Will the airlines break my stroller?

[CandCMommy]

Everytime we've flown with a stroller that's been gate checked it has come back with broken pieces. We are going to WDW in August and have a Maclaren Techno Twin and DH and I are trying to decide whether to take it or not.

If we do take it, do we check it with the luggage? If we do this, does it have less chance to get broken? If we check it with the luggage, we won't have it our first day because we are taking ME. Not sure how long it will take to get our luggage to the hotel. (We are taking a red eye so we will be arriving at MCO at 8:30 am.)

If we gate check it, it seems they just drop the strollers from the jetway down to the ground, thus breaking them and I don't dare take that chance with a 400.00 stroller.

The prices to rent a double stroller are astronomical so that's not really an option but I guess if it means my Mac Twin doesn't get broken then I guess it would be worth it.

Anyway, what have you done lately and did you have problems with your stroller getting damaged? Has anyone shipped their stroller to WDW?

 

[kloei423]

i was worried abou the same as you. I have been yardsaling like crazy and last week came across the same Sit and Stand stroller I have now for my DS2 and DD3.5. Since I got it for 30.00 I plan to take it and if it does not survive no biggie, if it does I plan to pass it along to someone else down there so they don't have to rent

 

[NotUrsula]

Protect it. Take off any extra items (including the hood) before you check it. (Put the hood in your checked baggage.) If you can pad it in any way, do so. I use a ripstop sleeve on mine that lets the wheels and handles stick out so that I can pull it down the jetway, and what I do is wrap my carseat satchel around the body of the stroller before I put the sleeve on -- it protects the stroller from bumps and dings, while the sleeve protects from rain. If you can't use a cover, at least bungee it shut before you leave it on the jetway, and REMEMBER to set the brakes so that it won't roll all over the hold.

The airline should not be dropping strollers (or anything else FTM) from the hold to the ground; that's about 20 feet. ANY item in either hold should be sent down a belt to the baggage wagons or to the jetway stairs. If you see someone just dropping items overboard, take a photo if possible, then send the photo to Customer Service, along with the date, time, and location (including gate number and flight number).

 

[mamaLori05]

We took our graco quatrotour duo two weeks ago and checked it at the gate. We put it in a stroller bag to protect it and we were glad we did. Both on the way there and the way back our bag ended up all scuffed up and torn. We were glad it was just the bag and not our stroller!!!

 

[disneyandme]

I would stand there and take pictures of it before you fold it-- in front of the attendant you are about to give it to-- and again when it's folded. That way the attandant knows that you have confirmation of it's condition and may take a little more care of it.

 

[mamaLori05]

The airline should not be dropping strollers (or anything else FTM) from the hold to the ground; that's about 20 feet. ANY item in either hold should be sent down a belt to the baggage wagons or to the jetway stairs. If you see someone just dropping items overboard, take a photo if possible, then send the photo to Customer Service, along with the date, time, and location (including gate number and flight number).[/QUOTE]


On our last flight we saw several car seats fall from the belt to the ground several times. That was not a short fall either. I know it wasn't done on purpose, but they did fall because they were just throwing the luggage on the belt and sometimes it was thrown too hard and knocked off the car seats. I was very glad we didn't bring our car seat along. I wouldn't have been surprised if there were a few cracks on those car seats. Anyway, what I am trying to say with all of this is to buy those protective bags for the strollers and car seats. Most of them are padded and will help protect your stuff. You just never know what will happen!!

 

[Avonlady1001]

I've brought my stroller several times. The first time was my $400 Peg Perego...I was worried, but it survived w/out a scratch. The bag it was in was torn, but the stroller made it. I now have a less expensive stroller (b/c my Perego BROKE on it's own!!) I definitely recommend getting a protective bag. I gate check because then it's not going through all those conveyor belts to get to the plane...less chance of damage. And I like having it as soon as we get off the plane.

This is the first time I'm gate checking my carseat...my $300 carseat! I got a nice padded bag so I hope it'll do just fine!

 

[CandCMommy]

Thanks for all the suggestions. We are definitely going to buy a Mac stroller bag. Hopefully it will be heavily padded and will protect our stroller from those crazy baggage handlers.

 

[lillykat]

what do the airlines do for you if they do break your stroller? What do you do if you get down there and it is not usable. I'm traveling with my 15 month old and the rental strollers aren't an option for us. We did buy a stroller bag and plan to gate check it.

 

[Magic Mom]

Will the airlines break my stroller?

My Magic 8 Ball said "Maybe"

 

[mamaLori05]

what do the airlines do for you if they do break your stroller? What do you do if you get down there and it is not usable. I'm traveling with my 15 month old and the rental strollers aren't an option for us. We did buy a stroller bag and plan to gate check it.

I would say as long as it's in the bag it should be fine. I've never heard of them breaking one to the point of it being unusable, just torn, scratched, missing cup holders, ect. But then again, anything is possible.

I would think that if they broke the stroller that bad they would have to pay you some money for it. don't know if it would be as much as it's worth, or even right away (they would probably have to cut a check and mail it or something). That's just my guess though.

 

[~Brandy~]

Some friends of ours had their infant carseat get soaked with de-icer after being checked on United. This was before Christmas, and obviously the airline's fault, and they still haven't gotten reimbursed. It was a nice carseat too.

We are headed to WDW on Sunday and this is our third time gate checking our Maclarens. Nothing has happened so far, knock on wood, but I'd be really upset if it was broken.

 

[stopher1]

Definitely it is a possibility. Think about all of that luggage and other cargo down in that hold - and humans handling it before and after the flight. Our stroller has been damaged many times over the past 4 yrs by airline people - but it never was truly an expensive one to begin with. That doesn't excuse them, or give them license to be careless - but nobody will ever take care of your items as well as you do. Just watch them out the window of a plane before you taxi down the runway sometime, as they throw suitcases around - and you'll see what kind of "care" they provide.

 

[NMMickeymom]

Based on advise I found here on "the DIS" , I plan to put my brand new Mac Twin Techno in a travel golf bag. We took the wheels off the stroller (they pop right back on) and it fits like a champ. If I had a single, it would have fit in our supersized duffel bag. I have had a stroller munched by the airlines as well and just don't want to risk it.

Good thing I didn't have to buy a stroller travel bag, I'm still trying to convince my sweet husband that buying a stroller (we have been done with strollers for a while with our 4 and 6 year old) is going to "save" us money!

 

[lilybeth11602]

Will the airlines break my stroller?

My Magic 8 Ball said "Maybe"

i agree. but more like "yes" i had a brand new one we took and they broke the latch on it so it wouldnt stay closed up. it made it a real pain for getting it on and off the bus. it kept falling open.

 

[AKADrea]

Gosh, since the airlines are changing their luggage policy to only 1 checked item, this is getting tricky!!! Does a stroller count as a checked bag???