Size of Strollers Allowed to be Gate-Checked on Plane

[Mark P.]

Hi,
We've got a smaller-sized stroller and would like to know if anyone knows if we would be permitted to stow it in the closet in the front of the plane. Or should we play it safe and get an umbrella stroller?

Thanks!

 

[peg2001]

You can gate check the small stroller but it won't go in the closet in the cabin. They will tag it and place it into the luggage hold last (after the checked luggage). Then, they will unload it first and it will be waiting for you when you deplane.

Peg

 

[C.Ann]

We brought a double stroller last Sept. on Southwest.. We checked it with the luggage and as soon as we stepped off the plane it was right there waiting for us!

Didn't have two children but worked out great because my granddaughter sat in the front and we piled all our junk in the back! Also, it was purchased in a garage sale for $20 a few weeks before the trip so we weren't really concerned with it turning up missing in the parks..

 

[sgtdisney]

Mark, what you will need to do is gate check your stroller. You take your stroller with you to the gate and as you are about to board the plane they will give you a tag to put on your stroller as well as a receipt. You will either leave your stroller at the door to the jetway, or leave it on the jetway right before you board the plane. The stoller will then be loaded onto the plane and placed in a cargo compartment. When you land they will bring the stoller back to the jetway for you to use right as you deplane the aircraft. It is very rare for the airlines to let you put the stroller in the closet at the front of the plane. This is usually used for garment bags and, especially if the airline you are using has first class, they will want that closet open for this kind of bag. Some people have taken the umbrella kind of stroller on the plane and put it in an overhead bin, but that seems like too much work to me, when you can gate check it and it will be right at the door to the plane as you get off....

 

[SueM in MN]

We've gate checked our DD's wheelchair many times, so I know a lot about gate checking. The posters who said you are not likely to get your stroller put into the closet are right. Some of the closets are too small and the first class passengers expect to be able to put their coats and hanging bags in there, so a stroller going in there would be very unusual. We have gotten DD's wheelchair in the closet a few times (they are required by law to store wheelchairs in the closet if asked), but we've had to do a lot of "discussing" with the flight attendant to get it in there.

It's best to ask about a gate check tag for your stroller when you first check in for your flight. They may give you one right away or tell you to get one at the gate. Don't wait until you are loading; ask for one as soon as you see a gate agent. The tag needs to be marked correctly or your stroller won't be routed to the right place. If you wait until boarding, there is more chance of error.
You can wheel the stroller right to the gate; you are responsible to fold it and secure it so it won't unfold and then the baggage agents will load it with the baggage (the very last things to go in). Make sure anything that might open, like a canopy, is secured. If it unfolds, it might bend. Some people use bags of sleeves with holes on the bottom and top to help protect the stroller.
The last part is remember to pick up your stroller when you leave. We are often the very last people off the plane and we almost always see 1 or 2 strollers, left there by people who forgot they gate checked them.

 

[Mark P.]

Thanks everyone for the great tips and advice...I guess that we're more concerned with the stroller getting damaged if stowed with all the other luggage, but if it's the last to go on, that should help.

Thanks again

 

[ducklite]

The closet is for first class passengers, and they generally will not stow the belongings of coach passengers in it, even if it goes empty.

If you have an umbrella stroller you will probably be allowed to stow it in the overhead, unless the flight is really full. It will count as a carryon though.

Anne