Specific Question about Flying with a Stroller...

[expat-mama]

So I'm flying with DS back to Canada from Dubai in a few weeks for the summer and we want to take our stroller but I want to check it with the bags and not take it through the airport (DS will be in his ergo).

We want to put the stroller in a suitcase to protect it- we love it and it's expensive! Now, my airline said that strollers are free to check- but will this still apply if it is in a suitcase? I tried to call and ask them but the first time the person I asked didn't really get what I was saying, and the second time I called she didn't really speak English very well. So I'm not really sure.

Anyone check a stroller FOR FREE in a suitcase/stroller bag with no problems? I don't want to end up paying for extra baggage when my stroller should be checked for free. And I don't want to check my stroller unprotected.

The logistics of this holiday with DS are dizzying at this point... I'll be back on here in a while to ask for tips on how to keep a 11-month-old lap baby happy and entertained for a 14 hour flight...by myself.

[IdentityCrisisMama]

This sounds like one of those things that you just won't know for sure until you get to the airport.  Being an expat you must have had the experience of hearing one thing over the phone and then getting an entirely different story once you get to the airport.  I say that you certainly should be able to check it for free and that putting it in a bag shouldn't have anything to do with it.  I'd be sure to pack it alone just to be sure and maybe just tell them that you got the OK over the phone in case you get a cranky person at the desk.  

[Comtessa]

Do you have access at the Dubai airport to one of those machines that wraps your luggage up in giant plastic wrap?  Perhaps you could run your stroller through that thing -- the plastic would give it some level of protection, but it would still obviously be a stroller (i.e., not luggage). 

Good luck with the 14-hour flight!!!  I hope he sleeps a lot!!! 

[deeka]

We've checked a stroller in a cardboard box (it came with the stroller) for free on a flight from Istanbul to Atlanta. Once we convinced the check-in people it was really a stroller, it wasn't a problem. They may have opened it to peek in, I don't remember. 

[somegirl99]

No experience with a stroller but a lot of experience with traveling.  Unfortunately it is often the case that airline policies don't matter as much as the understanding of those policies by the one individual who is checking you in.

Bring a printed copy of the airline policy that says strollers get checked for free.  If you can get a copy in both English and in Arabic that would be better.

Try to email or snail mail the airline about your specific question and see if you can get confirmation, then bring a printed copy with you.

Good luck and safe travels!

[expat-mama]

Thanks for the replies.

Somegirl, good tip! I'll email them and see what they have to say.  And print out the policy about checking strollers for free. AND get to the check-in early to prepare for any bumps along the way.

Glad to hear you were successful checking a stroller in a box, deeka.

I don't think I want to risk just wrapping the stroller in cellophane... I;ve had such crappy luck with baggage problems.