Can you gate check BOTH stroller and carseat?

[Mrs. Charming]

We're flying Southwest, and I'm a little confused. Can you gate check BOTH a stroller and a carseat? Does it count toward your carry-ons, or your checked baggage? I got a really vague answer from a SW agent with attitude on the phone, and I think she thought I was asking if I could check the stroller like checked baggage. So I just thanked her for her time and hung up.

I know I can get real answers from my DISboards friends. Thank you!!

 

[malibuconlee]

Can't answer your question...we gate check our stroller so we have it with us at the airport and we check the carseat with our bags. I do know that you can check a carseat and another baby item like a pack and play and they will count it toward one of your pieces of checked luggage.

So, when we fly back for Christmas we can take three suitcases and her carseat since our daughter is a lap baby. Really hoping for giftcards for Christmas this year!! No idea how we are going to get gifts from Iowa to Texas, we'll be shipping them back I guess.

 

[nutterbutter2010]

As far as I know, you can gatecheck your strollers ( I know that for sure) but as far as the carseat, you have to either check it with your luggage (does not count) or use it on the plane. But call your carrier just to make sure.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

Can't answer your question...we gate check our stroller so we have it with us at the airport and we check the carseat with our bags. I do know that you can check a carseat and another baby item like a pack and play and they will count it toward one of your pieces of checked luggage.

So, when we fly back for Christmas we can take three suitcases and her carseat since our daughter is a lap baby. Really hoping for giftcards for Christmas this year!! No idea how we are going to get gifts from Iowa to Texas, we'll be shipping them back I guess.

That's not a bad idea to check her carseat as luggage. At least we won't have to lug the darned thing around the airport. It's a big honkin' Britax, and she would scream bloody murder if we had to put her in the carseat on the plane. CPS would be on us like stink on poop with the way she carries on sometimes.

Haha sometimes the mail isn't a bad way go to with these baggage prices! Maybe gift cards would work best for you!

 

[Mrs. Charming]

As far as I know, you can gatecheck your strollers ( I know that for sure) but as far as the carseat, you have to either check it with your luggage (does not count) or use it on the plane. But call your carrier just to make sure.

I think we'll just end up checking it. It's not like DH, DD, and I will use 6 bags between us. My mom, otoh, will probably use both of hers!

 

[malibuconlee]

We have a bag we bought that her car seat goes into to keep it clean when we check it. The bag has wheels on it and also has straps that make it so we can put it on our back like a backpack. That makes it nice since one if us has the stroller to push and we will have two or three (at Christmas in Iowa when we have to pack all those warm clothes that take up so much room!!) suitcases to wrangle into the airport. We got the bag at Babies-R-Us.

 

[wmharley]

As far as I know, you can gatecheck your strollers ( I know that for sure) but as far as the carseat, you have to either check it with your luggage (does not count) or use it on the plane. But call your carrier just to make sure.

false.. you can gatecheck your carseat too. i prefer this as it minimizes the handling and increases the chances it DOESN'T get damaged..

southwest's Contract of Carriage (page 25) states:
Travel equipment for infants or small children – Two (2) items of travel equipment for infants and small children, such as walkers, child safety seats or collapsible playpens, may be checked and transported in substitution of one piece of the free baggage allowance for each fare-paying passenger at no charge.

So this means, since you get 2 free bags per Southwest policy, you can bring ONE bag, and then TWO child items (i.e. 1 carseat, and one stroller)

I think we'll just end up checking it. It's not like DH, DD, and I will use 6 bags between us. My mom, otoh, will probably use both of hers!

I'd gatecheck.. i've heard horror stories of damage when you check it at the ticket counter.

what we did was take the double stroller, load all the carseats (2) on it, put carryons, etc too. then wheeled the stroller around. at the gate, let them know you will gatecheck at the plane, and wheel your stroller monstrosity down the ramp. At the end right before you get on the plane, take the carseats and everything off, and give what you are gatechecking to the rep standing there.

We gatechecked the stroller and a carseat. they were waiting for us when we deboarded both times... We had a bag for the cehcked carseat too.

We flew Jetblue so JB doesn't charge for any of those and allows unlimited "assistive" devices..

I might add, SW states that if you bring a carseat for them to sit in, it doesn't count as the 1 carryon + 1 personal item.. so you can bring a carryon, a personal item and the carseat per person

 

[Mrs. Charming]

We have a bag we bought that her car seat goes into to keep it clean when we check it. The bag has wheels on it and also has straps that make it so we can put it on our back like a backpack. That makes it nice since one if us has the stroller to push and we will have two or three (at Christmas in Iowa when we have to pack all those warm clothes that take up so much room!!) suitcases to wrangle into the airport. We got the bag at Babies-R-Us.

