Buggies on Planes?

[mumbobumbo]

Hopefully someone can give me some advice - I am a single mum planning my first holiday with DD (2 years old). We will need to take a buggy........... does anyone have experience of taking them abroad?

Whatever do you do with them? Are they considered "hand luggage" i.e. you take them into the plane yourself. Or do they have to go in the cargo hold?

Tell them at the check in desk that you have a buggy, they will give you a label for it which says it's to be collected at the gate. Just before you get onto the plane (literally) someone will take it from you and it goes in the hold. When you get off the plane it should be outside the door waiting for you.

I've flown afew times and only once was it different and I had to collect the pushchair from the baggage hall with the cases, but I had a moan about that to them!

Don't know what it's like now but two years ago we went longhaul - pushed buggy (mclaren lightweight one) right up to the door of the plane, folded it and left it there and they tagged it and put it somewhere else in the plane. When we got there buggy turned up miraculously at door of the plane again. Once it turned up at the other door (big plane) but nothing too serious.

I've just come back from the US and that part of the trip was a doddle. Entertaining a 2 yo on a 7 hour flight was a different matter and the reason we will be sticking to Cornwall in future!!

NB if it's not at the bottom of the plane steps when you get to your destination you may need to go to the oversized luggage carousel to retrieve it.
HTH and bon voyage

Thanks ladies. :)

In most destinations (including when you return to the UK) - it will be on the luggage carousel.

So you need to pack bags etc that you can carry with DD over a long distance (in heathrow it is a big treck!).

It's also worth looking at your airline's policy on other children's items. Some of them will allow you to take a buggy and a travel cot or car seat without having to pay extra. Since your DD is 2 she'll have her own seat so having paid for it make sure you use her baggage allowance.