Can you bring umbrella stroller on plane

Traveling with an infant might mean bringing a stroller with you, which could be confusing because traveling with a stroller varies from one airline to another. The best travel stroller to bring on board should be the right size and align with the airline’s other stroller policies.

So, what else is there to know about bringing strollers on airplanes?

When it comes to strollers on planes, you’re usually presented with either one of the following scenarios:

Stroller and Carseat

You should be able to bring a car seat and a stroller on most airlines. However, you have to place them in the aircraft hold along with the rest of your luggage. It is often considered an addition to the normal baggage allowance and doesn’t have to be paid for when flying with a baby under two years. That said, make sure to check with the airline beforehand since policies can change from time to time.

Umbrella Strollers on Overhead Cabins

In some airlines, you can bring a compact umbrella stroller on board to be placed in the cabin’s overhead lockers if space permits. You shouldn’t be charged for this, either.

Travel Stroller as Carry-on Luggage

There are airlines that permit you to bring a travel stroller in place of cabin baggage, provided that it fits within the airline’s specific carry-on luggage size requirements.

The Stroller Size To Take on an Airplane

As far as the required stroller size, it’s actually the design that matters more to most airlines. Generally, they simply require your stroller to be fully collapsible. So, yes, you can bring a full-size stroller on board as long as it folds into itself. The same goes for your foldable travel system. If you aren’t yet aware of this, it’s a full-size stroller and an infant car seat in one.

You can keep a pushchair with you before boarding. Then you’d have to have it gate-checked. Gate-checked strollers are often tagged with the destination tag at the check-in counter, allowing you to use the stroller around the terminal and bring it through the boarding gate.

You will then be required to collapse the stroller before boarding, so the staff may load it into the plane with the rest of the luggage. If it happens to be smaller than the average stroller, you may be allowed to take it on board the cabin.

Again, this would depend on the specific airline’s policy, which may or may not change as of writing. How full the flight is could also factor into the equation, so be careful not to take anything as set in stone.

Pushchairs as Cabin Baggage

So, can they be considered cabin baggage? Sometimes, yes, other times no. The times you can take it on board with you would be when it fits within the assigned cabin baggage size limit. So those smaller buggies and pushchairs shouldn’t be a problem. A collapsible stroller may even be considered as additional hand baggage free of charge in some airlines.

Umbrella Strollers on Board

You can bring them on board sometimes. If they’re collapsible, some airlines would have you take them in as additional hand baggage at no extra charge. Of course, they will take the space limitations and the fullness of the flight into account, so things might not always be in your favor. 

Protecting Your Stroller When Flying

Now that we’ve established that airlines allow you to fly with strollers, let’s focus on curbing the anxiety towards your luggage. We’ve all been there, and some have seen with their own eyes how baggage handlers can carelessly throw around buggies, pushchairs, and travel strollers. You’ve likely invested much into these pieces of equipment and refuse to have them so recklessly handled.

For your part, you can use a stroller bag to provide additional padding and protection. Not to mention, it also provides space for storing extra items you usually wouldn’t be able to without one.

As much as possible, try to have your stroller gate-checked. That means more eyes will be on your stroller, which makes the airport workers more conscious about how they’re handling the item.

You can also opt for a padded stroller bag over a normal one for even better protection. Nappies or diapers don’t usually offer sufficient padding, and you won’t likely have enough to pad for the entire stroller. As for non-padded bags, they’ll be good for keeping the items clean but nothing else.

Ask Your Airline

Whether it’s a new airline or your usual one, make sure to ask a representative for the lowdown on traveling with strollers. While you can typically search the general guidelines online, you cannot base your decisions solely on them, as policies are subject to changes and updates. Talk to someone from the airline close to your flight date and have them be clear on the issue of traveling with strollers.

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