Flying - checking a carseat at the gate

kes3237 · February 2010

If you have done this, did you buy one of those carseat covers or just check the carseat as is? I'm wondering if those covers are worth it...

wifeypooh · February 2010

I'm borrowing a cover from my sister for our flight next month.

FYI, i called the airlines with a question and she told me that if there is an open seat on the plane, we can bring our car seat up and strap M in. If not, they will check your seat.

jacksjerseygirl · February 2010

If I remember correctly you can get one of those red gate check bags at BRU for 5 bucks or something equally low price.

Also, if you still have the plastic cover (if your car seat came in a plastic cover) you can just use that - that is what we used (once)

Although the car seat/stroller that checked at the gate (unlike at the counter) receive less handling/tossing and the such - the cover protects the fabric more than anything from getting something on it - including what ever muck might be on the baggage handlers hands/gloves.

Sweetgurl6630@yahoo.com · February 2010

wifeypooh:
I'm borrowing a cover from my sister for our flight next month.

FYI, i called the airlines with a question and she told me that if there is an open seat on the plane, we can bring our car seat up and strap M in. If not, they will check your seat.

Which airline is this?

JOEBunny · February 2010

I did not use a cover. It was fine. Generally, gate checked items are handled by hand for the most part, so less likely to get messed up. I think it is easier to pick up when it is not in a bag, which makes them more likely to pick it up and put it down nicely, If it is in a bag, they just toss the bad.

wifeypooh · February 2010

Sunflower55014:
wifeypooh:

I'm borrowing a cover from my sister for our flight next month.

FYI, i called the airlines with a question and she told me that if there is an open seat on the plane, we can bring our car seat up and strap M in. If not, they will check your seat.

Which airline is this?

US Airway

Kitten80 · February 2010

I didn't even know about the covers when we flew - so we just checked it as was at the gate. If you do make sure you have it covered before you line up because I know we were hurried enough & loaded down enough with LO, carry-ons, etc. I wouldn't want to mess with it at the drop spot. Also, make sure your info is taped onto your seat in a place separate from what tag the airline puts on. I even included our leaving & arriving destinations. GL!

excitedforlittleone · February 2010

I checked an umbrella stroller and it did fine with no cover or anything.

excitedforlittleone · February 2010

Sunflower55014:
wifeypooh:
I'm borrowing a cover from my sister for our flight next month.
FYI, i called the airlines with a question and she told me that if there is an open seat on the plane, we can bring our car seat up and strap M in. If not, they will check your seat.

Which airline is this?

This is pretty much every airline. I flew continental last week and if there was an empty seat they let me have it for Jonah.

eml569 · February 2010

Every time we've flown, the flight attendants have bent over backwards to help us out in getting J a seat. Even to the point of moving other passengers around. We've flown US, Delta, an American connector, and Southwest. Southwest has open seating, so we just talk to the gate attendant when we get there and see if the flight is full. If not, they've let us take his seat on each time. On Delta the flight attendants actually moved our seatmate up to a different row so we could have the open seat.

On the few flights (I think 1 or maybe 2) that we've been on where there weren't seats open, the airline had a gate check bag, pretty much a huge plastic clear bag, that we used. Unless you have a big expensive stroller that you need to gate check I wouldn't bother buying any of the bags. They've always been very "gentle" with our stuff and it never had even a scuff on it.

A few things that we learned - don't bother trying to take the infant seat base on the airplane, it won't fit and needs to be gate checked. Also, baby has to have the window seat. We were on 6 different flights since J was born, and he has gotten a seat on 4 or 5 of them. None of the flight attendants bothered to mention that he needed to have the window seat. Luckily my H is a pilot and he made me put him in the window. It would be so much easier to have him between us, but if there is an emergency it's obviously really hard to get around a car seat.

Fish4Fun · February 2010

Sold at Wal-mart, target, amazon, etc. <$15

I got the stroller version for my gate check. I am so glad I did, because the bag got so grimy. I am glad none of that grease got on my stroller.

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