R U traveling w/infant on a plane that will be lap-sitting? Please read!

[shawnaluvs2teach]

I am traveling to DW this weekend and was warned on this forum to inform the airline ahead of time that we'll have a lap-seating infant with us. But what I didn't know was that her car seat and stroller are considered a piece of luggage, and since she doesn't hold a ticket we have to eliminate 2 pieces of luggage from our already expanding pile of luggage we're bringing. UGH!!
This is on Delta Air.

 

[allysmom1218]

We went to WDW in April with our DD who sat in my DH lap. They told me when I purchased our tickets, that her stroller would not be considered a peice of our luggage. We were allowed 2 peices of luggage per person plus I had 2 carry ones (one was a diaper bag and another was a backpack, my DH also had 2 carryones, a diaperbag and an addidas bag) We didn't have any problems. We flew out of Tulsa to Mco and back from MCO to Tulsa. You might want to call and speak to another representative of Delta. We are flying Delta again in Sept. for another flight to WDW. This time we had to buy our DD her own tickets which Delta doesn't reduce the charge for children. Our DD will be 29 months when we fly again.

 

[*Wish*Upon*A*Star*]

I hope this isn't true for AirTran. We're flying out on Friday and we have three suitcases (we're allowed four) as well as DS's carseat and stroller...

 

[mommy*RN]

Double, Triple and Quadruple check that information. I had the same concern for our trip in October when traveling with DD in a lap. I was going to book her the 1/2 price ticket so we could bring her carseat onboard for the flight. When I spoke to the reservationist, she informed me that I could gate check my car seat. I explained to her that we were already gate checking a stroller and she said I could do both. We fly Midwest, so I don't know much about other airlines, but these are some suggestions you can try...
But first...
A previous post about car seats got me seriously thinking...did you know that if you even get in a fender-bender with your DC in a car seat you should replace the car seat immediately because there could be damage you can't even see??? If you check a car seat as luggage can you imagine how much banging around it will do while being loaded onto the plane, pushed around with other luggage in the plane, and then unloading???

I would stress to the airline it is not safe to place a carseat below with other luggage and you insist that they gate check it for you. They may give you a song and dance about reserving a seat, but they should be able to do it. Per the customer service with our airline, any gate-checked items do NOT count towards our luggage totals...

If you get a customer service person at the airline to say "Yes you can gate check your suitcase" ASK FOR THIER NAME OR EMPLOYEE #! Write these down as well as the date and time of your phone call. I always say something like:

Me: I'm sorry, what was your name again?
CS: Susie
Me: Well, thank you for all your help Susie...I really appreciate your friendly customer service.

This way you have something to back you up if they give you problems at the gate. You can always say: "Well, I called your customer service line on Tuesday at 10:00 A.M. and spoke with Susie who advised me I can gate-check my childs carseat since we opted not to purchase a seat for him/her."

Good Luck!

 

[alloyd1170]

Unless the policies have changed, car seats and strollers are not considered luggage and wont count against your allowance.

alison

 

[Ariel8676]

Just gate check them!!! Makes life a lot easier too..that way ou are not carrying her throughout the airport! Good Luck!

 

[Nicolepa]

If you check it at the ticket counter it counts as one of your pieces. If you gate check it doesn't count.

 

[freckles and boo]

Please consider buying your child a plane ticket and using the same child safety seat you use in your car on the plane. I do not wish at all to judge or be confrontational, but saving money at the expense of a child's safety may not be worth it in the long run. As I am new here, I don't think I can post links, but visit planesafe dot org for more information.

 

[disneymominny]

We are flying Jetblue from JFK with a double stroller and 2 car seats on 5-31, would really love to know if they count towards luggage or can I gate check them?

Anyone out there know how many bags per person are you allowed to have using Jetblue? I booked online and didnt see it stated anywhere.

Do you all think I should phone them to find out for sure?

Thanks bunches

 

[tjmw2727]

I am traveling to DW this weekend and was warned on this forum to inform the airline ahead of time that we'll have a lap-seating infant with us. But what I didn't know was that her car seat and stroller are considered a piece of luggage, and since she doesn't hold a ticket we have to eliminate 2 pieces of luggage from our already expanding pile of luggage we're bringing. UGH!!
This is on Delta Air.

