Will bringing stroller through TSA with no kids be an issue?

[jo-jo]

We are traveling with our kids and grandkids, but they won't have room in their car for the double stroller. I know DH will want to get through security right away and not worry about long lines. Will we be able to get through ok ?

 

[NotUrsula]

There isn't a rule against traveling with a stroller, so I don't think that TSA will prevent it. They might question it being there with no kids in sight, but it's a pretty simple matter to tell them that your children are still getting through baggage check, and you're helping out. (Note that the airline itself will probably insist there be a child in evidence when the stroller is gate-checked. Strollers are only a free item eligible for gate-check when there is a young child traveling. If there is no child traveling in the party, strollers have to go onto the plane as checked baggage, and some airlines will charge a fee for them in those circumstances.) If you do opt to carry the stroller for them, remember that it must be fully folded to go through security; as it must pass through the scanner if it will fit, and if it is too large to do so, it will be a slow process to get it hand-wanded. Make sure you know how to fold and secure it, and that someone who is strong enough is responsible for lifting it on and off the belt.

Depending on which airport you are going through, your children might object more than TSA will. Strollers are tremendously useful for keeping young children under control and where they are supposed to be when moving through an airport. Based on my experience, a place like DEN for instance, or ATL, would be a bear without one if the kids are preschool-aged. Looking back on my time travelling with young children, if I had had able-bodied grandparents traveling with us, I think I would have been more grateful to have them take responsibility for moving the children themselves -- or at least one of them. Little kids somehow just seem to instinctively be on better behavior for grandparents when in new and exciting places, and that leaves the parents free to just deal with all the stuff without having to worry so much about what the children might get up to.

 

[jo-jo]

Thank you for all the tips. We are traveling on the same plane, so gate check won't be an issue. I just put the stroller together, so the handling part is figured out. As far as getting to the gate, at Phila most of the walking is past security to the gate. I don't mind waiting on the other side. But I know if we waited for them before going through, DH would be counting the mins and the people adding to the line. He is a terrible traveler.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Not an issue at all; why would TSA even care?

 

[bumbershoot]

But I know if we waited for them before going through, DH would be counting the mins and the people adding to the line. He is a terrible traveler.

You could also send him through on his own and wait for the rest of the group on your own.

 

[rwdavis2]

The wait in line will be no longer even with a stroller.

 

[NotUrsula]

I think I'd just send him through with his carryon and yours (if you don't have too many 3-1-1 baggies), and tell him to go get a cup of coffee airside, and the rest of you will meet him at the gate. Probably less stress for you.

I do get it that that might be an issue for him if he isn't a good traveler. My DH *is* a very practiced and savvy traveler, but he still has what might be termed a "thing" about being separated inside the airport when traveling as a family.
It took me at least 20 years (and the advent of text messaging) to get him to see the wisdom of one of us dealing with the rental car while the other gets the checked baggage. Even splitting up for bathroom breaks bothers him unless the restrooms are within sight of the gate.