Can you take a Micro Scooter as hand luggage? Read on to see how we got on when we took ours from London to New York (and back!)
Disclaimer: the boys were gifted a Micro Scooter in return for an honest review. As always, all opinions are our own.
On a previous visit to New York, when faced with the moaning of boys with tired legs, we popped to the nearest toy store and bought some cheap scooters for them. They were a godsend and meant that we could explore further and easier with no more moaning!
But they were cheap, and didn’t last very long! So I knew for our recent visit that I wanted make sure that we were prepared and had scooters (good ones this time!) to take with us.
But this meant finding something suitable to take on the flight with us, preferably as hand luggage. Folding metal Micro scooters seemed like the perfect choice, as not only were they approved as “super cool” by the boys, but they are designed to be folded down and carried easily.
We opted for the Micro Rocket for our 11 year old, and the Micro Speed for our eight year old. Both of these options not only have the ability to fold at the middle, but also for the handle bar to retract, and for the handles themselves to be folded down too.
After previously flying back with British Airways with the cheaper scooters, and having no issues at all with taking them as hand luggage, I was confident we’d be fine taking the Micro Scooters. However, as we were flying with a different airline, United Airlines this time, I decided to do a bit of research just in case. It is always a good idea to check the hand luggage restrictions of the particular airline you are flying with!
From what I could see, the only restrictions they had for scooters was that they couldn’t be battery powered or motorised in any way – so we were good to go!
For transatlantic flights like ours, United permit one item not exceeding the official hand luggage measurements, and one smaller personal item such as a handbag or a laptop bag. This meant that the boys could take both their scooters and their Trunki booster seat backpack. They scooted right up to the gate, folded their scooters down and carried them on to the plane.
We popped the scooters in the overhead compartments and to make it a bit safer to anyone opening it up, we laid our jackets over them and popped our hand luggage backpack in front of them. Perfect!
I found the whole airport navigation with kids to be much easier with the scooters, especially when our gate turned out to be one of the ones a 15minute walk away. And we actually had a few people comment on what a genius idea it was!
So the answer to the question “can you take a Micro scooter as hand luggage?” the answer is yes!
And if you’d like to see how we got on with them around New York – check out these pictures. They literally came everywhere with us, and made the trip so much more manageable for the boys.
If you’re looking for inspiration on some of the products that Micro Scooters have for younger kids, please do check out this post from Katy at Otis and Us: Outdoor Fun with Micro Scooters: Scooters for all ages.
That’s a genius idea! The one problem we have when travelling with our son is hearing “I’m tired of walking” as we do tend to walk the legs off him but this sounds like the perfect cure for that! #fearlessfamtrav
Author
We love to get out and walk around places on holiday too, and although our kids are generally good walkers, the scooters made it SO much easier!
What an utterly brilliant idea! I’d never considered taking scooters on a plane. I can see how they’d be super handy with all the exploring you did during your trip! #fearlessfamtrav
Author
They were super handy for sure. We literally took them up to the gate before they needed to fold them down. Perfect if your flight gate is a mile from the shops and restaurants!
What a great idea! We’ve packed skateboards, but have never done a scooter. the kids would love this.
#fearlessfamtrav
Author
My boys definitely loved taking them, especially scooting through the airport!
We aren’t quite at the scooter stage yet but I think this is such a useful post! Great practical advice #fearlessfamtrav
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Thanks, definitely one to consider for the future – they were a god send for us!
Really need to get Mini scootering around… This would make our trips a lot quieter! Can roam Legoland/Disneyland all day, but can’t walk the five minutes to the hotel!
Author
Haha, my kids are the same! Can definitely recommend scooters to counter that 😊
This is SUCH a great idea! I can’t believe I’ve never thought of flying with a scooter before. It would’ve made some city breaks an awful lot easier. Good that you put your jackets on top, though. I wouldn’t want one of those scooters falling out and bashing me on the head 🙂
Really good idea! My daughters adore their scooters. It would make airport travel and City breaks even more fun. #fearlessfamtrav
My girls loved their Micro Scooters – and we still have them and they still use them! (they are teens now) x
What a great -and fun- idea for kids! I didn’t know you could easily get them on a plane.
Such a genius idea!! Would never have thought to take these on a city break.
It’s even a great option for me, for I have shattered my ankle and cannot walk very far. I take my scooter with me when I go an a citytrip with my students. They walk a lot and I can cope easily because of my kick scooter. My students even find it very trendy… having a professor on a scooter 🙂
THANK YOU! Heading to Heathrow on Tuesday on United and this was exactly my question. Thank you for the level of detail!
I love the idea… my 3 boys always get tired of walking so I want to do this. I just don’t want to pack helmets 🙂 Maybe it’s okay if I don’t. Love your article and pics, thanks!