Air Travel ??s

[Yellowlily]

Hey everyone,

 

Just a quick ? about air travel with the little ones. We bought one of those harnesses for our DD for the airplane. We are still taking our car seat (cab rides, van rides, etc.). My ?s are....

 

1. I know we check our stroller at the gate, but can I check my car seat as luggage or do I have to drag it to the gate and check it there?

 

2. Since we are flying with the harness and it has to be "installed", do I go up to the counter at the gate and request to go on early (passengers needing assistance) so we can get it set up for our DD?

 

Thanks for your answers!!

[nmcrzer]

Which airline will you be on?

 

Most airlines will allow parents traveling with small children to board early.

 

Also, most airlines allow you to check the carseat as luggage. They will probably place it in a clear, thick plastic bag. The only problem with checking the car seat is that if it did happen to get lost in transition, you would be out of luck when you got to your destination. If you can manage, I would suggest taking it to the gate with you and checking it there.

[Yellowlily]

Thank you very much. We are travelling Air Tran. I read somewhere about those bags and saw that Air Tran doesn't have those?? Maybe I should give them a call?

[crusinmama06]

UGH AirTran. Sorry but I have a hate/hate relationship with AirTran. Contrary to the previous post, no you won't be able to board the flight ahead of anyone else. They don't do that with families. And please call and make sure you have assigned seats with them. On our last cruise, we arrived 3 hours early to find out that they had overbooked the flight. :rolleyes: They assigned my THREE year old and my seven year old to sit in 2 different rows. My fam of 4 were assigned to 4 different rows.

 

I cried and begged them to ask someone to change seats at least with the 3 year old. They said "There is nothing we can do" :rolleyes: I seriously almost had a total breakdown at that terminal. Luckily when we got onboard the person seated next to her was happy to trade seats with me. ;)

 

I did see people gate check car seats and stollers. But I don't know about checking it as luggage.

[Yellowlily]

Thanks for the info. Ugh - sorry to hear about your story. I haven't flown Air Tran in many years. I did end up calling them in the interim. I found out that I can check the car seat as luggage or at the gate and that we can board as "passengers needing assistance" in order to assemble the CARE Harness. About the seats, I didn't think you could could call for assigned seats, that you have to do it at the ticket counter. We are doing on-line check in about 24 hours in advance. I hope that we have a decent time flying. I know it's the least fun part of the trip.

[Yellowlily]

Mama - I have to say that I am sure I would have done the same thing if they split up our family. That is really crazy. Here's crossing my fingers that doesn't happen to anyone again. That's just insane.

[Eclipsepearl]

From what I understand, the CARES harness is not a big deal to install.

 

Gate checking the car seats is safer than checking them in at the desk but weigh up the risks yourself. I take a car seat and I'm flying internationally with three kids and I have never had a problem with it.

 

I also stand near the front of the crowd during boarding. When they take the UM's and the wheelchairs, I'm up in the front. Once, a guy even yelled at them "Hey, you guys forgot this lady flying alone with three kids!" How could they not let me come with??

 

Some airlines complained that there were problems with preboarding families. I don't have the official story but from experience, if you're up there and look ready, they will often simply take you.

 

I was a Flight Attendant for 13 years with 2 companies. I wrote this totally non-commercial article after reading really bad advice on the net (well meaning parents who had never worked in the industry). Feel free to visit;

http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com

 

Please contact me if you have any other questions.

[Yellowlily]

Thanks for your comment! We just got back from our trip and flying was excellent. Air Tran was SUPERB!! Two thumbs up for them! You're right - the CARE harness was a breeze. Air Tran was so nice - let all the families with little ones board priority and it was just a pleasant experience. Thanks for the link to the blog.