Has anyone gate-checked a Segway?
 

My husband is disabled but uses a Segway for transportation around his office and downtown Washington, DC. Rather than rent a scooter while on business travel, he'd like to take his Segway. He tried shipping it but ran into problems, so he'd like to take it to the airport, through TSA security, and check it at the gate. (His Segway came with Lithium-Ion batteries but he's purchased the NiMH ones for this use.) Does anyone have any experience with taking a Segway to the airport? Is gate-checking it a problem? He flies United most of the time and will check with them, but he'd like to have firsthand advice, if possible.

How much does it weigh?

It weighs 85 pounds. The "post" in the middle can be compressed, so that it measures about 16"x24"x36"--smaller than a sit-down scooter, probably.

I think most airlines have a section on their website dealing with this issue, including whether the unit must be disassembled (depending on the bin door size), and what information you should have with you. Continental has theirs under travel information/special travel needs/customers with disabilities, for example.

I suggest you look up each airline he will be using, as requirements may vary.

I'd look at the regulations of the places he's going - many countries don't allow Segway use on pavements.

My husband has now taken his Segway on many trips and won't leave home without it! He's recognized by United Airlines staff, which makes the impersonal travel experience so much better. He has only a five-minute delay at Security, where they examine his Segway and call ahead to the gate to tell them he's coming. He then rides it up to the door of the plane, and it's stored in the hold until we pick it up--again, at the door of the plane--on the other end. It almost always fits in the trunk of a taxi; otherwise, we wait for a van. And getting around far-flung hotels is a breeze! He's had access problems only in St. Thomas, where he couldn't get down to the beach because the steps were steep and the hotel's elevator was broken, and in Old San Juan, where there are often curb cuts on one side of the steet but not the other: I guess they expect you to be run over before you reach the other side! He isn't normally a person who talks to strangers, but I now often find him surrounded by groups of people, looking at and talking about the Segway--particularly its advantages to the handicapped. All in all, it's been a great experience!

where did you bay NiMH for i2