New Stroller policy: "to 20 lb / 9 kg" - enforcement?
 

Anyone have any experience with the relatively new AA stroller policy? It says that they will only gate check small strollers up to 20 pounds.

We have twins and use a Maclaren double stroller. For what it is, it is one of the smaller, more compact, and lighter double strollers out there. But it is still a double stroller, and it is most definitely over 20 pounds. My wife is very concerned about having to transit through PHL without having a stroller to put the twins in. If I take it all the way to the gate, am I likely to be given a problem gate checking it? It was not a problem in the past, but the policy never previously called out an explicit weight limit.

I'm guessing whether or not your Maclaren double stroller is accepted or not might depend on two things: actual stroller weight (the Maclaren Twin Triumph weighs 23 lb / 10.5 kg) and how much of a stickler the agent is.

IMO, but not experience other than casual observation at many gates, you'll likely be fine. In a case where the gate agent has the time and is a stickler, they will most likely follow the stated rules and gate check your stroller as they would excessively large baggage or baggage that exceeds the aircraft bin capacity. Those can exceed 40 lb / 18 kg.

The umbrella stroller only at the gate is not a new policy and goes back at least a year. What is more recent is the weight descriptions for the gate versus check-in stroller rules.

FWIW, people want their stroller to the gate and the older umbrella policy was rarely enforced. I can't say if the new policy would be enforced. It has been hard for the airline to manage the 'massive' strollers, but as long as they have to deal with power scooters, personal wheelchairs and other assisting devices, I can't see this being heavily enforced unless an agent really was trying hard.

It would be easy to provide an explanation on why you need the stroller at boarding or arrival. Of note, I believe you have to still remove the kids from the stroller to go through security. It is preferred by the TSA that the stroller go through the scanner, but likely won't fit and will have to be checked manually. Further, I have not seen on arrival if they would refuse to bring it up for a gate collection if the stroller was 'overweight', but it seems like they have the right to deliver it to oversized baggage claim if they so desire.

I also tend not to think highly of the durability of the strollers through the gate baggage process and would recommend using two cheap umbrella strollers versus the fancier double one, but I think you are not interested in that option anyway.

This is also yet another example of AA being able to create so many new policies on the fly, but leaves a lot of bad issues untouched (intentionally or not).

Rasheed

The 20-pound weight limit goes back to at least three years ago, but enforcement has stepped up recently concurrent with the crackdown on carry-on baggage. As always, some stations are stricter than others, but I can say with relative certainty that such a stroller would not be allowed at MIA. PHL has the "orange shirts" who seem to take issue even with compliant items, so it may not be worth the risk.

Flying with infant in AA regional carrier— lap infant and gate check stroller?
 

Gate checking the stroller is not a problem at all.

Fly the E140, for SURE. The CRJ2 is about the worst possible airline flying commercial passengers today.

If there are two of you flying plus a baby, there is very little difference between the 2 seat side of an ERJ-140 and a CRJ-200. I do agree with the above poster that the ERJ-140 is a little more comfortable.

Yes, you can gate check a stroller and a car seat. Gate checking is very normal on ERJ's and CRJ's as the overhead bins are very small, so most roller-boards are gate checked.

You can gate-check the stroller or the car seat, but not both. If it were me, I'd check both at the ticket counter and plan to carry the baby through ORF and LGA in a body carrier. If you gate-check the stroller, there's no guarantee it'll be at the airplane door on arrival, and ORF and LGA are small airports (we've carried our 7-month-old through ORD and DFW with no issues).

For the love of God, fly the E140.

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https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...g-children.jsp ("If you have a stroller and a car seat only 1 can be checked at the gate"). You might have gotten lucky a bunch of times, and this may only apply if you're flying with an infant by yourself, but they could choose to enforce this policy in the future.

My child has not been a lap child when I've done it so it may be that I gate checked one and she gate checked the other

Gate check: check at gate, pick up at baggage claim at your final destination.

Valet check: drop off on jet bridge (or outside aircraft stairs), and pick up on jet bridge (or outside aircraft.)


Big difference between the two. A car seat should be checked through for a lap child. A stroller might be better valet checked.

Gate checked or valet cheked?

As suggested earlier, check both at the counter and strap the kid to your chest/back - so much easier to navigate airports that way. Those bulky strollers/carriers/seats are tons more cumbersome than it's worth to have airside, not to mention at TSA checkpoint.

This is an important distinction, and I had not considered the fact that the OP was traveling on Eagle. I still recommend checking both at the ticket counter, but at least there's a close to 100% chance that the stroller or car seat would be at the gate on arrival (I could've sworn I've heard stories about bags checked planeside being sent to baggage claim).

Plus you can just leave the infant in the carrier when you go through security (at least with PreCheck, unsure about general security).

Has AA changed its stroller policy?
 

AA used to have specific language on its website that allowed strollers on board if it met carry on dimensions. This seems to have disappeared. Has there been a policy change? Any recent experiences?

Seems to be checkin only.

