Stroller & Flying?

[mommykds]

I will be bringing 2 umbrella strollers with me on the plane...do you check these? If so how will ME find them if they only look for bags? If not, do you bring them on the plane yourself?? Sorry, I have never flown with strollers before.

 

[ReneeA]

We just got back a month ago. You don't check the strollers...we also had 2 umbrella strollers (for our 2 & 3 year olds)...you will definitely need them in the airports - it's alot of walking. When you get to your gate the attendent will either ask you to hold onto them until you board or they will tag them and take them away at the gate.

Unfortunately, it seems that the strollers are the last items off the plane as we waited until everyone was off the planes before an attendent gave them to us every time. It's not that bad, however...it was nice to have the convience while wandering the airports.

ReneeA

 

[WeemanMom]

It's called a gate check. You can bring the stroller right to the plane. When you go to board the plane there is a location towards the front where they will place your stroller so it is available to you between flights (if you have a connection) and once you get to your destination. It is not stored under the plane with the rest of your luggage. Because it will not be with the rest of your luggage and will not be tagged the same way, DME will not collect it. Which really is okay because you will be needing it.

This information is from past experience and information provided directly from my carrier. I will be flying again for our trip next week. When I get back, I can let you know if there were any changes.

When are you going? What airline are you flying? I would also recommend checking out the airline's website. They will give you detailed information about your luggage limits and they do differ for children.

 

[CleveRocks]

I will be bringing 2 umbrella strollers with me on the plane...do you check these? If so how will ME find them if they only look for bags? If not, do you bring them on the plane yourself?? Sorry, I have never flown with strollers before.

As the previous poster said, yopu're going to want to "gate check" those strollers. That means you don't check them with your suitcases. Use the strollers to help you get to the gate (the area where you board the plane). Once you get therre, tell the gate agent you want to gate check the strollers. He/she will give you some paperwork to fill out, and each stroller will be tagged with a special "gate check" tag.

You use the strollers all the way down the jetway until you're about to leave the jetway and enter the plane. Just before that point, pull off to the side (to let others past!), fold the strollers, and leave them there. A ramper (airport luggage handler) will get them (through an exterior door in the jetway) and load them into the cargo hold.

When your flight arrives at its destination, get off the plane as usual, but as soon as you step onto the jetway, pull over to the side and wait for your strollers to be brought up to you by a ramper coming through the jetway's exterior door. I've had the opposite experiences from the previous poster -- I've found gate checked items to come up rather quickly.

Don't worry, flying into and out of MCO you won't be the only one gate checking a stroller or two.

By the way, in case you decide you don't need them in the airport and you are going to check them with your luggage, wherever did you get the notion that DME only looks for bags? They look for DME tags. I'll bet there are people who check boxes as luggage and have DME tags on them.

Have a great trip!

-- Eric

 

[tinkermell]

I have a question about the condition of the stroller after the flight. I've heard that they can get pretty trashed on the flight. Is that only the ones that are checked through with luggage ahead of time??? Or have you had that experience with gate loading also?? Thanks! I wanted to buy my grandson a nice lightweight umbrella stroller for our trip, but was a little worried about it getting ruined before we even got to use it!
PS On other flights that we've been on, most airlines let parents with small children and strollers on first. A little bennie!(How do you spell that? Short for benefit?) Sorry! Anyways have fun!!!
PPSS I know that the icon I used after trashed is for bad picture, but I thought is looked funny for bad stroller! Hee! Hee!

 

[mco-missy]

I have gate checked my DD stroller many times. On our last flight it did get a little bit banged up- nothing too bad however. As far as pre-bording, most flights into and out of Orlando are full of children so they do not offer pre-boarding. I have found that sometimes, if you ask, they will let you board with an earlier group- but I have also had times when they would not allow this. It all depends on your airline.

 

[Kaed]

We gate checked our daughters stroller and didn't have a problem. We did have to wait, but I got some great pictures all alone at the plane while we did. It makes it much easier to carry things. I actually brought the bigger stroller too, not the umbrella.

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

Strollers can and do get banged up, but buy and bring whatever stroller you'll be comfortable with. Most strollers are packaged in a heavy-duty, clear plastic bag inside the box. Save the bag and use it for your flight. The bag can protect it from some grease, dirt, and rain. It doesn't save the stroller if the baggage handlers decide to heave it off the jetway to the ground, but that's an entirely different problem.

