?'s of using a stroller in airport

[heath dog]

We are wondering if people having any feedback on using a strollers in an airport and to the airplane.

Ease?

Do you just push it to the plane doors and then they sto it away and then it is waiting for you when you get off?

Does this count as a checked item or a carryon? Or neither?


Thanks!!

 

[BCVNovember]

Easy (and necessary), yes! Here is how it has worked every time I have done a gate check with my stroller. Just before you head down the walkway the person staffing the door will but a hang tag on the handle. The hang tag has a number with a cooresponding segment with the same # that will be torn off and handed to you. You wheel the stroller just to outside the door of the plane. Take your child out and get on! If you're really feeling nice and don't have your hands full otherwise, and don't have a lot of people waiting behind you, you can fold up the stroller yourself.

When you arrive at your destination, you will step off the plane and your stroller will be waiting for you just outside the door of the plane. You put your child in and roll him up the gangway.

I've gatechecked both single and double strollers without incident on both domestic and international flights.

Strollers do not count at all as checked or carryon baggage.

 

[NotUrsula]

Folding the stroller yourself is not about being nice; it is about preventing damage to it. Different models of strollers fold up in different ways, and the ramp personnel do not have time to futz around trying to figure out how it works. They will just cram it down if it isn't obvious, and if it breaks in the process, well, it breaks. (Read the fine print on that gate-check ticket, and you will note that there is a statement that says that the airline is not responsible for damages.)

To minimize the chances of anything getting damaged, remove all toys, etc., anything in the basket, and the hood. If you don't need the item on the flight (such as the hood) put it in your checked baggage before you leave for the airport. If possible, I recommend folding the stroller before you head onto the jetway; carry it down or drag it on two wheels. It is best to secure it shut with a bungy or luggage strap, or as I do, wrap something around it to protect the upholstery from grease. (I made a cover, a piece of ripstop nylon with velcro on it that wraps around the stroller; it doesn't cover the handles or the wheels.)

PS: Different airlines have different rules about whether or not a gate-checked stroller counts against your baggage allowance, and whether it counts as a checked bag or a carryon. Go to the website and check.

 

[SueM in MN]

Do you just push it to the plane doors and then they sto it away and then it is waiting for you when you get off?

NotUrsula had a lot of good advice about folding and protecting your stroller. You DON'T want to just leave it there because the baggage handlers may have absolutely no idea of how to fold it. If you are lucky, they will have the flight attendant call you to the front and have you fold it (we have heard this happen). If you are unlucky, they will fold it themselves and may break something.

Also, don't wait until you get to the gate and are beginning to board to request a gate check tag. Ask about it when you first check in for your flight; they may give you a gate check tag right then or tell you to get one at the gate. If you get one at the gate, do it well before boarding begins. The gate agent will need to mark some information on it; depending on your flight and the particular airline, you may have some choices to make - like will you claim your stoller at your final destination or at a connecting city; will it be brought to the gate or to baggage claim. Some airlines bring all gatechecked items to the gate at your next stop; others have these other options as check boxes on the gate check tag. If the gate agent is filling out the form as you are boarding, there is a greater chance of making mistakes. The airport codes they use for your destination are often just one letter away - ORL (Orlando International Airport) might be your destination, but if the gate agent is hurrying and writes in ORD, your stroller will be vacationing at Chicago's Ohare Airport.

Last point: Remember to pick up your stoller after you get off the flight. It takes a few minutes after the plane lands for them to bring items up to the gate, so don't be in a big rush to get off. We travel with a child who uses a wheelchair and we are often the last people off. On almost every flight, we see a stroller sitting at the gate waiting for someone who forgot to pick it up. The DH of a friend is a flight attendant and he also sees this frequently.