• Strollers over 20 lbs / 9 kgs must be checked at the ticket counter
• All other strollers should be checked at the gate before boarding

https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...g-children.jsp

Get a GB PockIt stroller - it'll fit under your seat, and it's easy to get through TSA. You'll never travel with a bulky stroller again.

We have a Yo-yo. Same concept. Last time we traveled AA and UA on a trip AA had a clear policy of allowing such strollers on board. UA was the opposite though we got away with it. In the UA has changed to allow them while AA has seemingly changed the policy to require checking of all strollers...

Dissenting view: I was the type to check as much as possible at the counter including all strollers, bags etc & carry nothing on but the child & a knapsack. '
Check as much crap as you can (fill the stroller bag if you have one). This gives you more arms to manage the kids.
Never had a problem carrying the kiddies through the airport, provided I had nothing else to push or weighing me down.

If you board with it already folded, most GAs don't know what it is. :D

We had no issues back in June with it. We'll see if there are changes this weekend.

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but does anyone have any recent information on this?

My wife and I are traveling with our 2 yo triplets next month. Since the direct LHR-BNA has been canned, we get to go through ORD. We are planning on taking 2 umbrella buggies (strollers) – a single and a double MacLaren. The double is 10.5kg, I think. So we’ll come into T5 at ORD, from the wording on the BA site, it’s hard to know whether we’d get it back at the gate or whether we’d have to go to the carousel after immigration. The bigger concern for me is being able to have it for the terminal transfer and then while we wait airside for the connection to BNA. Would there be any issue getting it through security at T3? I guess so long as we can do that, they will just check it at the gate anyway.

On the return, we’d definitely want it at ORD again. I would hope they wouldn’t check it through to LHR!

Def looking at the GB Pockit stroller for our needs.

Were you able to bring it (when folded up) into the cabin? It seems so from your comments.
Was it as 1 of your designated carry-ons?
Or in addition to carry-on + personal item?

We have a tight MIA connection in the spring w/ a lap infant.... don't want to have to gate check/valet check a stroller unless we have to.
I don't mind sacrificing a carry-on bag for the ability to get the stroller on board w/o the gate check run-around.

I wouldn't sweat the weight. What matters is that it must fit through TSA's xray. I don't have any experience with doubles, maybe they do, maybe not.

Highly recommend the GB Pockit. We got it for our 15 month old when he was 5 or 6 months old and it has been a total game changer (we've done about 75 flights with him). We got a thin carry bag to put it in so that it isn't obviously a stroller... just in case, for those CRJ flights where FAs seemingly selectively say no wheeled luggage period... it folds up very small and the handful of gate agents who have seen it have been very complimentary of it. (Note: people seem to be familiar with the concept of Yoyos folding up small, so, especially overseas, we've found that saying "it's like a yoyo" has been met with understanding when we have declined to check or gate-check it.)

Also never had trouble bringing it in addition to carry on and personal item.

Thx platbrownguy for the info!

Yes, that stroller looks like a winner. Glad to hear it works well for travel and is seemingly AA cabin friendly.

Thanks! It all worked fine in the end. The double easily fitted through the scanners and the buggies were gate checked at LHR, ORD and BNA. We had an issue for the final leg (ORD-LHR), as the gate agent told us we wouldn't get it back at the gate in London. But the crew was brilliant and put them in the wardrobe between CW and F. We also ended up with a bus gate at LHR so a crew member came with us to Immigration as we couldn't put the girls in the buggies whilst they were on the bus.

The Kids Zone of the BA lounge at T5B at LHR was excellent, as was the sound-proofed kids area of the AC at ORD (at time of travel the Flagship Lounge hadn’t reopened). BA crew were fabulous on both flights, keeping our meals back until the girls had eaten, offering help as and when, and keeping my glass topped up! Girls slept all the way home – we put them flat as soon as we were airborne and they didn’t stir until we got them up for breakfast.

Flying AA (YX on a 175) connecting to LY in a few days. I know that some airlines, when connecting, will give you the option for a "claim at gate" stroller to either claim it at the gate of your first flight to use during the connection or check it through on the connection and claim at the gate at your destination. 1) Does AA offer both options or only the first? 2) If they do allow claim at the gate of the second flight, any odds on whether that will end up working on the interline or whether it will just end up getting shoved into a container and only discovered when they unload at baggage claim?

In a recent flight with AA and a stroller on an E175.... I did a end of the jetway gate check, and the stroller was promptly brought back up when we deplaned. I reminded the FA before landing and she mentioned something to the gate crew on arrival. Worked out quite well.
I suppose I could have taken the stroller in cabin as a carry on, as it folds up smaller than a roll-a-board, but I didn't want to hassle with it then.

Not sure about LY policies, but most wide-bodies have a "bulk" cargo door where the can fit strollers, wheel chairs, and other oversized (read: non-containerized baggage) in.

https://www.elal.com/eng/family/infants has some info on strollers, about half way down.

I got yoyo 2 with the travel bag. You can put the stroller into the travel bag and count it as one carry one. Based on my experience, It works for almost all flights. I hope this help