Checking Stroller as baggage??

[ChrisAlli]

I have a sbs stroller I want to check as luggage. I purchased a carrying bag for it and the dimensions are 44x12x12.

I just checked and the airline (Airtran) charges $68 for a bag over 62 inches total (length+width+height).

I was trying to avoid gate checking it along with two Britax car seats.

Do they make exceptions for strollers or should I just gate check all three items in their bags? It just seems silly that they would rather gate check instead of putting it under the plane?

Sorry so long, we leave Friday and I thought I had this all figured out

 

[kaytieeldr]

Is there a reason you can't put the carseats in bags and check them when you get to the airport, instead of gate-checking them? This would give you the stroller to get through the airport with at both ends of your flight; and you could put it in the bag when you get down the jetway, for protection.

 

[ChrisAlli]

I think we may do that it's just I'm afraid if the seats get damaged going through baggage. There's no padding to protect them in the bags.

 

[NotUrsula]

... which is why you shouldn't check the stroller either (above and beyond the oversize charge). The stroller could easily wind up at the bottom of the hold under several tonnes of baggage, and the odds of the frame getting bent are quite high.

If your children can walk through the terminal without bolting or getting tired and whiny, use the stroller as a cart to transport the carseats.

 

[PinkTink63]

Is there a reason you can't put the carseats in bags and check them when you get to the airport, instead of gate-checking them? This would give you the stroller to get through the airport with at both ends of your flight; and you could put it in the bag when you get down the jetway, for protection.

I always put my son in the car seat on the plane. If a child is supposed to use it in the car, why would you not put the child in the car seat on the plane? Just wondering?

 

[LOLA2]

Can stroller be a carry on? I have an umbrella stroller but it is more than 55 inches so I don't think they will allow me to carry it on? What does gate check mean?

 

[NotUrsula]

I always put my son in the car seat on the plane. If a child is supposed to use it in the car, why would you not put the child in the car seat on the plane? Just wondering?

Even if you always purchase a seat for your child, the recommendations for use are a bit different on planes than they are in cars. A child who weighs over 40 lbs. does not need a carseat on a plane, but would almost surely still need one in a car.

 

[PinkTink63]

Can stroller be a carry on? I have an umbrella stroller but it is more than 55 inches so I don't think they will allow me to carry it on? What does gate check mean?

I'm not sure what they do anymore. The flight attendant used to take our little umbrella stroller and put it up front. That may have changed after 9/11.

 

[ChrisAlli]

I'm not sure what they do anymore. The flight attendant used to take our little umbrella stroller and put it up front. That may have changed after 9/11.

We gate checked the stroller last year all they do is put a tag on before you board and take the stroller from you when you board. When you get off they are all lined up waiting. Where they store them I haven't a clue, but it was waiting for us.

 

[NotUrsula]

They store them in the cargo bay, but on top. (Some planes have a separate smaller bay that they use for gate-checked items.)

NEVER leave your stroller set up when you leave it on the jetway. The passenger is responsible for leaving it folded and secured when it is left there. If you don't fold it it may be thrown into the hold open, which is almost sure to result in a bent frame, because it will fly all over the place in there. If you don't secure it shut, and it comes undone, it may be crammed shut again with brute force, again resulting in a bent frame and perhaps a broken hinge. Also be aware that gate-checked items may be exposed to weather for fairly long periods; your stroller may come back to you wet.

IME, no stroller with visible wheels will be allowed into an overhead bin on a US carrier. Most of the time they are too long, but even if not, they don't want to take up an entire bin with it. Also, folded strollers have been known to roll around up there and make a lot of noise. I haven't seen ANYTHING belonging to a coach passenger end up in the FC coat closet in many years now; I've even seen FA's refuse to hang a wedding gown when there was no one traveling in FC.