What's the deal with strollers and flights, does it go on the plane w you or checked in?
Is it counted in your luggage weight?
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What's the deal with strollers and flights, does it go on the plane w you or checked in?
Is it counted in your luggage weight?
Checked in and usually if you're traveling with infants it's not counted as part of your allowance
You can check them with your bags, but some airlines let you check them at the gate if you want to keep it while walking around the airport.
You can check them in and then hand them over to staff at the gate, yeah, if you'd rather use them at the airport. Most of the time you get extra allowances with kids for seats, prams, etc.
When I've flown with one we had to check it in but they had airlines ones you could use around the airport until you boarded :)
Depends on the airline and the airport too. I have never once had it weighed though - it is counted as an item sometimes, but never weighed!
Sometimes you can take it all the way to the plane door, sometimes you can take it to the very last waiting lounge, and sometimes they take it at check in (Cairns!).
I contacted air NZ once and they said I'd have to check it in with the luggage, but they actually let me take it to the gate. Then next time I had to check it!
Yes it can be very variable - I tend to use a carrier in the airport and check it in because they can't be relied upon what their policy is (that way it is nicely packed up in a bag less likely to get damaged etc, also I have never had weighed just counted as an item, so managed to sneak a couple of pairs of shoes into the bag :-)), a lot of airports/airlines do have ones you can use - especially transit ones like Abu Dhabi and Singapore, Hong Kong etc if you are doing a long trip and just have an hour or so in one of those airports.:
For children under 2, travelling as an infant they don't usually come under your normal baggage allowance. You can take them, port-a-cots etc as additional items.
When traveling with older kids, they do become part of you checked in baggage allowance so I used to plan to send it in lieu of a suitcase for one family member. Although when we travelled last year, the staffer/supervisor at qantas check in told me that she has never charged anyone for a pram for a child under 4. It is their discretion though, and she said most of their supervisors would allow it go the same as an infant.
As others mentioned, with an infant they aren't counted as luggage or weighed (they do allow normally 2 items per infant but no baggage).
I loved Abu Dhabi airport. When you leave the plane there is a whole row of strollers you can use in the airport because yours is checked through, or waiting at a carousel!
I didn't know this and flew recently with 2 kids over 2 and we had car seats and pram on top of our baggage allowance without issues. (I just assumed they'd allow it) it is probably best to check before you fly (and then check again when you check in):
That's not correct actually. You are entitled to take up to 3 infant/child items per infant/child free with Qantas. That includes prams/strollers, portacots, car seats, etc. Since DD1 arrived, we've always travelled with a car seat, portacot and our pram - a Baby Jogger. Once DD2 arrived, we took an extra car seat for her on top of the other stuff.:
We only usually fly Qantas domestically (DH is a Q Club member) and travel a lot. We haven't had a problem with all those baby items flying international either and we've flown with Qantas, Malaysian and Firefly with our girls. We also did a quick flight with Virgin and Sky West with DD1 and again, no problems.
Infants (under 2) don't get luggage (ie a suitcase) until they're 2 though. Some airlines may have different rules so always double check but Qantas is brilliant with kid related items. The big thing to watch is airfares where you're allowed Carry On luggage only. It can cost a lot extra to pay for checked in baggage on those fares and no doubt baby items would incur a nice little fee.
Ok, I stand corrected with the qantas allowance and assumed it was the same as other airlines. It does say they will carry a collapsible pram and car seat for children under 12.
All airlines are required to carry carseats due to the new car seat laws. However I know Virgin Australia does not carry a pram for a child (infant yes, but not a paying child), free of charge. It has to be part of your paid baggage allowance..
However, it is something I suggest people check with each airline. It is within the small print and can vary from each one.
There's only one type of stroller you can take onto the plane with you (the Quick Smart) because it folds up to umbrella length and goes into a bag. So, there's an option.
If we go OS I'll be taking this instead of the buggy we checked in last time...it got left behind in Dubai, hung around in London for a while (well after we'd left there for our connecting flights!) and eventually joined us in Waterford, Ireland, AFTER the wedding we'd gone to Ireland for and with my storm cover missing (but a leg pocket thing stashed into it...it wasn't ours but is now!). Luckily it was a first gen Phil and Ted's, because it had also copped a beating and would have been broken if it had been the newer type or any other pram/stroller!
