opus2002

Is there any stroller or universal frame (Baby Trend Snap-N-Go type stroller) that an airline will accept as carry on?

B1

I've seen a small umbrella stroller (they cost aroud $20) placed in the overheads - they cannot fit under the seat. Anything bigger will not fit. The car seat is allowed on board if it is used for a child with a paid seat. The stroller frame is too large and has to be gate-checked or placed in checked baggage (no fee).

CDTraveler

If you have home owner's insurance, check to see if it will cover the cost of a replacement stroller and then let them try to get $$$ back from the airline.

Eclipsepearl

Just to let you know that both airlines I worked for did NOT allow strollers and canes in overhead bins. They caused too many injuries when they came crashing down on other people's heads.

If your airline does allow this (!!) please be very careful and watch out for others who grab their stuff and pull it out without paying attention to what else they're pulling out at the same time.

Fees also depend on the airline. Most wont charge but some do. Some only allow one free baby item and/or it has to be checked at the gate.

My husband's cousin had a fully foldable stroller that could fit in a carry-on. That might be a good option for those of you who fly a lot.

opus2002

Do you know what brand/model was it that fits on a carry-on? I think that is a great idea.

vicarious_MR'er

Quinny Zapp fits this bill, as I understand.

Eclipsepearl

That wasn't it but it could have been an older model.

But there you go! Especially good for those who connect a lot and don't want to wait for the gate-checked items to come up.

You can then keep your luxury chariot at home, safe from the perils of gate-checking.

pintsizepilot

Terrible news about your stroller B1. What stress that must have caused !

I have spent most of my years traveling with my kids on AA (since we had accumulated a lot of points with them). Yes, they are terrible. On Skytrax, an airline review website, AA gets and average customer score of about 3.8/10 while JetBlue gets 7.6/10. While any airline can lose a gate checked stroller, some are going to handle the situation better than others. I recently received a phone call from a very good Canadian carrier because they were looking for a way to help service customers better when their airline had been at fault for damaging a car seat. While their policy also stated that they were not responsible for the damage, they were trying to find a way to help out in this undesirable situation. I guess the long and short of it is, one may receive better treatment with another airline.

As I was doing research recently to compile a list of the best airlines for families in the U.S. , I found that most did not allow you to stow a stroller in the overhead bin, regardless of size. While dealing with a stroller being bumped off the plane entirely is a uniquely difficult situation, as a far as minimizing damage to strollers, I like the idea of a stroller bag. JLchldress makes a few different versions (padded and unpadded) starting at $12.99.

To comment on inexpensive stroller options for newborns, I am a big fan of the universal stroller frames that you can pop a bucket car seat into (starting at about $60). There are also several umbrella and flat fold strollers that will recline to a fully flat position and are thus suitable for infants (see post on carriers, strollers and car seats for travel with infants). I realize that this is unfortunately of no help to you now B1, but I thought perhaps it might help another reader :-).

pintsizepilot.com - survival skills for travel with babies, toddlers and kids of all ages

Eclipsepearl

I should have qualified, if you get a completely folding stroller, be sure to put in well inside your carry-on. Have a plastic bag to wrap it in and tuck it away before you board. I doubt any F/A will grab such a small item. We were to "catch" any parents trying to bring strollers on board but I would have just told anyone to stash it in their bag.

In theory, it could still come down on someone's head but that happens less often with bags that people can see and less likely to get tangled with the straps of another carry-on. You could also place it on the floor.

About the baggage treatment, I think it depends more on the airport than the airline. Of course, both play a role but some airports use chutes to essentially drop gate-checked items to the ground. If your airline only has a few flights, they might be handled by another airline or service company. Your items also could have been mishandled just because you were flying at an especially busy time and the time-pressed baggage people weren't as careful as they should have been.

It's difficult to say. But ask around your fellow traveling parent friends and ask if they've had trouble at least leaving your airport.

I'm not sure about the liability but AA is certainly clear on their website. Anything legal with an airline will be delayed in court. They like to do that. Some of my coworkers got dragged in 5 years later to recount what happened. If you do get compensation for the stroller, the kid will probably be in college!

B1

Thanks to all for the encouragement and good ideas. We gave up on the airline - their representative stated that we were making a fraudulent claim - this went beyond the pale. So we ordered the missing part of the stroller from the manufacturer (in the UK). It turned out there was no place to buy the piece in North America and Toys R Us, where we bought it, has no provision for service. The manufacturer did some arguing with me about replacing it but then turned angelic and sent it after I told about the problems after calling several times. Getting back to the beginning, the way American handled everything was sloppy, rude, and distasteful. The stroller manufacturer was much nicer and it wasn't their fault that this happened.
I did buy a nice stroller bag for gate checking on the next trip and will use an umbrella stroller. I will not travel on American again except if there is no alternative. There were a lot of lessons to be learned.

dsharma

American Airlines broke stroller that I bought for my daughter hardly a week
ago before the incident. On raising the complaint in their customer service dept
at San Francisco airport, the lady just showed me a paper with the clause that they
don't cover strollers. Then why did you took the stroller and who is responsible for the broken stroller ? I was on a pleasure trip to America and was stunned to know this has
happened in America than India where I live and where such experiences are not uncommon. This happened in Oct 2013. Are other airlines like United, Delta any different in treatment ?

lost*in*cyberspace

I understand why the OP is upset. I too, have had baggage destroyed by airlines. However, all airlines occasionally mishandle or damage luggage. This could just as easily have happened on any airline, not just AA.

Don't take expensive strollers when traveling. There are many decent strollers for infants available for a reasonable cost. And buy travel insurance which will cover this type of damage if you must travel with a pricey stroller.

Eclipsepearl

Easy to say but there are two factors. Some of the expensive ones are sturdier and won't damage as easily (not all but...)

The other problem is sometimes you need a decent stroller at your destination. It can be a pain to travel with a piece of junk, just because of the flight itself.

I tried to borrow a stroller at my destination whenever possible but it really depended on where we were going and what kind of trip it was.

GUWonder

File a complaint with the US DOT. AA may be violating the rules applicable under the relevant Montreal Convention whereby a stroller exclusion does not apply when your trip is part of a journey between India and the US covered under the Convention. DOT has already made it clear to airlines that damaged/stolen/lost electronics in checked luggage are eligible for payout under the Convention despite the airlines protestations and/or contracts asserting that such items in checked luggage are not covered -- they are covered under the Convention liability standard when the airline has checked in bags that have them inside.

File a complaint with AA again and mentioning that under the relevant Montreal Convention, you are claiming covered damages for the loss and expect them to comply with the rule as it is binding upon the airline too. Then see what happens. One way or the other, AA will have to get back to you on the matter, especially if you get the DOT engaged.

This should give you some ideas: http://www.dot.gov/sites/dot.gov/fil...2011-08-24.pdf

6rugrats

Confusing. First you say keep the expensive stroller at home, another poster agrees, and then you contradict yourself and tell the other poster they are basically wrong.