Oooh yeh, ALWAYS put your buggy in a bag. Or as I've mentioned here before, buy a smaller (perhaps second hand) model that you only use for travel.
Quinny zapp + maxi cosi makes a great travel set and check in the base if your travelling to a place like Oz that you require it. I've seen these for sale on Dubizzle quite cheap, and a great option instead of damaging an expensive pram. You can always sell it on once your back to recoup your money.
And I never travel without an Ergo baby carrier. It's been a total lifesaver :)
I would get a box and pack your car seat in it when you arrive at the airport and then check it in to try and prevent it getting damaged, I would also get a travel bag for your pushchair for the same reasons. Just before you board the plane you have to hand over your pushchair and they will throw it down to the baggage handlers who will then kick it around a bit, I'm speaking from bitter experience. It's no fun traveling alone and discovering your buggy has been damaged beyond use en route.
I normally check in a car seat and travel cot plus baggage and then take buggy upto the plane door.
Definitely use a sling too, keeps wriggly baby close to you for take off and landing and it's invaluable for the long walk to collect your baggage/queuing through immigration (I've only been fast tracked through Dubai, had to join a long queue everywhere else)
M is correct in saying that the stroller would not be weighed if you take it to the gate.
I have also travelled back from the US several times with bugaboos for friends and have never had them included in my weight allowance.
Good luck and have a great trip.
Most airlines will let you take a car seat or stroller right up through to boarding and will then stow them on the plane alongside normal luggage. Where you are able to pick your items up from depends on the airline and destination. We have for example had to pick up our items from the baggage carrousel when arriving. This does not usually count as weight and we have never had our items weighed anywhere we have travelled. You can take your usual baby bag on board with your own personal hand luggage. I would really recommend you consider a baby carrier too as you might be faced with a long walk to customs or long queues and this is where everything can become really heavy and tiring.
I will soon be travelling with Emirates with my 4 month old and trying to work out what we can take with us. I can see from the website that we have 10kg checked in luggage and 5kg hand luggage for the baby and we can check in a 'stroller'.
Can we take a car seat (not for use on the plane though as it is a rear facing one which i think you can't use) to check in or would that be taken out of the 10kg checked in luggage?
What do they mean by stroller? I have a travel system type thing where the seat or cot unit is separate from the chassis of the pushchair.
So would i be able to take ALL of the following?:
- a car seat (to check in)
- a travel system (chassis plus seat, to check in)
- 10kg baggage (to check in)
- 5kg hand luggage
I will be travelling economy.