I picked up my QuickSmart last year at a market for $5...I got lucky, and you might too - oppies, markets, depending on what time you have :)
We're buying a stroller to take. If we have to check it in, so be it, but I hope to be able to take it on the plane.
You should be able to do Gate Check-in with a stroller (umbrella type strollers, not prams) where you hand it over at the gate to still be stowed with luggage, not in the overhead lockers. You then collect it at the gate as soon as you disembark :) Check with the airline to see if they allow this but it should be ok.
I'm wondering about car seats with the new laws. Last time I flew dd3 was under 2, so her seat was free to take & we hired a seat at the other end for DS.
This June though both will be over 2 & both need car seats. I will likely hire a car, but up to $200 to hire car seats just doesn't make sense.
I will likely have to pay, because unless some amazing sale comes up, I'll be flying with tiger air, but I'm still wondering what others experiences have been in the same situation.
We used a Quicksmart one that folded into a backpack when we travelled with infants. That way we could take it in the plane as carry on luggage. It was never weighed or questioned. We took it domestically and internationally - it was a life saver!
The new Mountain Buggy Nano is apparently small enough folded for the overhead lockers :)
I just checked the tiger website, and it says for children aged between 2 and 6 they will take one item of the following free of charge, port a cot, car restraint, pram or high chair..:
Really? I couldn't find it when I looked! Awesome! Thanks :D:
on the main page, right down the bottom, click on children and infants.
We took a stroller to Cairns with Tiger in September - and was free - as I had managed to find that statement.
That's what we use too! Loads of international flights with lots of different carriers and never a problem.:
Yeah I might go for that option too,found one on eBay.
Was tossing up not bringing one and borrowing one in the UK from SIL but I think it might be worth having at the airports, I will be well and truly sick of having dd on me at that stage.
I find carriers much easier at airports, but anyway. We flew Air NZ/Qantas/Virgin recently with car seats and pram on top of our cases without issue. It never occurred to me to check before we flew, though. :)
MadB, if I was with any other carrier I probably wouldn't worry so much, but tiger charge some pretty hefty fees if you go over your weight limit. You buy your luggage allowances on top of flights to start with. Other carriers usually have a certain allowance included in the flight cost.
I've just returned from OS and there were a variety of light weight strollers on the planes, they were put in the cargo bay by staff at boarding. There weren't any majorly big ones, just light strollers, not full-on prams (sorry rambling - jet-lag has hit).
I flew through Asia (Thailand & Cambodia).
I've flown a few times and each time they haven't counted it towards our luggage weight. I've also had the choice to check it in at baggage or just before we line up to board the flight at the gate.
So you're usually ok with baby stuff on Malaysian?:
We're flying to and from HK with them later this year, and would like to take a pram to the plane if possible ... not bothering with cot / carseat / etc, as we'll mostly be using public transport. But we'll definitely need a pram, and having it the whole way to the gate (at both ends) would be handy. :)
i have a travel pram that can fit in an overhead locker. i haven't used it on a plane, cos i found it easier to use a carrier, but for a toddler it could work well.
I took a travel pram to Sydney recently, it was a life saver wrangling DS2 and DD on my own, being able to strap DS2 in as soon as we were off the plane. I'd lend it to you but I borrowed it myself :( Try and find one!
sorry, i meant to make that clearer. would you like to borrow it?
Yup, no issue with baby stuff flying Malaysian but we didn't use DD's pram in the airport, we used our Ergo instead. We often grab an airport stroller if we need it and they've been great. We've got wheels for DD's car seat too (google GoGo Kidz Travelmate) which are brilliant if you're taking a car seat. We take her seat on flights where possible and use the wheels so it's a stroller in the airport. Best way to take a toddler flying IMO :D:
You're so generous, Hoti! Will chat with DH - and will look into airport strollers too (wasn't aware they existed).
DH is deciding whether we're looking at the double or the single stroller, as we're staying in a very hilly part of HK.
But will definitely let you know :)
Thanks, all!