car seat check baggage
Airplane ride with 4 month old- stroller/car seat- or front pack at airport?
I will be flying with a 4 yr old and 4 month old. I usually use my monster stroller and the baby fits in the car seat inside of it. I was thinking of using this to get around the airport and checking both at the gate (can you?) or is there any reason I shouldn’t put him in a front pack/baby bjorn instead? i guess he doesn’t NEED to be in the car seat in the stroller (right?) so should I check in the car seat as baggage and put him in the stroller?
my head hurts- what did you do?
You didn’t say if the baby has a seat on the plane or not. If not, you definitely need to check the car seat when you check the luggage. You will need the car seat when you leave the airport, assuming you will be in a car at some point during your trip. The stroller you could do either way, but it’s probably easier to keep it and check it at the gate, unless you have a really short flight with no delays or connections, just so you have a place to put the baby if you have problems with the 4YO and to ease in carrying things. You might want to take the bjorn too, if it can easily fit with your carryon stuff – I have had long flight delays where I have put the preschooler in the stroller and the baby in the bjorn when needed. You can use a bjorn on the plane too, but not during takeoff/landing.
My personal preference for a flight over two hours is the baby needs his/her own seat. And I usually keep the stroller, except when I have a connecting flight at the opposite end of the terminal with a short layover time – in that case it is easier to strap the baby on and run.
Hope this helps!
Travelers Irked by Luggage Fees, Rude Help
Those surveyed were asked to rank their complaints regarding airlines, hotels, and rental car companies. Although baggage fees ranked highest as an irritant, other fees (note this was an issue for all three travel industries), and rude or unhelpful staff behavior were identified as major concerns as well.
Clearly the best way today to annoy airline passengers is to charge for luggage. There has been very little compassion for any airline that charges for baggage, even though there are many travelers who enjoy the fact their fare did not increase, due to the extra dollars collected by charging others for their extra weight and cost to the carriers.
Interestingly, poll respondents said that lack of information concerning airline delays was more frustrating than the actual delays. Passengers were also aggravated by fellow airline passengers who take more than their perceived fair share of seat space and/or carry-on space.
Airline passengers indicated they understood the reason for waiting in long line at security check in points and the absence of snacks on flights.
There was a marked difference in annoyance levels between the sexes and generations of those who participated in the survey. Women were more upset than men by pricey hotel room snacks, insufficient bedding, and aggressive rental car staff pushing upgrades. Older passengers were less patient with poorly behaved children on airplanes.
Perhaps the cheapest, more important, takeaway of this survey for the travel industry is to train and convince their staffs to be helpful and polite. Given airlines creativity when it comes to charging new fees, maybe the day will come when they will charge passengers willing to pay for courteous customer representatives.
About the Author
Cheapfares employees enjoy sharing the current news and information about travel news and tips to improve their clients travel experience. We have been in the travel industry over 10 years online.
SA promises a safe SWC
South Africa promises it’s ready to keep the peace through an exciting Soccer World Cup tournament next month.
