Can I gate check a stroller and carseat for free?

[Nicoal13]

I've never traveled with a carseat before, only the stroller. But this time we're bring the carseat along. Just want to make sure I can gate check them both for free on Airtran. Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[Missytara]

See this from their website under "Travel Info"; I have bolded the answer to your questions.

Children and Infants

AirTran Airways strongly encourages customers traveling with infants less than 7 days old to consult with their physician prior to traveling. One (1) infant under two (2) years of age, not occupying a seat, may be carried free of charge in the lap of a customer paying the applicable adult fare (AirTran may request a birth certificate to validate the infant's age).

You may bring a stroller to the gate for ease of travel through the airport. The stroller may be gate checked just before boarding the plane and will be returned to the aircraft jet way upon arrival at your destination. Car seats and strollers may be checked free of charge; any other items are subject to standard baggage fees (i.e., portable crib, high chair, etc.).

Booster-type child seats, vest and harness-type systems, and lap held child belts are not approved for use in the aircraft during movement on the surface, taxi, takeoff and landing; they may be used during cruise flight only. The C.A.R.E.S. (Child Aviation Restraint System) is currently the only child safety device FAA approved for all points of travel, in place of a child restraint seat.

When traveling with an infant, you are allowed more than the standard one carry-on item in order to travel with baby-related items such as diapers, baby clothes, blanket, etc. We recommend that you carry on an ample supply of baby care items in the event that your flight is delayed. Security requirements prevent us from retrieving checked luggage from the cargo stowage.

 

[Carriemel]

Yes, you can gate check them. However, if you have purchased a seat for your little one, I'd absolutely recommend that you use it on the plane. If kids are in a familiar seat, they may relax a bit more and maybe nap on the flight.

 

[ccgirl]

You can also check the carseat free of charge when you check check your bags. That way you don't have to lug it thru the airport.

 

[PoohGal05]

We get checked our stoller last year. It was waiting for us opened when we got off the plane. We ended up lugging my son's carseat throught the airport, which was a pain in the butt. We didn't discover that he would sit in a seat without a problem until the last leg of our trip, on the way home. We aren't taking the car seat or the stroller this year.

 

[Orangewolf]

Does anyone know if there is a size limit on the stroller. Last yr we rented a double from a Orlando stroller rental, but this yr I'm not wanting to spend the money - we have a double jogger, but it's so big. Will we be able to check it for free? Also has anyone checked a stroller with air filled wheels? does this affect the air in the tires? I don't want to end up with flat tires. Also if this does happen does Disney have a place to put air in the tires besides the gas stations?

 

[seashoreCM]

You may want to deflate the tires just a little. You may want to bring a hand held (not the larger floor standing) bicycle hand pump.

You need to be extra careful using the gas station air pump. Lots of those don't give a smooth air flow but instead deliver the air in chunks. One "ding" is enough to burst a stroller or bike or wheelchair tire.

YOu may be able to press the nozzle on for a split second and pull it away to get just a small amount of air into the tire, except when you have to measure the pressure between presses (bring your own gauge), the pump will run out of time and you have to insert more quarters to finish.

 

[ccgirl]

Does anyone know if there is a size limit on the stroller. Last yr we rented a double from a Orlando stroller rental, but this yr I'm not wanting to spend the money - we have a double jogger, but it's so big. Will we be able to check it for free? Also has anyone checked a stroller with air filled wheels? does this affect the air in the tires? I don't want to end up with flat tires. Also if this does happen does Disney have a place to put air in the tires besides the gas stations?

I brought our single jogging stroller once and it was a total pain. We took the front wheel off to get it thru security. The tires did deflate in the plane and the front tray broke off. We were off site and went to a gas station and, as a PP mentioned....POP! Was a big PIA! Now we only bring umbrella strollers. SO much easier when you are there too. We can fold them up easily for the trams and trains etc. Found a great Maclaren double umbrella stroller off eBay.

 

[Lewisc]

Are you paying for a seat for your child? Use the car seat on the plane. Otherwise you might as well check when you check your luggage.

Are you renting a car? DME buses, and Disney buses, don't have seat belts. You'll only need a car seat if you rent a car.

 

[suzy021372]

Has anyone taken a Sit and Stand through airport security? I hadn't thought about that...

 

[Nicoal13]

DS is 5 and our carseat is a booster type that is not FAA approved for use on an airplane. We need to bring it as we are renting a car midway through the trip to go to the beach and Kennedy Space Center. He sits just fine in the plane seat for the flight.

I would rather gate check it than check it with our baggage. I've heard some not so good stories of checked carseats being damaged and supposedly it's less likely to get damaged or lost if it's gate checked.

 

[matosfam]

We had no problems at all when we took our double jogger last year and gate checked it (with no tray or bar around the front and with a luggage strap around it to keep it latched). Our tires were fine when we got in at the other end.
I would suggest that you may wish to wrap the foam grip with something though, the handle grips can sometimes get ripped-up in transit.

As far as car seats go, we gate checked our 2 boosters for the way down and then decided to check them through as baggage on the way home (they were a pain to lug around through connections). Both ways were free, however, we had trouble upon arrival home when the checked boosters had been lost... Yes, the airline was willing to pay for their replacement but that didn't solve the problem of driving to get a new car seat with young children not IN a carseat... I will just lug mine with me in the future.

Blessings!

 

[CarrieR]

I would rather gate check it than check it with our baggage. I've heard some not so good stories of checked carseats being damaged and supposedly it's less likely to get damaged or lost if it's gate checked.

Seats get damaged when gate-checked, too. I wouldn't want to trust something to save my child's life that had been abused the way airlines abuse luggage. :twocents:

If your booster has a back, I would pack the back well-padded in your luggage, and then just carry on the bottom/seat part. It should stow easily in an overhead bin, and then you know it hasn't been abused.