Flying Alone with Twins

Discussion in 'The Toddler Years(1-3)' started by cat mommy, Nov 8, 2010.

  1. cat mommy

    cat mommy Well-Known Member

    I have a Combi. I am taking a flight with the kids. I will not need the stroller to get on the plane but I will need one at my destination. I am unsure if anyone will be available to help me get on the plane. I will have two babies with me, an ergo, a rolling suitcase (which I will check if I must) and two convertible car seats to be used on the plane. My options are:

    1. Gate check the stroller (which means removing babies, folding it, putting it through the scanner, removing from scanner while keeping an eye on babies and all my stuff, unfolding it, repacking everyone). I am 100% not comfortable with someone else holding my kids for me at a busy airport while I accomplish this! This option is free.

    2. Checking the stroller. Will cost $60. (Next time, I will by my tickets on a different airline!)

    3. Buying a stroller at destination for $80 with a coupon I have. I am going to my parents so I could leave the stroller there for next time.

    What do you think?
     
  2. twoplustwo

    twoplustwo Well-Known Member

    I always bring my stroller and gate check it. As my kids get older I use the stroller to put our carry ons in which makes getting to the plane easier.

    Personally I think it is a big help. You could have a baby in the ergo and put a car seat in the stroller. That would make things more manageable.

    I have never had an issue with security. They have family lines which helps you by pas the longer lines. If you have a baby in the ergo one in the stroller you just put everything through conveyor belt first then take baby 2 out of stroller and put stroller through then you will have to take baby 1 out of ergo to go through scanner and carry them both through the scanner. It sounds more difficult than it really is. Just take one step at time.
     
  3. Rollergiraffe

    Rollergiraffe Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    Are you going by yourself? I thought that you had to have 1 adult/kid under 2, but I could be wrong about that.

    Anyway, here they typically wheel the stroller through and check it with the wand, so you probably wouldn't have to collapse it to put through the scanner.Holding both babies might be a challenge, but having the ergo would help. Security is also pretty helpful when you have kids. You probably won't even have to think about it as they'll just tell you what to do. I would definitely gate check it though.. it would be easier to get them through the airport with a stroller. You'll be called up for pre-boarding, so you can get a flight attendant to help you get everything on the plane.
     
  4. kgar

    kgar Well-Known Member

    I would check the rolling bag and gate-check the stroller. Keeping up with two kids, two carseats, a stroller and additional luggage is just too much for one person to do. The only luggage I would attempt to carry is a small carry-on with food and toys for the kids that would easily fit under the stroller in the airport and under the seat in front of me on the plane. As for how to get the two kids through the security area, I might use one of those leashes to keep up with the kid who is not in the Ergo. Munchkin makes one that just fits around the kid's wrist. They look a little less "leash-ish" and are a great way to keep toddlers from getting lost in crowds and from running into traffic in parking lots, etc.
     
  5. JoellePotter

    JoellePotter Well-Known Member

    I'm about to take my 2nd trip alone with the boys. I check my stroller at the counter which has always been free. I don't even know an airline that charges for baby items. I'd double check that. Then I check my suitcase since it's free with a military id on most airlines, if not I'll pay for it because it's one last thing. Then I will roll the boys through the airport with them in the convertible car seats each attached to a one of these. My purse will be on my shoulder and then I usually switch over to a backpack as a diaper bag for traveling. So I'm basically just pulling one boy behind me with one hand in his car seat, then another with my other hand. I gate check the 2nd car seat since I only need one on the plane because the other is on my lap.

    For going through security, I never take them out of their car seats. I've always just had them actually do a "manual" check where you can basically go to the side and they'll look over it and wave the wand around it.

    The time I did use the stroller to the gate (my husband was there this time), they offered to do the same thing so we didn't have to put it through the scanner.. plus it wouldn't fit.
     
  6. mommy23under3

    mommy23under3 Member

    How are you able to fly alone with two babies? I know where I'm from and speaking as a travel agent, there is supposed to be one person responsible for each lap held or infant under the age of 2. And also there cannot be to lap help children in one row because of the o2 masks.
    Are you sure you can fly?
     
  7. MichelleL

    MichelleL Well-Known Member

    Are you sure they charge to check the stroller? I've flown several times with the girls and every airline we've been on say car seats and strollers are no charge to check (eta: and I don't just mean gate checking, I mean to put on the plane with the luggage).

    If you don't bring it to the gate with you, how will you get both babies and the car seats to the gate?
     
  8. ainsleyr

    ainsleyr Well-Known Member

    Definitely gate check the stroller. Explain your situation to security - when that happened to me, they hand searched my stroller & allowed me to take the girls out 1 by 1 while they did that. They were super sweet. At the gate, they had a guy assist me with folding and packing up the stroller. I actually traveled with my BOB, which does not exactly fold up into a tiny bundle! I bubble wrapped the handles at home to protect them & took bungee cords with me so that I could keep it all tied up neatly together. The gate staff were really helpful at getting the stroller tied up securely with the bungees. We were allowed on early with preboarding, & then waited to be last off the plane.

    While it was a bit of a hassle to gate check the stroller, it was so worth it to not have to try and keep track of two little inquisitive walkers in the airport terminal. They sat quite happily in their stroller right up until boarding time.

    To PP's enquiring about flying with 2 infants - I was told that as long as I purchased 2 seats it was OK. I couldn't have 2 lap babies (and who would want that???!!! What a nightmare!!!). I took 1 car seat on board & had 1 girl in my lap, 1 in the car seat. No worries - and because I had purchased the extra seat, no problems with O2 masks either.

    But, this was over a year ago, & things change pretty rapidly - goodness knows if they would hand search a stroller now that we have full body scanners...!
     
  9. Trishandthegirls

    Trishandthegirls Well-Known Member

    You can absolutely travel with two babies as long as you buy them seats. And if the OP is travelling with two car seats to use on the plane, she must have bought three tickets. Anyway, I'd advise gate checking your stroller because I can't see how you'd make it to the gate with a suitcase, two car seats and two babies unless you have some way to push the babies/carseats. Or if your kids are at least 22 pounds, you could buy two CARES harnesses to use on the plane. That way you could check the two carseats and the stroller. That's what we do and it's so much easier than trying to get two kids and two carseats onto the plane. I never figured out how to do that without taking two trips up and down the plane.
     
Loading...
Similar Threads Forum Date
flying alone with twins The Toddler Years(1-3) Jan 16, 2010
Flying alone with 10 month olds The First Year Sep 11, 2009
Flying Alone with 1 Yr Old Twins The Toddler Years(1-3) Aug 20, 2009
Tips for flying alone with twins? The First Year Mar 12, 2009
Flying alone with two two year olds? The Toddler Years(1-3) Feb 27, 2009

Share This Page