Apple's Bluetooth tracking devices allow you to track your suitcase through nearby Apple devices, such as an iPhone or iPad, whether it be yours or someone else's. I don't fly nearly as often as many here, but for European airlines I've only ever seen wheeled bags "spot checked" for weight. I put my backpack in the overhead bin, A few minutes later the the FA asked who's backpack it was and if. Because you don't have to retrieve your bag from the overhead locker, you can get straight off the plane and to passport control/immigration quickly.

So well, I took my out laptop, ipad and medication bag out on the spot, they didn't care and tagged my bags. And number two, your bag is more likely to get damaged because somebody else is handling it rather than you.The agent at check-in Auckland wanted me to check it, but I was flying business, so he wasn’t very persistent and said that the gate agent. Protecting your child’s car seat when you gate check it is made easy by the bag’s large size (fits almost ALL car seats), lockable draw-string closure, carry handle, reinforced seams and attached stretch pouch that makes unfolding and refolding quick and easy. Providing tips on how to circumnavigate a rule that in parts is for safety reasons (bags falling from overhead bins can cause a lot of damage) and partly for reasons of convenience (allow as many guests as possible to take their carry ons with them) is irresponsible. The bag easily covers most umbrella strollers, featuring two webbing handles for effortless lifting and reinforced seams for strength and a personal ID box for even easier identification when travelling. For example, Delta, United and American allow all status holders, even at their most entry-level tiers, to check one bag for free, with the baggage allotment going up from there.

Of course, Gate Check also works well as protection in the car or bus' cargo space and for storage of the pram. Restrict shoes, heavy electronics, books, duplicate and 'might need' items and you too can travel HLO. I once flew with a low-cost airline (Tiger) where all passengers were required to place all carry-on luggage in a sizer before they were allowed into the gate area. If you have to gate-check your bag and have no option to check it at a check-in desk/ticket counter pre-security, then you'll have to take your bag through security. When we had a cheap-o umbrella stroller we didn't bag it and had no problems getting it back at the jetway on arrival.These airlines put service first and offer spacious cabins with enough room to fit at least one piece of carry-on baggage for each passenger and sometimes more. Gate checking is mostly used on small planes when there is not enough space to take on board the cabin bags of all passengers. Universal stroller and car seats travel bags are usually made of light, waterproof materials and they can be carried to the gate in a normal carry-on baggage. I left my bag at the end of the jet bridge and when I entered the plane asked a flight attendant if I could bring my bag because half the overhead space was still empty and she said not if it’s already gate checked - which someone had already come to grab it. Generally speaking when you gate check a bag, it will arrive on the baggage claim belt, just like all other checked bags do.

The obvious tips are of course to not overpack, and to try to board as early as you can, since that addresses the two biggest reasons that bags have to be gate checked. May be we are unlucky or perhaps its down to where and with whom we fly, but we have never had our gate checked buggy back at the door over the last 3-4 years. L. Childress bright red Gate Check Bag for Car Seats has been a go-to travel bag for parents for over two decades. Upon landing, these bags are retrieved and available for pickup, with the stub from the tag, either at the stair, or on the jetway.If your carry-on is larger than the personal item dimensions, you must valet your bag before boarding. I did find it annoying one time when they "hit the limit" right as I reached the ticket taker and required all other bags to be checked.

If you end up on a full flight or have a low boarding priority, chances are you'll have to gate check your bag at the last minute. Everyone will of course have their own opinion on this, but personally I don’t have any ethical qualms with taking something that’s a bit heavier than that limit. I am not sure whether my experience is typical taking into account the destinations and airlines we used or not. Usually about 3/4s down the line they just make the standard announcement that they'll be checking bags without ever checking the overhead bin space left.

I was on the final leg of a ACE-LHR-ABV-LHR-ACE itinerary (March 2022) and BA had already lost my hold baggage between LHR and ABV. By signing up, you will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Useand acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. I usually pull out the electronics bag before boarding so not to hold up the line on the plane, but because I had 3 items and not 2, the gate check guy made me step out of line to eliminate one. A lot of strollers get broken because they pop open en route and you have some baggage guy trying fold it back down.