From Delta Airlines website:
http://www.delta.com/traveling_checkin/baggage/special_baggage/infant_and_children/index.jsp

Strollers & Child Restraint Seats

"You may check child restraint seats and fully-collapsible strollers. They won't count toward your allowance of two checked baggage items.

If you want to use a child restraint seat or stroller to transport your child through the airport, that's fine. Strollers need to be checked at the gate by a Delta agent. Child restraint seats may be checked, or in certain cases, they may be brought on board. "

 

[tjmw2727]

We are flying Jetblue from JFK with a double stroller and 2 car seats on 5-31, would really love to know if they count towards luggage or can I gate check them?

Anyone out there know how many bags per person are you allowed to have using Jetblue? I booked online and didnt see it stated anywhere.

Do you all think I should phone them to find out for sure?

Thanks bunches

Here is the baggage information from the JetBlue website:
Link:
http://www.jetblue.com/travelinfo/howToDetail.asp?topicId=4

Free Checked Baggage Allowance on Domestic Flights: As a fare-paying customer, JetBlue allows you to check up to two (2) pieces of baggage. The maximum weight is 70 pounds each. The maximum size is 62 inches (length plus width plus height) each. Excess baggage charges apply to additional pieces, overweight pieces and oversized pieces of baggage. The following fees apply to baggage not meeting the above requirements:

Overweight up to 100 pounds - $50 USD.
Oversize up to 80 inches - $50 USD.
When both oversize and overweight - $100 USD.
In no event will baggage be accepted that is over 100 pounds or exceeds 80 inches in overall dimensions. Regulations require name identification on the outside of each checked bag. We also recommend placing name identification on the inside of your luggage.

TJ

 

[luvmesometigger]

We are traveling with DD. I bought a seat for her even tho she is only 9 months. I will have a car seat for her and a full size stroller and I was told that her stroller is considered one of her two pieces of checked baggage. Obviously she will be in her car seat on the plane.

 

[disneymominny]

Thanks for the info, I did call them this afternoon just to make sure. I can gate check the car seats and stroller!!

 

[codyvt]

I don't know what airline you are flying but if you check the carseat/stroller (or both) at the gate when you board the plane, they do NOT count as checked luggage. Just a way we've managed to avoid this in the past. HTH!!

 

[savs]

We have flown lots of times over the years (15 or more flights) with a stroller and a car seat and have never had problems gate checking both of them and none of those times were they counted towards our checked luggage or our carry-on luggage. We have flown American, Air Tran, United and Delta and never had a problem....pack away you'll be fine

 

[all4fun]

To add to the pp ...

If your flight is not full you might have a chance at still getting a seat for your dd at the time of boarding, free of charge. This is another good reason to plan on gate-checking the car seat. If there's a free seat, you'll be able to bring it aboard and use it instead of gate checking it. Check with the gate agent before boarding starts. (You can also usually check on line to see if there's any availability on the flight beforehand as well).

Just thought I'd mention it!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I am traveling to DW this weekend and was warned on this forum to inform the airline ahead of time that we'll have a lap-seating infant with us. But what I didn't know was that her car seat and stroller are considered a piece of luggage, and since she doesn't hold a ticket we have to eliminate 2 pieces of luggage from our already expanding pile of luggage we're bringing. UGH!!
This is on Delta Air.

I have flown southwest, northwest, delta, and british airways and for certain the car seat is NOT counted towards luggage. And the stroller we gate check, so that does not count either.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I would stress to the airline it is not safe to place a carseat below with other luggage and you insist that they gate check it for you. They may give you a song and dance about reserving a seat, but they should be able to do it. Per the customer service with our airline, any gate-checked items do NOT count towards our luggage totals...

Gate checked items still in the underbelly of the plane. They don't take the ride on the conveyor belts like your regular luggage, but they do end up in the same place and are susceptible to the same bumping.

 

[GabbyMom]

I just read this thread and called Southwest to check. Southwest has a new rule stating strollers and car seats do count against your allotment of luggage. But, you are allowed 3 bags a ticket. Hopefully my group of 8 won't take up all 24 bags.