First trip on PD.. Need advice

[rileysmom]

i work for an airline (im a f/a) i will tell you two things, first gate check it, DONOT check it at the counter.  sometimes those tags can fall off, and sometimes the rampers will not see the tag right away, most airlines are short handed due to all the staff cuts. also, i would definitely first ask the flight attendants if there is someplace they can put the bag, let them know what it is and how important it is that it doesnt get destroyed , etc. 99percent of the time they will sympathize with you and help you out. i will admit there are times there just isnt any room on the planes, depending if it is a larger a/c or a smaller a/c. but ask them first. and if it is gate checked they will put it in a separate compartment under the "belly" of the plane and it is walked down from the jetbridge to the underbelly so it wont be tossed around. 

[drgirlfriend]

rileysmom - that is what we did and it went well overall. There were some tense moments when it seemed people did not understand what needed to be done. I think a lot of them took one look at the size of the case and freaked out.