Flying with a stroller?

[pskelly]

I have heard that if you take your stroller down the jetway, they will store it for you in a compartment, that way when you get off the plane the stroller will be right there for you at your destination. Any experiences or tips are greatly appreciated.

 

[In Luv with Disney]

Yes, this is ABSOLUTELY true! When y ou show your boarding passes, they will put a tag on your stroller and give you a carbon of that tag. You take your stroller down to the entrance of the plane and take the kiddos out. You fold up your stroller and leave it there. They take it and put it in the cargo compartment for you! I have never had a problem, but I do know people that have gotten their stroller back stained, torn, etc. If you have an expensive stroller and you don't want to take this chance, you can buy a stroller bag at your local BABIES R US or BUY BUY BABY. We use this for our carseats when we check them and they are great! Now that I have an expensive double stroller, I might opt to get the stroller bag, too! GOOD LUCK!!!!!

 

[MaidMarian]

Does the stroller count as one of your carry-ons? I'm flying Southwest if it makes a difference.

 

[Callalily6]

No - carry on is what goes on the plane with you. The stroller is called a "gate checked" item. It never boards tha plane. I have done this several times and it helps when you have arms full and babies to carry too. Take your time getting off the plane though. It usually takes them about 15 mins after they open the doors to get the stroller out. The main thing is to ask Southwest for a gate check tag for the stroller. They may give it to you at checkin or let you get it at the gate. That tag lets them know it is last on in the baggage and 1st out and into the breezeway. Have a great trip!

 

[momofbgtwins]

We have always checked our strollers (2) at the gate, and have had no problems. We've never had to wait for the strollers, they are always there waiting for us, unfolded and ready to go. We usually fly Southwest, also.

Our strollers have a tray for the kids, and a parent tray that clips on. We did lose a parent tray once, so if you have any attachments to the stroller that can pop off, it's safer to store them in your carryon.

 

[mishtb]

I work for American - and they are right you can " gate check" your stroller.. but if you have an extremly large stroller you might want to check it in at the ticket counter and pick it up at baggage claim.

Usually when I travel with my daughter I try to take the umbrella stroller - that way if we have a long wait at the airport (dlys or any reason) I can keep her in there - other wise she'll try to run around every where.

 

[mush747]

We do this all the time (gate check). We have once had our stroller go to the wrong place but it was driven to our house within four hours.

I did once have the frame bent on my Peg Perego double, but it wasn't folding correctly, and I think it must have unfolded. Now, when I remember, I bungee-cord the strollers that don't lock into a folded position.

Have fun!

 

[Zoesmama03]

Its very true.

They even thought I was gate checking my carseat and he was shocked when I said I was installing it and using it.

They come through before they start preboarding to tag them.

 

[Huntava]

I have never had a problem gate checking our strollers; however, we have always used the cheaper umbrella stroller when travelling, so if they had been damaged, we wouldn't be out much. As some of the other posters have mentioned, if you have a very expensive stroller, make sure and protect it as best you can.

 

[littleprissboutique]

Hi, Just a little FYI. We always take a stroller. We fly Delta. Depending on if you have to board from the tarmak(I hope this is how you spell it) runway, you may have to set it at the gate. If you set it at the gate (when boarding bigger planes) the send it down a slide looking thing to be put under the plane.

We learned the hard way not to take our expensive stroller. When we got to Disney (first trip with DD) our stroller was beat up bad. The plastic was cut all over...? Trust me the airline employees are not careful with your stroller... We even made a strap for it to hold it closed...

So now we just buy the 50 dollar strollers at Sears. They have a basket underneth and lay back. These strollers are light weight and smaller that your big unit strollers. But, we have to buy a new one each time we go. Last year the small strollers wheel got warped...LOL It still worked fine at Disney, but I was worried the whole time the wheel was going to come off... I hope you all dont have stroller troubles like us!!!! LOL

Sometime I wonder if they use our stroller for target practice or something!!!!

 

[pskelly]

Wow, great responses, thank you everyone for even more helpful info. This all goes a long ways in making our first family disneyworld vacation an easier one, thank you all.

 

[shafke]

For the two trips we needed a stroller we brought out full size stroller. It got packed in a stroller bag and checked with the luggage. On the way home this provided a little extra storage for souveniers.

For getting through the airport with all the other baggage (carry ons, diaper bags, car seat) we got one of those little luggage carriers that can fold up to fit in the overhead storage bin.

 

[las3888]

Okay - getting very technical here, but we are newbies at doing this too!

WHERE exactly does your stroller end up when you reach your destination? Do you hang out in the gate area where you just de-planed? If so, does it take a while? Or do you go to baggage claim?

Thanks, Lisa

 

[indylaw99]

On ATA, Delta, and American, my stroller has always been right there waiting for me when I came out the doors of the plane. The thing I like best about traveling with a stroller is that you often get to go through a shorter Security line.