More travel Qs--gate check

kbalb · June 2010

How dirty could the stroller/carseat get if we gate check them? I know how dirty my luggage gets through regular check. I am just trying to decide if we should invest in the bag/covers.

Also, What did you do with the infant seat base: check it by itself, put it in checked luggage, gate check it with the carrier?

We are flying Southwest, so I am not worried about the checked luggage amounts and we are hoping the flight isn't full so that we can carry on the carseat for her. (Baby will be 7 months and rarely naps at the times we are flying.)

KristinandChris · June 2010

We've flown a few times and always gate check DD's stroller. We've never had an issue with it getting too dirty. Just make sure you clear out the basket and let the check in people know you are checking your stroller. You need an airline tag before they'll let you board.

Are you getting a seat for your baby? We've only flown with DD on our lap so I don't know about carrying carseats on board. We had a really big car seat cover that fit our infant carseat and seat base, as well as some diapers It wasn't too much $ but the strap broke so we can't use it anymore.

QueSrah · June 2010

We've only flown once with DD, but everything came back to us just about as clean as it was leaving home.

We took our snap 'n go through the airport, so we snapped the car seat and base together and gate checked that as one piece and the stroller as a separate one. GL getting a seat for your LO - we were on packed flights so there was no hope of getting a free seat for DD, and I was quite glad the flight only lasted about an hour and a half.

indamockwood · June 2010

I don't know if this will help lighten your load, but when traveling with a car seat, you don't actually need to bring the base with you - you can install the carrier in most cars without the base. There are many videos on YouTube showing how to do this. A Graco SnugRide even has the instructions right on the car seat.

As for getting dirty - when we gate checked it, on a rainy day, it got a little wet, but not dirty.

lili_ana · June 2010

We flew via Southwest to Florida, we gate-checked the stroller alone and it came out fine. As PP said, as soon as you get to your gate ask for the tags and you'll be good to go. We checked the carseat attached to its base as luggage, they placed it on a plastic bag, put stickers on it and tell you that they are not responsible if damaged, but they are responsible if lost or stolen. Even though we had an empty seat between me and DH's, LO sat in my lap the whole time, he slept throughout the flight. I wouldn't bring the carseat into the cabin because if you have a full plane, where would you place the carseat? Just a thought! GL!

BabyHatch · June 2010

For what it's worth, don't bother taking one of those gate check bags to protect your stroller. We bought one for our trip (the red ones that say "Gate Check") and we weren't allowed to use it b/c it blocked the tag on the stroller. I wish someone had told me not to waste my money! Maybe this just depends on the airline (we flew Lufthansa).

Our stroller came out fine. It's hard to tell how dirty it got b/c it was already filthy!

DCHappy2B · June 2010

we used the gate check bags and tagged the outside of the bag. I've flown with her 9 times and am on my second set of bags. We checked our snap and go and stroller connection. We didn't bring our base and strapped the seat in with the seat belt. We brought lots of mum mums and puffs to keep her busy and bottles for take off and landing.

kbalb · June 2010

Great! Thanks so much. I think I'll get the bag for the carseat and forgo it with the stroller.

Want a personalized experience?

More travel Qs--gate check

Re: More travel Qs--gate check

Choose Another Board

Search Boards