Do strollers get broken in airplane baggage check?

[familyoffiveAZ]

After everyone has boarded they'll store your stroller up front near the cockpit.

On one of my flights I was allowed to actually bring the stroller onto the plane. It was just my little $10 umbrella stroller and there wasn't anyone else gate-checking a small stroller. The flight attendants had me stow it in a closet right in front of the first row of seats.

 

[BevS97]

whenever I've gate checked a stroller, they've always taken it down the stairs right by the door of the plane and put it in the hold. There is very limited room within the passenger area of the plane for storage, so unless it's a very quiet flight and a very small stroller, I would expect it to be put in the hold.

Bev

 

[jel0511]

Aunt Minnie - Usually strollers get stored in the hold of the plane like most other luggage. Since it's gate checked, it's handeled by only one person and usually placed in, not thrown in like most other luggage. As indicated earlier by another poster, unless your flight isn't very full, that's where they are stowed. Especially a double stroller, there's no room for that on the plane, it will get stowed with luggage.

 

[POOH&PIGLET]

We've gate-checked strollers a few times with no problems. We always wrap a bungee cord around our stroller because the small plastic latch can easily break. That has worked for us.

One time when we were on the ramp just outside the plane, I saw a baggage handler toss a stroller down onto the runway!

 

[SueM in MN]

The flight attendants had me stow it in a closet right in front of the first row of seats.

That doesn't happen very often. The closet in the front of the plane is usually the first class passenger/hanging bag/coat hanging closet. It's hard to get them to agree to store a wheelchair or walker there (if the closet is big enough) even though the ADA says they must allow it.
We've gate checked a stroller, then a wheelchair for the past 17 years and I can tell you for sure that the gate checked items are almost always brought (carried if you are lucky - but sometimes thrown) down the stairway by the front door and stowed in a hold on top of the other luggage as some of the others have posted.