I just called Babies R Us right before I saw this, lol. They have two, one doesn't have anything but a handle (or so the guy said) and they have another with the backpack straps. I have a 15% coupon, so I think I'm going to go for the backpack one!

 

[Mrs. Charming]

false.. you can gatecheck your carseat too. i prefer this as it minimizes the handling and increases the chances it DOESN'T get damaged..

southwest's Contract of Carriage (page 25) states:
Travel equipment for infants or small children – Two (2) items of travel equipment for infants and small children, such as walkers, child safety seats or collapsible playpens, may be checked and transported in substitution of one piece of the free baggage allowance for each fare-paying passenger at no charge.

So this means, since you get 2 free bags per Southwest policy, you can bring ONE bag, and then TWO child items (i.e. 1 carseat, and one stroller)




I'd gatecheck.. i've heard horror stories of damage when you check it at the ticket counter.

what we did was take the double stroller, load all the carseats (2) on it, put carryons, etc too. then wheeled the stroller around. at the gate, let them know you will gatecheck at the plane, and wheel your stroller monstrosity down the ramp. At the end right before you get on the plane, take the carseats and everything off, and give what you are gatechecking to the rep standing there.

We gatechecked the stroller and a carseat. they were waiting for us when we deboarded both times... We had a bag for the cehcked carseat too.

We flew Jetblue so JB doesn't charge for any of those and allows unlimited "assistive" devices..

I might add, SW states that if you bring a carseat for them to sit in, it doesn't count as the 1 carryon + 1 personal item.. so you can bring a carryon, a personal item and the carseat per person

Thank you! You made some very good points. Hmm. I definitely don't want it to get broken, I know how baggage gets handled, DH's friend was a baggage handler for awhile. They really don't give a hoot.

Thanks for finding that contract of carriage statement for SW. I might just print that out in case they give me a hard time. PHL has some VERY surly employees! (kinda like the lady I dealt with on the phone...)

This works out well, too, since DD has a ticket and I don't plan on checking baggage for her anyway.

 

[Halbleib1]

When we flew Southwest last December the contract of carriage said the same thing about checking baby items but they did not count our gate checked stroller as part of our luggage limit. We flew from Baltimore to Orlando. We were able to have 2 checked bags each plus the gate checked stroller. But you never know they may have started enforcing this. Unless maybe they only enforce this if you check both items in at the counter with the rest of your luggage. If you need to know for sure beforehand give the airline a call again and see if you get a better answer from someone else.

 

[Weezyreid]

to be truthful, i never thought of this problem... we are taking our trip this Jan, with a 3 year old and 5month old(we are fostering)... we are taking full advantage of the Dis transportation bus..., so i didnt think of bringing a carseat, or even if we did, how we would transport it (either checked or gate checked)...i am not sure if we will need it, but its a thought, just incase...i know we are gate checking our small stroller(direct flight)...for 3 year old, and was just going to use sling or front carrier for baby...

If we are using only disney buses, do i really need to lug a carseat too?? this is our first trip with little one, any thoughts would be great...

 

[Halbleib1]

to be truthful, i never thought of this problem... we are taking our trip this Jan, with a 3 year old and 5month old(we are fostering)... we are taking full advantage of the Dis transportation bus..., so i didnt think of bringing a carseat, or even if we did, how we would transport it (either checked or gate checked)...i am not sure if we will need it, but its a thought, just incase...i know we are gate checking our small stroller(direct flight)...for 3 year old, and was just going to use sling or front carrier for baby...

If we are using only disney buses, do i really need to lug a carseat too?? this is our first trip with little one, any thoughts would be great...

A car seat is not needed. Their is not any place to buckle a car seat in on the buses anyhow. So unless you are renting a car you do not need a car seat. Our first trip my son was 2 and we had no need for a car seat. We used all disney transport. I would bring a stroller for the baby as well though. As walking around that whole time you will probably want a break from carrying the baby. Also the baby will probably be more comfortable having a stroller to lay in for naps and such.

 

[Weezyreid]

A car seat is not needed. Their is not any place to buckle a car seat in on the buses anyhow. So unless you are renting a car you do not need a car seat. Our first trip my son was 2 and we had no need for a car seat. We used all disney transport. I would bring a stroller for the baby as well though. As walking around that whole time you will probably want a break from carrying the baby. You do a lot of walking at Disney. It is not a small place. Our first trip we were overwhelmed by the size actually. Also the baby will probably be more comfortable having a stroller to lay in for naps and such.

Ya, i didnt think i would need one...buses are great there....

as for the stroller, ya we are bringing one light weight one for the baby and renting one for our 3 year old, so we dont have to drag two stollers or a double one on and off the bus...we learned our lesson the first time we took my son, at 15 months, large heavy stollers might have lots of room, but my goodness they are hard to get on and off bus, not good, thanks for your thoughts...

