Airline travel with children: four words that strike fear in the hearts of most adults. Travel is hard. Airline travel is harder. Adding children to the mix makes everything breathtakingly complicated. Assuming your child is old enough to use a kick scooter, then at least you needn’t worry about apologizing to everyone about a wailing infant, but you still have to keep them happy both for the flight and when they land. The presence of certain items can be like a security blanket for children; a child may not want to actually play with a specific toy, but knowing it is nearby can help to keep them calm.
Bringing toys or art supplies are common ways to occupy a child during a long flight, but suppose your flight lands and you and your spouse just want to relax by the pool while your child occupies themselves? A kick scooter can mean the difference between a child with an avenue to blow off some steam and a hyperactive child refusing to go to bed because of jetlag.
Of course, bringing a kick scooter on your flight can be complicated. Different airlines approach it different ways. Some will allow kick scooters as personal items, while others will insist they are luggage. You may not want to trust an unprotected scooter to the baggage handlers, and perhaps you should consider putting it in a padded case. If your child’s kick scooter folds, you can probably take it on the plane as a personal item.
Check Your Airlines Requirements
Check with your individual airline to confirm that traveling with a small scooter won't compromise your itinerary.
Before setting off, you need to check with your airline to see if they will allow you to travel with the kick scooter at all. If they say that they will not allow it under any circumstances, then there’s nothing you can really do. If the airline says you can travel with it, but only as checked luggage, then you need to figure out the best way to disassemble or fold up your child’s kick scooter so it will fit in your checked luggage.
Some airlines will allow you to bring the kick scooter as a carry-on item, but depending on the airline it may be subject to the same size rules as checked luggage. Any frequent flier knows that airlines vary their requirements by fractions of an inch, so a carry-on bag that may be fine for Delta will be a no-go for American. The same may be true for personal items like kick scooters, so make sure you get the airline’s rules in writing before heading off, and if you’re especially paranoid, bring a cloth tape measure so you can show the kick scooter’s dimensions.
Airlines often require passengers with crutches or the like to stow their crutches folded up in either the overhead bins or in a closet near first class. If your airline gives you a hard time about bringing a folded or disassembled scooter on because of limited space overhead, be sure to ask if they could put it in the closet up front. You may have to wait a bit to retrieve it when everyone disembarks at your destination, but at least you can have it in hand as soon as you deplane.
Some Scooters Are Better to Fly With Than Others
1. Gomo 3-Wheel Scooter
Two features that make the GOMO 3 Wheel scooter excellent for travel is the removable handlebar and the soft nose.
The GOMO Kids Scooter is a sweet spot for traveling with a child’s kick scooter. The handlebar is removable with the push of a button, so it can become compact for travel without the need for a complicated and delicate folding mechanism.
Its soft nose means that the GOMO Kids Scooter can pack without fear of destroying everything in one’s luggage, but it also means that if your airline lets you take it into the airplane’s cabin as a personal item, it is less likely to smash up everything in the overhead cabinets or the closet.
Perhaps most importantly however, the GOMO Kids Scooter is safe fun that kids really enjoy and when you consider how much it costs per hour of use, it’s a better value than any video game and it will keep your child active and healthy, even when grandma and grandpa stuff them full of chocolates every night.
2. Cityglide C200 Foldable Scooter
The Cityglide C200 Kick Scooter is great for travel! It includes a one-touch heavy duty folding mechanism for frequent folding! Folds to a compact 31.5" x 11.5” inches. Also includes a carrying strap and kickstand for easy transportation.
A height adjustable handlebar is an amazing feature for growing kids on the Cityglide C200 Scooter. The 17.5" wide T-bar is adjustable from 32" to 41" tall.
Best of all, the Cityglide C200 Scooter is great for all ages with a max weight capacity of 220 pounds. Kids can ride around on it around the neighborhood or you can use on your commute to work.
When you travel with your child and their kick scooter, make sure you do your homework before you set off, and while you’re at it, bring the right scooter with you.