Taking Pram on flight

Hi there. DD and I will be flying up to the Gold Coast in August. Jetstar will fly up the pram at no extra cost which is great, but I am worried about it getting damaged. I know when we get our luggage back after a flight it is always filthy and scuffed and am worried that the pram could get damaged from rough handling. After some suggestions/advice from people who have travelled with their pram and what you did to protect it from damage. A friend suggested buying a cheap pram to take away so that I don't worry, which is an option, but surely there is a way to safely transport our usual pram. Any suggestions/advice appreciated. Thanks.

Hi Rachel, I have travelled quite alot with DD & never had a problem with her pram getting damaged. The only time something happened that I didnt like it was at a small airport where everything had to be moved in the weather & it was pouring with rain so my pram got really wet (so did we while standing in the rain at 10:30 at night waiting for baggage... nightmare!)

Anyway I have taken my pram on about 16 flights & its still in great condition. Depending on the colour of your pram it may get marked as the bags do but most prams these days are black anyway. Just recently we bought a Phil & Teds Sport buggy & you can buy a travel bag for it seperately which we did for our last trip & will be using it again for our next trip in a few weeks, it works a treat! So I'd suggest looking into a travel bag for it if its a colour that might get marked (ours is sand colour so we needed the bag) otherwise I think it should be fine as far as damage goes. Of course you only need one bag handler in a bad mood to damage something so theres no guarantees unfortunately :( (I dont think that happens much though)

Good luck, I hope it all goes smooth for you & you have a fantastic holiday :)

What about a big bin/garbage bag over the whole folded pram and sticky tape or masking tape (so you can write your name on it) around it a couple of times? And take an extra bag and tape for the trip home?

We have travelled with a pram in baggage with no problems but like Danielle said it just takes one un-happy employee to ruin your bubs pram.

We always travel to and from NSW all the time and never once had a problem with Chelsea's pram.... Jetstar has taken great care everytime for us.

Rachel - when you go up to the counter for check-in ask for a bag for the over sized luggage. Put your pram and carseat in one each and get them to tape them up. That's what we always do.

great idea sarah!

We were going to take my mums spare pram but lucky for us our friend has a spare we can use when we get there :)

Rachel we have flown with our pram on all three domestic carriers and apart from a few scuffs it has come through unscathed. You can get oversized luggage bags for them if you like, and make sure you tell them you want the pram after you check in. Most will let you keep it right up to a few minutes before boarding and then you drop it at the gate desk and it goes on top of the baggage in the hold and doesn''t get as dirty or damaged.

Hi Rachel,

Our pram has been on many trips with us including several international ones and we've never had any problems. Just make sure you take off anything which can be lost or damaged like liners, clip on toys etc. Some prams do have the option of purchasing a cover which is a great idea if yours does to keep the pram clean. Be mindful though that if anything does happen generally the airline will not take responsibility and some even ask you to sign a waiver before it is loaded.

The other things is some airlines will let you take the pram to the door and load it into the plane when you board others take it off you when you check your bags in and load it as luggage so it always worth asking can you take the pram to the gate and have the flight attandants load it directly into the plane.

Good luck and have a fabulous time in Sunny Queenland:)

We haven't taken our pram on a plane, but have taken the car seat twice & it's never had any issues.

We have had no problems when travelling with Virgin I think they store them separately with bulk items as we check it in at counter and when we arrived it came out though a door not with the other luggage. We just made sure there was nothing loose and tied down so wouldn't come open.

Thanks everyone, have put my mind at ease now. I was thinking of giving jetstar a call and finding out exactly what they do with the prams etc - such as storing seperately or able to keep it up to the last minute. Can't hurt to ask huh. Thanks again and I will have a great trip - looking forward to some milder weather!

Havent taken our big pram on a flight but we take the little one that folds into a backpack. Can't remember the name of it. You can get them for about $40 now. But we take it on as carry on because it is so small. It doesnt have layback mode though for sleeping. We only go on international flights so maybe on domestic the pram would be ok.