First time flying since 1988--HELP!!

[twinspluscade]

Hi guys! Dh and I are taking our kids (ages 4,4,2) to their first WDW vacation in Sept. This is the first time dh or the kids have flown (!!), and I haven't flown since I was 11 years old. Anyway, I have some questions!

1) When going through security points, will I have to take off my wedding rings?

2) We're flying on SunCountry. I've checked their website, but they don't have much detailed info. Does anyone who's flown with them before know if they serve lunch (or breakfast?) on a 8-11 a.m. flight?

3) If we bring my son's umbrella stroller--is that considered checked baggage? And do they charge extra for it? We're only bringing two suitcases for the five of us, so we'll be well under the limit of checked baggage.

4) I've read a few horror stories on here about parents having to sit separate from their children on flights. Even though we have "reserved" seats in coach, is this something I have to worry about? I know my (just turned) 4 year old twins would freak if they had to sit by strangers, and of course my 2 year old would be way to young to sit on his own.

Any other tips, things I need to know,etc. I'm really kind of nervous about the plane trip--way more than any other aspect of the vacation!

Thanks!

Kelly

 

[snowy76]

First of all... take a deep breath! What an adventure for you all... honestly, once you do it, you'll become a pro.

Wedding rings are fine in security. You may have to remove your shoes.

I don't know SunCountry well, but most airlines these days do not serve meals (cost cutting). They will probably offer a snack and a beverage. Call the airline and ask, and if they can't tell you, or they don't offer a meal, pack some easy snacks that won't get too messy -- granola bars, bagels, fruit, etc.

The stroller is considered checked if you leave it at the check-in counter before you go through security. If you take the stroller to the gate, they should be able to stow it under the plane for you and return it to you at the gate when you arrive. Get a stroller bag if you don't already have one -- makes it easier to stow.

You shouldn't have to worry about seating if you have assigned seat numbers. Some airlines just assign you to a general area of the plane, or seat you all in one big group so it becomes first come, first served. But that doesn't sound like your situation.

HTH!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Well now, THIS is interesting:
What does Sun Country offer for meal service?
Sun Country offers complimentary refreshment service and meal service on most flights. We recommend that customers who have special dietary needs bring a packed meal along with them as Sun Country does not accept special meal requests.
http://suncountry.com/suncountry/faq.jsp#16
As for the stroller, as far as I know you can gate-check it. You most likely need to get some type of tag from the Gate Agent before you board the plane. Roll the stroller (and your son) down the jetway to the plane. Leave it outside the door, collapsed I think. They'll stow it below and have it waiting for you when you step out of the plane at your destination. Okay, fine, you may actually have to wait a few minutes if you're one of the first ones off.

 

[KristinU]

Ditto pretty much everything that snowy76 said.

1. you won't need to take off jewelry, but do yourself a favor and wear as little accessories as possible, like go beltless, and wear slip on shoes with socks (you'll have to take them off and send them through the conveyor). FWIW, crocs are awesome family traveling shoes!

2. yeah, like snowy said, you probably won't get a meal. Small snacks to have throughout the flight are more fun for kids anyway - we do the small packages of teddy grahams, ritz bits, goldfish, fruit snacks, and juice boxes. You could also get a to-go meal and have it on the plane or at the gate while you wait to board (ie. Mc Donalds - they're at most airports)

3. I'd get a bag if you're going to check the stroller with your baggage. If you're gate-checking it (taking it to the gate for them to stow during the flight then retreiving it at the gate when you arrive) a couple of thoughts: a) you'll just need to swing by the gate agent when you get to the gate - they'll give you a bright neon tag to put on your stroller - if you get there early and there's no gate agent, don't worry, they'll get there shortly before your flight starts boarding. b)I prefer not to bag a gate-checked stroller because of a recent experience where the baggage handlers got confused and put our bagged stroller in with the regular luggage and it went to baggage claim (even though it had the big bright gate-check tag on it)...it defeated the whole purpose of gate checking it and I would have padded it a bit better had I known it was going to get tossed around with the regular luggage. So if it is a stroller out in the open they can see that it is clearly a stroller and should go to the gate. Gate checking is great, though - you roll your stroller right down the jet-way and fold it and leave it to the side right before you get on the plane. When you get off it is right there waiting for you - or will come shortly. If you make it off before your stroller, have the rest of your family proceed up the jet-way and either you or your DH can wait for the stroller since there is limited space on the jet-way.

4. since you already have your seat assignments, don't worry I'd just call or log on and check on your assignments once or twice before you go. Every once in a while they'll change the aircraft for a scheduled flight and wipe out the seat assignments...wait, I don't think that's even a worry on Sun Country - I think they fly all one kind of aircraft (737s) if I'm not mistaken. It doesn't hurt to confirm anyway. Then, worst case scenario, if somehow you did get split up I'm sure you'd be able to switch with people - especially the ages of your kids, the flight attendants would get involved and help you to swap spots with poeple. I've traveled a bunch for business (and a bit for pleasure ) and I've only witnessed one woman not move for someone in all of my flights. Yes, they're out there, but few and far between.

