Help Stroller and Car Seat Gate Check?

[soontobewed07]

Does anyone know if you can gate check the car seat and stroller or one or the other? Our son will be traveling on our lap and we will be renting a car when we get there. I would like to save baggage if I can for other things. TIA

 

[disneygirl32]

We flew Northwest and gate-checked 2 strollers last summer... it was fantastic. We were able to use the strollers right up until boarding and then walk up and get a tag for them. They have the stroller waiting for you right when you step off the plane at landing. We checked the car seat and it did NOT COUNT as a piece of luggage- I guess it's because it's a safety item. We bought a special travel bag for it at onestepahead.com and it worked out great. We needed it for the rental car, but did not use it on the plane. Hope this helps!

 

[Minniemouse07]

I would definitely gate check both items. I would NEVER chance checking a car seat w/ regular baggage. Not only is there a very good chance it won't end up at your destination when you do... there is also a very good chance that it will be damaged when being tossed around w/ all the other luggage.

First choice is to always use the car seat on the plane. When you reach the gate ask about the availability of empty seats so you can use the seat for your ds, but be prepared to gate check it. Placing it in a travel bag will help protect it some as well if it needs to be gate check (mostly from dirt and liquids).

In order to gate check, approach the desk at the gate and ask for gate check tags... otherwise you may be filling out little cards while trying to board the plane!

HTH

 

[taitai]

You can easily gate check the stroller. That won't be a problem. The car seat might be a bit more difficult. Probably best to just check that. Right Start and other places sell great bags for car seats...like huge duffles...that protect them well when they are in the hold.

A couple issues you might have with the car seat. I have seen TSA agents not let car seats go through security as the child did not have a ticket and you indicate that your child is going to be a lap child. So, watch out for that. Also, some times if you do get it past TSA and to the gate, the agent will gate check it but it will go to the cargo hold with everything else. So, when you get off the plane, you can get your stroller right there but your car seat will come out with all the other luggage.

Have a great trip.

 

[all4fun]

OK, I would have a problem with a TSA agent telling me I couldn't take a car seat to the gate even if my dc didn't have a ticket. I don't know where or why they would have the authority to tell you to check it with baggage. Airlines allow car seats to be gate checked all the time. For one thing, most airlines will allow you to use a car seat for a non-ticketed baby if there is room on the plane. Unlikely on a flight to Orlando, but you never know.

OP, I honestly think you take a risk either way. If you baggage check, it can be tossed around and have heavy luggage put on top of it. If you gate check it, I've heard of things being tossed down from the jetway to tarmac. I've never seen that happen though, but that doesn't mean it's not true. One other concern mentioned about baggage checking a car seat is that it is more likely to be misrouted or lost. I have heard really terrible stories about the loaner car seats people have been given by the airline to use when this happened. Airlines also do consider car seats to be "fragile" and will not cover the cost of it, if it's broken. OTOH I would not want to risk relying on a car rental agency for a rental seat for several reasons either.

We have checked our ds car seat on one trip, in a car seat bag, with pillows for extra padding, and it came thru both ways just fine. No indication that it had been mishandled in any way. We did not need the car seat at the airport though since we were taking DME to our hotel so I wasn't as concerned about it getting lost. We used DME and then rented a car from the agency at the Dolphin resort (near the Boardwalk, where we were staying). It's still not something I really recommend doing. Up until ds was four, we used the car seat on board the plane because not only was he safer in it, but also it assured us that the car seat would not be damaged or lost enroute.

 

[PrincessPoohsMom]

You'll be fine gate checking both the stroller & car seat. Neither will count against your carry-on restrictions. I would get a bag to put the car seat in, we have one from BRU with both shoulder straps (carry like a back pack) and wheels (pull along behind) that works great. As PP mentioned, always go up to the gate agent when you first get there and ask for the gate check tags, much easier to fill them out before trying to board. Also, collapse your stroller yourself before leaving it (I've seen folks just pluck the child out and leave it open). If the baggage handlers have to do fold it down they will...any way they can.

taitai, what airport were you traveling from where the TSA agents wouldn't allow a car seat through with a lap child? That would be a place to avoid. We only ever took DD as a lap child once...it was a very last minute family emergency trip and we just couldn't afford three tickets (only time I will ever do that though, with my rambunctious child it was like ). Flew between Boston & Dulles with no problems taking the car seat through security. I quite frankly too would have a real problem with a TSA agent telling me I couldn't gate check a car seat. IMHO that's the airline's call to make, not theirs.

 

[soontobewed07]

So great! I will buy one of those bags at BRU and make sure to collapse the stroller before gate check. I will also get those tags when checking in.

Can I check the pack and play? I do realize this will count as one of my bags.

 

[all4fun]

You can check a PnP. If you're staying at a WDW resort, they provide them. You can also rent baby gear from www.abbf.com. I've never used their service but hear nothing but good things about them from other Disers.

hth

 

[peemagg]

Disney also has portable cribs. They were quite nice, except that they rails do not drop. It can be difficult to place a sleeping child into it for it can be deep depending on how tall you are, but nice just the same. I have heard that people just ask for a extra mattress to raise the child up a bit. There is no cost for those and in my opinion the cribs are nicer than pack and plays.

 

[andreschris]

What about booster seats? Can you gate check them as well? Can They fit in the carseat bag with a car seat?

 

[NotUrsula]

If it is a travel system be SURE to separate the carseat/stroller and gate-check them as separate items; the connector is at high risk for damage if it is thrown around attached, and if it snaps and the two pieces separate then you would end up with one un-tagged gate-check item.

 

[all4fun]

What about booster seats? Can you gate check them as well? Can They fit in the carseat bag with a car seat?

If it's a backless booster, you could probably easily fit it in a car seat bag with a car seat, or carry it on and stow it under a seat or in the overhead bin.

If it's a high back booster, you'd just have to see if it would fit in the same bag and it would probably be too big as a carry on, unless it folds then maybe... It would have to meet the size requirements of any other carry on item of course.