (look for the sticker saying that it is approved for use on aircraft) but cannot use any booster seats. But you can gate-check booster and car seats along with your stroller, which might maximize the chances that they arrive at your desitination with you.

 

[safetymom]

You also don't know the history of the seat if you rent one. 80% of people use car seats incorrectly, the start of a vacation is not the time to read the manual and install the seat correctly.

 

[momofbgtwins]

We have traveled extensively with our 2-1/2 year old twins, and have always checked our strollers, and have never taken our car seats.

When you get to the gate waiting area, or when you check your bags, most airlines require that you fill out special tags for the strollers. You can't just walk to the door of the plane and leave the stroller without the tags. We have always found the strollers waiting for us when we de-planed.

As far as car seats, we have held our children during takeoff and landing, and then they sat in the seat next to us during the flight. They've worn the lap belt if the seat belt sign was on. No one has ever questioned us. We've rentes car seats along with our rental car, and have never had a problem...and we travel to Orlando A LOT. Since we usually ask for a minivan, we've been lucky in getting "built in" booster seats, which the kids haven't minded at all.

 

[SueM in MN]

When you get to the gate waiting area, or when you check your bags, most airlines require that you fill out special tags for the strollers. You can't just walk to the door of the plane and leave the stroller without the tags. We have always found the strollers waiting for us when we de-planed.

Just what I was going to say.
That special gate check tag is very important.
For one thing, it is what tells the baggage handlers what flight your stroller is going on. You want to get it filled out ahead of time so there are no mistakes. If you wait until the plane is boarding, the gate agent is very busy and could easily enter the wrong city/flight code. Without a tag or with an incorrect tag, your stroller could be vacationing somewhere else without you!
The second reason for the tag is that the part you tear off and keep is your proof that you gate checked something. In case it's lost or damaged, you will need the claim ticket to get any payment/replacement.

When you leave your stroller at the gate, you should remove anything (like cupholders, canopies, etc. that are easily removeable. Then fold the stroller and secure it so it doesn' come unfolded during transit. That makes it less likely to be damaged. If you don't fold it, the baggage handlers will try (and they may not know that the canopy has to be loosened first). Gate checking is not a guarantee against damage - we've had pieces damaged on DD's wheelchair over the years and wheelchairs are much more sturdy than strollers.

The last thing to remember is to pick up your stroller. We're usually the last people off the plane and almost every trip we see at least one stroller sitting waiting there because the owners forgot to pick it up. And, don't be in too big of a hurry to get off the plane. They do unload gate checked items first, but it takes a few minutes after the plane stops at the gate for them to get unloaded.

 

[SylviaL]

We have 2 boys - 2 and 4. On our last trip, we checked one carseat as baggage, gate-checked the stroller, and brought one carseat on the plane for DS2. For the carseat we brought on the plane, we used a Pac Back (much better than the big carseat cover backpacks(which are good for checking-in), do a google search) which straps the carseat onto your back. We thought about renting carseats at our destination, but that would have been $8 each for 5 days = $80!

DS4 only needed a stroller for the airport so we bought a Ride-On Carry-On from One Step Ahead which is a folding seat which attaches to a typical rolling carry-on suitcase. DS4 loved it. I was concerned about how much room our double stroller would take up in the minivan with the luggage of 4 adults and 2 kids.

 

[lovesdumbo]

I also love the Pac Back-here's a link online Pac Back but I was able to purchase mine at a Samsonite outlet. I've also used the bag type carriers but they are hard to walk with as they flop around on your back and hit you really low.

 

[stacy6552]

We had a carseat dufflebag. It was priceless. I slung it over my neck and sholder and off we went. The bonus to it is that i tossed all the stuff from the stroller into it when we gate checked the stroller.