Effective June 1, new American Airlines rules re: travel with strollers

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06/06/2011 11:28

Subject: Re:Effective June 1, new American Airlines rules re: travel with strollers

Anonymous

Wow - airline person here. I don't work for American Airlines so I can't comment on their policy.

I will say this: people are taking for granted something here. Airlines allow you to gate-check your stroller as a courtesy. It's not an unalienable right. The policy is there to make things easier on parents and encourage them to fly (yes, we do listen to you, and yes, we do want to keep you happy!). The problem is, when the giant strollers are being checked, they are causing flight delays due to overweight flights (if you check them on arrival, they're weighed and calculated, not so if you gate check), they are harder and more time-consuming to gate check, they require more resources, and it raises the cost of providing the travel for everyone. Airlines lack pricing power right now. This means, we really can't and have not made real increases in fares. (fares have not kept pace with inflation, despite how expensive it seems to fly).

By allowing lightweight strollers, but banning larger strollers from the gate-check, it seems like American is attempting to balance the needs of parents who use strollers to get their babies from point A to B against the needs of the other passengers. It seems pretty balanced to me, however, it's possible that American should tweak their policy to make a reasonable exceptions for parents with double strollers. (Honestly, my guess is that this is going to be fine - if you have a 25 lb double umbrella stroller, you're genuinely not the target here...But the policy should match the intent more clearly). There also might be some clarification in order that the weight limit is per child, so if you have two children, you have a right to have two 20 lb strollers, so a 35 lb twin stroller should not be a problem. Again, this should be clarified.

For those of you who want to take your all terrain or heavy jogging strollers to the gate, it's a perk, not a right, that some airlines allow you to do this.

In case this helps, the Peg Perego Aria is just 14 lbs (hard to believe but that's what the website says!) and the Maclaren Volo twin is 21 lbs.

I know it's hard to travel with kids. I travel with my own! I don't typically take a stroller with me when I travel, but when I do, I take my volo. If you're going hiking or somewhere that you really need a jogging stroller, you'll have to be the one to accommodate; not the other way around.

Even though I work for the airlines, I'm almost always sympathetic to the passenger in these situations but I'm having a hard time understanding the rancor on this one, beyond the twin or two under two type issue. Seems to me that there is a pretty simple solution: downsize to a smaller stroller for travel, or gate check, or wear the baby. Three choices! It's not like AA is saying you can no longer travel with your stroller. They're simply asking you to be reasonable about its size, or check it upon arrival.

One last thought, for what it's worth. The DOT recently issued a new rule on tarmac delays. The longest you may be delayed on the tarmac is three hours. While that still seems like a long time, at least you know you'll never be sitting there for 5, 6, 7 hours. And the airline does have to provide you with food and water during that time, and if they cannot, the regulation says they have to return to the gate and let you deplane. The other thing to keep in mind is, although you hear about lengthy delays in the news, they are really not that common. Not to downplay the misery of that experience - because I've been through it. But just keep that in mind.