Enjoy your trip!!!

 

[WillCAD]

1) When going through security points, will I have to take off my wedding rings?

Probably not, but if you can, it's generally a good idea to take ANYTHING metal off your person and put it into your carry-on bag before you get to the security checkpoint. Your carry-on bags will all be scanned y an x-ray machine while you step through the metal detector, so I typically empty my pockets (including my cell phone) and put everything into my carry-on. I do this before I even ge to the security line, just to speed up the process - no sense in fumbling about with little stuff that you might drop and hold up the line!

2) We're flying on SunCountry. I've checked their website, but they don't have much detailed info. Does anyone who's flown with them before know if they serve lunch (or breakfast?) on a 8-11 a.m. flight?

Sorry, I've never flown them, so I have no idea. Most airlines don't feed you more than peanuts and a small drink (soda, water, juice, sometimes coffee or tea) unless you have a very long flight.

3) If we bring my son's umbrella stroller--is that considered checked baggage? And do they charge extra for it? We're only bringing two suitcases for the five of us, so we'll be well under the limit of checked baggage.

You can check your umbrella stroller with your other bags if you want, or you can take it with you to the gate. If there is enough room in teh overhead compartments, you can take it on the plane with you. If not, you can gate-check it, and it will be placed in the jetway (boarding ramp) at your destination.

4) I've read a few horror stories on here about parents having to sit separate from their children on flights. Even though we have "reserved" seats in coach, is this something I have to worry about? I know my (just turned) 4 year old twins would freak if they had to sit by strangers, and of course my 2 year old would be way to young to sit on his own.

That's mostly Southwest, since they don't have assigned seating. But even Southwest won't let a toddler sit alone with strangers for the whole flight - your kids will be seated next to you. If you have assigned seats, and someone else sits in one, simply ask them to move - they're usually there by mistake - and if they don't you can just ask the flight attendant to help you.

Additional tips:

Got cameras? Digital cameras and memory cards, laptops, PDAs, cell phones, and other electronic devices are perfectly safe when going through the x-ray scanners. However, DO NOT pack any of these fragile items in checked bags - always pack them in carry-ons.

Film, however, is a different story! Photographic film that has not been developed (including disposable cameras), whether it has been shot or not, will be damaged or even ruined by the x-ray scanners. If you have film or disposables, take them out of the cardboard package (but leavve them in the plastic capsule), put them in a clear ziploc bag near the top of your carry-on bag (where you can get to it easy). When you get to the security gate, take the ziploc bag out, hand it to the TSA security agent, and say politely, "I'd like this hand-inspected please." They may give you a spiel about film being perfectly safe, but it's not entirely true; it takes multiple exposures, or long-term exposure, to the x-ray scanner before film is damaged, but it will happen, no matter what speed film you have. 400ISO film will be ruined by about 4-5 passes through an x-ray scanner, higher speed film can be ruined by a single pass. Check my web page on the subject for more complete details:
http://willcad.org/image_film_tips.html

You'll need your ID when you check your bags and get your boarding passes, and again when you enter the security line. You won't need it to get on the plane, you'll only need your boarding pass.

Keep your boarding passes handy; you have to show them to get into the security line, and you have to hand them over when you get onto the plane.

Keep printouts of any rental car ressies, or DME, or towncar, whatever ground transportation you have arranged, handy also, so you won't have to fumble about when you land.

Orlando International Airport (commonly called MCO, although locals in Orlando call it OIA) is a big, big airport. It's not terribly confusing, however, if you have a look at the layout on the web site. You will see many references here on the boards and at the airport itself to "Terminal A" and "Terminal B", but these refer to the two long sides of the main terminal building. They are not two seperate buildings, so don't worry if you find yourself on the wrong side.
http://www.orlandoairports.net/goaa/ops/term.htm

Get to the airport 2 hours before your scheduled flight time.

Pressure changes can be painful to little ears (and adult ears, too). Check with your pediatrician (and your own doctor) ahead of time to make sure you won't have any troubles.

Most importantly, relax and enjoy the experience of flying. Let the kids look out the windows and enjoy the sensation. It's fun!

 

[dudspizza]

Meal service on Sun Country for the morning flights consists of a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit and a beverage. It is not a huge meal, but it is a lot more than most. I usually eat before the flight and then have the buscuit as a nice snack......

As far as seating assignments go, you can choose them online at suncountry.com. On the left side of the screen there is a place to enter info to pick seats. Sun Country does not change flight times a lot, and the ability to choose seats is fairly new (maybe May 05) so choose your seats and then check them on a daily basis. We have had very good luck with them. In fact, we chose the return seats ahead of time and just checked in at the airport for our return flight.. no issues....

Have a great time!

Duds