Originally Posted by
monkeys
It's our first time traveling with our new daughter (3 months old, booked as a lap infant) and I'm getting some conflicting information about United's baggage policies. Sorry that that there are a few questions in here!
1) United says that a stroller can be checked for free. I called and spoke to a representative and was told that strollers (and car seats) are only free if gate-checked (i.e. if I checked it with my other luggage as normal it would count as a normal bag and I'd have to pay). United's page doesn't make any mention of this. Is this true?
2) Is there any limit to the size of the stroller that can be checked for free? Ours (Uppababy Vista) is one of the largest out there and while it does fold, it is still very large when folded (26.5"W x 32"H x 14"L).
3) If the stroller has to be gate-checked, will I be allowed to put it in a bag?
4) We don't have a bag for our car seat. Do we just check it as is (it seems sure to be damaged)? Can we put it in a large box to check?
5) Is it ok to include the car seat's base that it snaps into when checking it?
6) Do we have to check the car seat? According to United, we can carry it on, but does that only apply to passengers who booked a ticket for the baby and would use it on a seat? i.e. since the baby is on our laps, where would the car seat go? With the base it is 17”W x 28”L x 25”H, which I can't see fitting into an overhead bin.
Thank you and again sorry for all the questions!
You can check the stroller at either the check in counter or the gate. Note that if you use the free "stroller" check in at the check in counter they are often VERY specific that no other items can be in the bag. However at the gate, they don't look. We have an UppaBaby Cruz and the travel bag so we often gate checked it in the bag but also stuffed it with extra diapers to save space in our checked bags and add some extra cushioning to the stroller.
You can check the car seat in the box at the check in counter. If you want to gate check it, it will need to be in a bag or open as a box won't pass through TSA. You cannot carry on the car seat as it won't fit in the bins. If your seat has a seatbelt installation option, you might want to test that out and leave the base at home to save on weight. You can put the carseat in a bag for gate checking but gate checking is not recommended by most certified car seat installers as they can be damaged.
Honestly, we just forked over the extra cash for a seat for our little guy as it was much more comfortable for both him and I and safer to have him in his car seat on the plane.