 

[Halbleib1]

Ya, i didnt think i would need one...buses are great there....

as for the stroller, ya we are bringing one light weight one for the baby and renting one for our 3 year old, so we dont have to drag two stollers or a double one on and off the bus...we learned our lesson the first time we took my son, at 15 months, large heavy stollers might have lots of room, but my goodness they are hard to get on and off bus, not good, thanks for your thoughts...

So true that is why we bought a small lightweight stroller that folds up small and can even be easily carried on the train at MK. We watched many many people struggle with full size strollers on the buses . We only have the one child so far so we have no experience with needing more than one stroller. If we have another child my son will be able to walk without the need of a stroller so we will have avoided that whole thing. Lucky for us. But if you can not avoid it you are probably doing the smart thing. Either that or bring an umbrella type stroller for your 3 year old. Might not be the most comfortable though.

 

[yrdlyprincess]

Ok, quick question-and maybe this has been answered in a round about way, I will be taking a stroller and know that I can check it (did it b4) but I need to take a car seat (booster) for DS--DD doesn't need one, if I gate check it--do I need to have it in a bag or something?? I agree with the PHL employees--they can be kind of well-brash

 

[NotUrsula]

As far as I know, you can gatecheck your strollers ( I know that for sure) but as far as the carseat, you have to either check it with your luggage (does not count) or use it on the plane. But call your carrier just to make sure.

Not so. Both of these items are fine for gate-check on US-based carriers. It is *much* safer to gate-check a carseat than to check it as baggage, because a lot of the route paths in the bag room involve fairly steep drops and a lot of bags crashing down on top of other bags. Gate-checking keeps your carseat out of the automated baggage-handling machinery. It also guarantees that you and the seat are on the same flight, which is kind of important, because if you are renting a car you won't be able to leave the airport without it.

As to charging for it, I won't swear that things won't change at any moment, but historically, SWA has taken both of these as gate-check items without charge. Regardless of your child's size, TSA will not pass judgment on whether or not that child can or cannot ride in the carseat on the aircraft, so you can always tell them that you intend to use it on board; TSA just isn't the carseat police, and they don't keep up with those regs. The gate agents do, however, and if the seat isn't an aircraft-certified 5-pt, or if your child is significantly over 40 lbs, you may be told to gate-check the seat, even if you have paid for a "berth" for it. (Note that it is US Federal Law that 1) if the seat space is paid for, 2) the seat is certified for aircraft use, and 3) the child weighs 40 lbs or less, then the airline cannot prohibit you from using the seat on board. They may have to relocate your seating positions if the ones you have reserved are not "legal" for its use, but they have the power to do that.)

One thing to note: NEVER, NEVER hand over a travel system-type stroller for gate-check with a carseat still attached to it. The bag handlers will THROW the entire assemblage into the hold without folding it, and this treatment will almost guarantee that the latch that holds the carseat onto the stroller will get damaged en route. You should always fold and secure strollers before leaving them on the jetway for pickup (and remove plastic accessories such as cupholders), and you should bag carseats to protect them from rain and from the grease always present in the hold. The airlines keep plastic bags for them at the main baggage check stations; these are less often available at gates, so you may want to ask for the plastic bag when you check your suitcases.

 

[wmharley]

Ok, quick question-and maybe this has been answered in a round about way, I will be taking a stroller and know that I can check it (did it b4) but I need to take a car seat (booster) for DS--DD doesn't need one, if I gate check it--do I need to have it in a bag or something?? I agree with the PHL employees--they can be kind of well-brash

you don't have to have it in a bag.. I would, but you don't have to..

 

[Halbleib1]

I would second putting a car seat in a bag. Heck if you can it is best to put your stroller in a bag as well. And definately remove any cup holders etc from a stroller ahead of time or you may get a stroller with one missing or broken. We carried our cupholder tray onboard last year to prevent this from happening. We watched when they were loading the strollers last year and saw some of them being dropped and thrown. No different than with your regular luggage. So it is no wonder why the airlines damage so much stuff.

 

[2binak]

I just called Babies R Us right before I saw this, lol. They have two, one doesn't have anything but a handle (or so the guy said) and they have another with the backpack straps. I have a 15% coupon, so I think I'm going to go for the backpack one!

We ordered a padded travel bag with wheels from walmart . com for $34.00 and had it shipped to our local store for free.

 

[yrdlyprincess]

I am taking a booster seat so what kind of bag or where do I get it?? If I ask at main baggage cking area won't they ask for the booster seat and tell me that I can't have it as "boarding" item--with the stroller...my neighbor flew SW and they lost his booster seat on the way home--found it a few days later but still - I know that we are renting a car down there I will flip (or they can give me $35,and point me in the direction of babies r us