Back to Basics: Checking & Claiming Strollers at the Gate
February 13, 2008 by Mary Jo Manzanares
Filed under Air Travel, Travel Tips
Traveling can frequently be difficult, but traveling with toddlers can always be difficult. From managing the little one’s time to managing their “stuff,” there are added tasks to juggle when you have children with you.
Bringing a stroller with you when you travel allows you to get kids through the airport with minimum fuss. It can keep the kids in one place and most allow you to stow a bit of “stuff” on it as well.
But since strollers frequently don’t fit in airplane overheads (depends on the specific aircraft and stroller type), and even if they do, they take up a lot of room, most strollers aren’t brought onboard as it is just one more thing to lug down the aisle.
What happens to the strollers? Most are “gate checked.” This is jargon for checking something directly at the departure gate (usually right at the aircraft door), rather than at the ticket counter. This means that you can keep the kiddies in their stroller right up to the time you walk aboard the plane.
However, “gate checked” does not necessarily mean that you will be able to recover the stroller on the jetway when you get off the plane. Most bags that are gate checked are sent to baggage claim.
If you want to get your stroller on the jetway upon arrival at your destination, you need to confirm that your airline offers a “claim at gate” option. Most do, although not all. And this option is not available for international flights into and out of the U.S.
Remember –
Gate check – you can check the bag at the gate
Claim at gate – you can claim the bag at the gate
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A couple of additional notes:
Make sure that you get a claim tag for your gate checked stroller. If the stroller doesn’t have a tag, it might not meet you in your destination.
Make sure that you clear the pockets in your stroller before checking it.
Remember that if you check your stroller on an international flight, you’ll be clearing customs without a stroller to put your tired kids in. If you’re traveling alone, it’s worth making a plea to the steward or stewardess to find room on the plane.
Finally, many airlines do not cover damage done to strollers, so if you’re worried about your stroller, put it in a protective bag before checking it.
Hope this helps!
Debbie
http://www.deliciousbaby.com
If you have a small, collapsible stroller you can probably get it into an overhead. But if you have the larger kind, they generally won’t fit.
If you’re traveling domestically, probably not a big deal and the airline will bring the stroller up the jetway to the plane. But if it’s international, you’ll need to be prepared to carry the kids through customs and immigration.
It makes travel easy.
We had a nice MacLaren stroller that got absolutely ruined by dirty airplane holds and would always come back wet covered in soot. I would definitely recommend a gate-check bag to protect it but the one you have pictured ripped on us after just a one way flight (it didn’t even last a round trip!). It has really cheap fabric so was more difficulty than it was worth, but a good concept, though.
Does anyone know of a better quality one out there or know where I can look? We have summer trips coming up and I don’t want the new stroller to get ruined, too. We want to bring it through the terminal, so I don’t want to check it in a big bag because we’ll need it on our layovers.
I can’t make a specific recommendation, Lindy, as I don’t have young kids to worry about. I would definitely recommend a bag to keep the stroller in, so maybe a reader can make a recommendation that would help you out.
Okay, I can appreciate that. I am sure mine will be grown before I know it and the biggest worry in the airport will be making sure their iPod is charged.
I searched Amazon and saw the JL gate-check (pictured, that ripped) and one from Rover Gear, so I’ll give the other one a shot and let you know how it goes after our trip in a couple weeks. We’re going from DC to LA through Dallas, so we definitely don’t want to check the stroller at the ticket counter because it’s a long way between terminals in Dallas and at Dulles, but need a bag because I don’t want the new stroller to get trashed when we valet like our MacLaren did.
BTW, great website; I am glad I found it!
Let me know what you decide and how it works. I’d love a follow up post based on your experiences and product review.
Mary Jo,
Now that summer is over I just wanted to get back with you on this. We took several trips (Boston, Seattle and LA) with the Rover Gear bag and it worked GREAT! It is made from a really sturdy nylon so it didn’t get ripped, has solid handles and good zippers and was easy to get on and off. Our stroller stayed clean and dry the whole time (even under a tour bus). It cost a little more than the JL one mentioned in your original article but was worth it for its durability.
I hope your readers can find this review useful.
Thanks so much for the update.
It sounds like you really put the bag through its paces. I know parents will appreciate the update, and can take your experience into account when making a purchase decision.
Hope the your little one had a great time traveling!