gate checking strollers

[MagicPrincess]

has anyone gated checked a stroller?
if so- how do you prtect your stroller from getting banged up in the baggage area???
thanks!

 

[maps]

i just wheeled our strollers right up to the plane and they take it from there. also, when you get off the plane, the stroller will be there waiting for you. i've never protected them but they've always come back fine

 

[MagicPrincess]

thanks!

 

[SueM in MN]

We gate check a wheelchair all the time, which is the same process. Most gate checked things don't get damaged, but damage is possible. Things can move around in the baggage section and some of the baggage handlers are not exactly gentle. People have posted about their gate checked strollers gettting bent and we have had some damage to DD's wheelchair over the years (and wheelchairs are a lot more durable and hard to damage than strollers are). Here are some gate checking hints.

1. Mention when you check in for your flight that you have a stroller to gate check. Depending on the airline, they may give you a gate check tag right then or tell you to get one at the gate.
2. Don't wait until boarding to get your gate check tag. If you are getting one at the gate, ask for it well before they start boarding.
3. Some gate check tags have only one choice. Some have several choices for where to get your stroller back: the gate or baggage claim at your final destination or at a transfer city if you don't have a direct flight. Make sure you know where it's marked to go. If you have a tight connection, you may not have enough time to wait for it at the gate and may want to send it thru to your final destination.
4. Make sure the gate check tag is in a secure and easily visible spot.
5. Fold up the stroller and fasten it so it will stay securely folded. If you don't fold it, the baggage people will (and they may not know what needs to be unlocked before folding).
6. Fasten seatbelts and remove anything that is easily removed (especially things that stick out or might get caught).
7. Although most people don't put their strollers in a bag or anything, one person made a sleeve to go over her stroller. I think she made it out of canvas and she made it open on the top and bottom so she could still roll it and the handles stuck out the top.
8. The last thing to remember is to pick up your stroller. We are usually the last people off the bus and we often see strollers waiting at the gate for people who forgot to pick them out. It takes a few minutes for them to get the gate checked things out and I think some people are just thinking about getting off the plane and totally forget about it.
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[Lexxiefern]

I have checked my stroller 4 times total so far. On my most recent trip in January the back of the umbrella stroller got grease or oil all down the back of it It only cost $20, so no biggie. But yes they can get damaged. I will take the risk of damage for the convenience of having the stroller in the airport.

 

[NotUrsula]

I'm the one who made the stroller sleeve. I have 3 of them now, b/c I have several strollers, so they don't all fit universally. BTW, I recommend removing the hood of the stroller and putting it in your checked bag for the flight; hoods are bulky and easily damaged.

I make the sleeves out of bright ripstop nylon, actually; it's lighter than canvas and smaller to fold down flat, and it also repels water, which helps keep your upholstery dry if it is raining when the stroller is being moved into the hold. (The bright color makes it more visible to handlers who are bringing them up from the hold.) The inside of the hold *is* greasy, and the odds are that some of that grease will end up on your stroller; my stroller sleeves have some interesting grease smears on them. To use a sleeve, you fold the stroller in the gate area, put the sleeve around it, then drag it down the jetway and leave it with the others.

Making one of these is really simple, and depending on the shape of your folded stroller and the width of the fabric you buy, may not require any actual sewing, though a sewn sleeve is likely to be more durable than one that is done w/ fabric cement. Once the measurement is done and the materials are at hand, I can make one in about 30 minutes.

To measure, fold and secure the stroller with everything removed the way it would be for checking, then take a measuring tape and measure around it. In all cases, exclude the wheels and handles from the area being measured, unless it would be impossible to cover the upholstery and still exclude the wheels.

For an umbrella-fold: measure the width around the tube at the widest point (usually the upper set of wheels), then add 10 inches for overlap. Next, measure from the top of the lowest wheel to the bottom of the handles, and add 6 inches, that is the length you need. Make a one-inch overlap on each edge, you can sew this down or glue it w/ fabric cement, whatever you are comfortable with.

For a square-fold: measure from the top of the upholstery (putting the tape UNDER the handle) then down around the axle and back up to where you started. Make sure you do the measure OVER the thickest part of the upholstery, not along the side where it is thinnest. Add 10 inches for overlap. That is your length. Next, measure around the folded stroller at the widest point, which is often where the lap bar sticks out (if you won't be removing it, of course), add 6 inches, that is your width. Again, one-inch hem all around to prevent raveling.

Fasten the sleeve with patches of velcro spaced at about 3-4 inch intervals along the edges inside the 10 inch overlap. You will need to put the sleeve on the folded stroller to mark the placement of the velcro. Buy the widest velcro you can find, that gives you some adjustability. You can use one continuous length of velcro for the fastening edge, but I find this is less forgiving when trying to secure the sleeve, as you have to line it up and keep it straight.

Extra touches: For an umbrella-fold, you may wish to sew on elastic on the narrow sides (stretching as you sew it); it makes a neater finish around the bottom near the wheels, especially. For the square-fold, you might want to add an extra flap of fabric on the side edges that will secure down w/ more velcro. Lastly, you may wish to paint on your last name and some note like "Baby buggy; deliver to gate."

One other tip about these: If you are using a satchel to transport carseats to the gate, you can stash it inside the stroller sleeve for the flight; I just fold mine around the stroller frame and then put on the sleeve over the whole thing. It pads the stroller a little bit that way, too.

 

[HappyMommy2]

NotUrsula, you are awesome!
What a great idea. Thanks for sharing that.

 

[KIS]

Do you need to have a cover for the umbrella stroller to check it in at the gate? What would happen if you left it closed and exposed?

KIS

 

[Lexxiefern]

NotUrsula, do you have a picture of one you made? Thanks!

 

[NotUrsula]

Covers are entirely optional; they just help protect against getting wet if it rains, and against staining by grease and dirt in the hold of the aircraft.

I don't have a photo I can attach at present, but I'll see if I can put one up; watch this space.

 

[Boo Mc]

Don't forget to pick up your stroller on each leg of your flight. We didn't do this the first time thinking that they'd move it to our connecting flight just like they do with our luggage. They didn't. Of course, if you're flying non-stop you don't have to worry about this.