 

[SueM in MN]

IWhen you go to board the plane there is a location towards the front where they will place your stroller so it is available to you between flights (if you have a connection) and once you get to your destination. It is not stored under the plane with the rest of your luggage.

Strollers and wheeelchairs are stored in the regular baggage compartment; they are just some of the last things put in, so they are on the top and they are unloaded before the other baggage.

Ask about gate checking when you first check in for your flight. They may give you a gate check tag then, or they may tell you to check with the gate agent. If it's the gate agent, you want to get a gate check tag well before boarding begins (so the gate agent is not rushed filling it out - if he/she fills the airport code out incorrectly, your stroller may not be going on vacation with you). At boarding, you can wheel the stroller right up to the door of the airplane. Before you leave it, remove anything that might fall off or get caught and pulled off (like removeable canopies, cupholders), fold it and make sure it is secured so it won't unfold. Doing these things will help prevent damage. Some people actually use stroller bags to protect their strollers, since gate checking is not a guarantee against damage.

 

[Poohbush]

I have gate checked my DD stroller many times. On our last flight it did get a little bit banged up- nothing too bad however. As far as pre-bording, most flights into and out of Orlando are full of children so they do not offer pre-boarding. I have found that sometimes, if you ask, they will let you board with an earlier group- but I have also had times when they would not allow this. It all depends on your airline.

Lisa,

What airline have you flown where they don't let families with small children board early? We really depend on this. Thanks!

 

[SueM in MN]

Lisa,

What airline have you flown where they don't let families with small children board early? We really depend on this. Thanks!

Most airline suspend pre-boarding of people with small children if doing it would mean that the majority of the passengers would be pre-boarding. It's a flight by flight by flight thing depending on how many families with small children are flying. Sometimes they will limmit preboarding to families with infants under a year, or families with car seats to install. If more than 50% of the passengers have small children, it makes no sense to preboard just because there are children.

 

[Poohbush]

Thanks SueM, I guess that makes sense. Never really thought of it that way before. Hopefully the flight home won't be too child packed!

 

[tinkermell]

Thanks for your info everyone. I think I will get some kind of cover for the stroller. Some even come with them. Thanks again!!!

 

[A M&Asmom]

We did the gate check last time we went to WDW. We had a stop in St. Louis (from Omaha) and then onto Orlando. We never got off the plane in St. Louis, but the stroller did...so when we got to Orlando...it was still in St. Louis. After 3 days and renting a stroller at the parks since we didn't have ours...it finally showed up (after plenty of phone calls)....and it was destroyed. So broken that it couldn't be used at all. & the airline wouldn't reimburse us either. They said they don't cover stollers or car seats. Now that was about 5 years ago...I don't know if they cover them now. Good luck and I hope it makes it there with you (and in one piece!).

 

[pdarrah]

Next month will be our first stroller free trip with our DS. We have traveled by plane to WDW 13 times since he was born (yes, we are crazy!) We have gate-checked a stroller every time. They have always arrived with us. They usually come off the plane fairly quickly and we still make it to baggage claim before the rest of the luggage starts coming out. We have had some small dings from the handling, but nothing major. However, we suspect that it does reduce the life of the stroller since we managed to wear out our first light-weight stroller in about 2.5 years and had to get a second one! For the last couple of years, we have checked our car seat rather than carrying it on - and there is A LOT MORE damage to the checked items. We have had 2 car seats broken so far - since all we need now is a booster seat, we have a "cheap" one (about $15) that we travel with so it isn't a big loss WHEN they break it again. Fortunately, both broken seats were somewhat usable and we were able to stop by a Walmart when we left the airport to buy a new one. Just a pain in the neck when you want to get to WDW and check into your resort! And NO, the airlines do not cover damage to carseats - you just have to risk it or arrange to rent/buy one at your destination.

pdarrah

 

[tinkermell]

We did the gate check last time we went to WDW. We had a stop in St. Louis (from Omaha) and then onto Orlando. We never got off the plane in St. Louis, but the stroller did...so when we got to Orlando...it was still in St. Louis. After 3 days and renting a stroller at the parks since we didn't have ours...it finally showed up (after plenty of phone calls)....and it was destroyed. So broken that it couldn't be used at all. & the airline wouldn't reimburse us either. They said they don't cover stollers or car seats. Now that was about 5 years ago...I don't know if they cover them now. Good luck and I hope it makes it there with you (and in one piece!).

OUCH!!! I hope things are a little different now. Somehow I doubt it.