Seeking Seemingly Silly Solution for Northerners headed South...

[Muhlenberg]

How do you handle your winter coats when flying? We leave on Saturday. It will be in the 20's here. It will be in the 70's in FL when we arrive. I don't want to just ditch the coats in the car before going into the airport, as we don't know how cold it will be when we get back. We did that one year, and just layered with lighter-weight outerwear, and it was freezing cold...like in the teens plus wind...when we got back. So do you just lug your coats through the airport, plane, etc? Or do you have an extra suitcase that you load and check in the airport?

 

[delilah]

I have to confess that I leave the really heavy winter coat in the car. Our airport has a remote lot, and a shuttle that picks you up at the car and leaves you off inside the parking garage at the airport. I admit that if we, by chance, had a blizzard while we were gone, and it was in the 50's when we left, we might have a problem. This actually happened in 2004. While we were in Florida at Christmas, it snowed 2 ft at home, and it didn't melt. But, I bring a light, packable down jacket to layer in case it gets cold in Florida.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

So do you just lug your coats through the airport, plane, etc?

We do.

 

[Disneylover99]

We will have light jackets with us on the plane but our big heavy jackets, hats, mitts, boots, etc... Will be waiting for us in the car, probably cold and frozen.

Thank goodness for heated seats!

 

[JessM]

When I fly for work I normally needy winter coat at my destination so I bring it on board with me. I just carry it in the airport and store it in the overhead bin on the plane.

 

[jennyjinx3]

We do the hooded sweater with a winter vest, leave the vest in the car and wear the hoodies.

 

[goofy4tink]

I fly from Boston to MCO in a turtleneck, sweatshirt, and flannel lined jacket. The jacket goes around my waist when I get to the gate. I have a teeshirt in my carry on bag to change into when I land in Florida.
I usually fly solo in early Dec, with my dh coming to the airport to get me when I return. I find myself standing outside for up to 20 mins, waiting for him to get to me. There are times I do get a bit chilly if it's below 30 in Boston. But I just can't be bothered lugging a heavy winter coat with me. If we are both flying, then winter coats stay in the car.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

On our January 2012 trip, it was as cold in Orlando as it was at our home in Canada for two of our vacation days. We were super glad we had our winter coats with us at the hotel......'cause we needed them on two days at Universal!! And that's saying something, because we are Canadians and well accustomed to frosty weather.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

We just leave them in the car - no way am I lugging coats on my trips.

I travel a lot for business and pleasure and never bring the winter gear to a warm destination.

 

[DebbieB]

I would watch the forecast. I've been there in early December and some trips I needed a coat for night. Generally if it's under 70 during the day, it gets cold after dark.

 

[rwdavis2]

Dress in layers. The final coat usually being maybe a lined windbreaker. When we get back, one person picks up the car and goes back to get everyone else.

 

[lylone]

We usually wear hoodies and long pants to the airport and then once we get to MCO we go and change in the bathrooms into shorts and tshirts. Even though we are in Atlanta, we have gone from 75 in Ft. Lauderdale and fly over a cold front and get to Atlanta and it was in the 30s. This happened this past April after a cruise. The quick-o change-o works good both ways.

 

[deedeetoo]

We leave the heavy coats in the car. In the winter we do bring a light jacket with us down to Florida so we will wear that to get to the terminal and back and just tough it out.

 

[ironz]

Just one (atypical) cautionary tale here:
I was flying from SE Alaska to my home, connecting in Seattle right before Christmas a few years ago--the year that a winter storm came through and ended up shutting down the Seattle and Portland airports. A family with small children boarded the plane in Alaska, with the mom in t-shirt and shorts, and the kids had on dresses with tights. One of the mom's friends saw her on the plane and asked, "where is your coat?" The lady said, 'Oh, we're going to Hawaii, we only need our coats up to when we get to the airport in Alaska, so why lug them around?"

Well...we were the last flight to leave that airport for several days. We took off with the intent to land in Seattle, and got diverted to Spokane, where there was 2 feet of snow on the ground. The routes to Hawaii for that family all go out of Seattle and Portland. The lines of people trying to rebook on all airlines, but especially Alaska Air, were very long...you see, they can't just make up new routes and all of a sudden decide they're going to add a Spokane--> XXX route. I heard many people talking about 3 days wait to get out of there. And they couldn't even drive back over to Seattle, as the main highway that goes over the mountains was closed.

What that family did with no winter clothing and no way to get to Hawaii for a few days, I'm not sure. I was fortunate in that I could buy a ticket on a different airline and continue my journey south out of the snow....

So...while this is an exception, it lends a bit of support to people who suggest you at least bring a jacket, if not your heavy winter coat. Sometimes your plane doesn't land in the town you were heading for.

 

[pooch]

and picked up so we leave the coats with our "chauffeur".

 

[Surfinpiratee]

We will have light jackets with us on the plane but our big heavy jackets, hats, mitts, boots, etc... Will be waiting for us in the car, probably cold and frozen.

Thank goodness for heated seats!

Pretty much... The one time we flew when it was really cold here and we were going to California, we didn't bring winter coats probably for that reason, we don't want to lug them around..

Id just wear my north face fleece, hat and scarff

 

[Sandi]

On our January 2012 trip, it was as cold in Orlando as it was at our home in Canada for two of our vacation days. We were super glad we had our winter coats with us at the hotel......'cause we needed them on two days at Universal!! And that's saying something, because we are Canadians and well accustomed to frosty weather.

Us, too. We're from Michigan (where the wind chill is currently 20F) and I usually bring what I'll call an autumnal weight coat and have been really glad to have that and sweatshirts at times in Florida. One year my sister's family joined us at WDW in February and she, a Minnesotan, had to buy winter coats for her kids because it was so cold! I like having my squishable autumn coat and often like to wear it on the plane where it can also be quite chilly.

 

[Gigi22]

DH and I purchased transitional weather coats with zip out fleece linings and hoods that we use when we fly. I get chilly easily, so I often wear the fleece lining on a plane.

 

[Muhlenberg]

Thanks for all the info, folks!

So far today...here...we've had sleet and snow...and it changed to rain. Totally unpredictable. I'll have to keep watching the weather and think about all my options.

 

[JanaDee]

How do you handle your winter coats when flying? We leave on Saturday. It will be in the 20's here. It will be in the 70's in FL when we arrive. I don't want to just ditch the coats in the car before going into the airport, as we don't know how cold it will be when we get back. We did that one year, and just layered with lighter-weight outerwear, and it was freezing cold...like in the teens plus wind...when we got back. So do you just lug your coats through the airport, plane, etc? Or do you have an extra suitcase that you load and check in the airport?

We leave them in the car.