When kids fly alone, is there someone there with them at all times.?
My daughter is going to Milwaukee from San Antonio to stay with her dad for a week and we want to know if it's safe for her to go alone. Sha's 11. She has to change flights in Chicago and we want to make sure she gets on the right flight and that she's safe.
San Antonio - 7 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
yeah it is safe as long as you are setting her up as an unoccupied minor and the fight attendants will make sure she is safe and make sure someone takes her to the right gate etc. UNITED WAS GOOD AT THIS.
2 :
yes. they dont sit with her on the flight all the time - but they are there. and they will walk her off the plane and onto the next plane when she changes in chicago.
3 :
yes they have a flight attendent assigned to them until they get picked up at the airport
4 :
from my own experience as a kid travelling alone, no there is not always someone with the child at all times. However the trip is still safe. I remember someone being with me while they checked tickets and at the airport at all times, but during the flight I was left alone in my seat, while the stewardes did her job (meal & attending other passengers). My seat however was all the way upfront where they could "keep an eye on me" so while i was relatively safe (and with really no where to go) I was still left alone most of the time during the play ride. I would suggest you talk to the airline specifically about what safety measures they take and making sure your kid has a cell phone and the numbers of your family, the father, and any emergency numbers =] at 11 im pretty sure she's savvy w. the cell phone
5 :
As a former airline employee, summer time is big for unaccompanied minor travel. At check-in she will be given a sticker, button or something to hang around her neck to signify she is an unaccompanied minor. This needs to remain visible at all times. If you have not been advised, airlines do charge for this service. You can pay round trip or for one portion if you choose to. Just make sure the agent documents the reservation if you pay round trip, or have her old on to the reciept. Information will be entered into the system as to your contact information and address as well as who is picking her up. You two are the only ones who can pick her up at her destination or on her return. So, dont substitute anyone else unless its an emergency. You will escort her to the gate. Check-in with the gate agents and let them have the envelope or paperwork you received at the ticket counter. Generally it is white with red stripes on most airlines or in a clear plastic pouch hanging around her neck. Once it is time to board, you will say your good-byes in the gate area and the agent will walk her down to the plane and hand the paperwork over to the flight attendant. Your child will then be escorted to her seat. Some airlines reserve certain seats for minors to keep them all together. Upon arrival, she will be asked to remain seated until a flight attendant calls for her or comes and gets her. She will be the last to get off of the plane. The gate agent meeting the flight is handed over the paper work and introduced to her. She takes the paperwork and the child to one of two places, either the connecting gate if the connnection is close, or if there is a lengthy lay over, a room where there is a TV and games and what not. Delta's is called Dusty's Den. Once she is passed off to the next agent, she will be in close proximity and visible at all times. Usually behind the counter next to the agent or in a room we have behind the counter. Then the process repeats itself. Once she arrives at her destination, the meeting parent will need to be in the gate area. He needs to check in at the ticket counter and tell the agent he is meeing an unaccompanied minor on Flight XXX. So, make sure he arrives early and in plenty of time to get through security. Your daughter will be the last to come off of the plane and then he will have to show his ID to verify he is who you are releasing her to and then he will sign for her stating he has picked her up. It is important that he is in the gate area as the plane arrives. Agents may have to work another flight right away and things can get hectic. While the child will be with them at all times, it can be difficult to open a flight and run paperwork and have to also keep an eye on a child, but its been done. Some airports are too large to walk a child to security to meet their parent, so again...make sure you both know to be in the gate. And dont worry, the crew will know her name and where she is supposed to be seated at all times. It is printed out on the manifest. It states her route, seating assingment, name and age. Make sure you send her with money should she want to get something to eat at her connection point. I worked in Jackson, MS for a year and there was an 8 year old boy who flew from Albequreue, NM every two weeks going back and forth between parents and connected in Dallas or Atlanta. He logged more frequent flier miles than most adults do. While he was not the most well behaved child, he knew the routine and there are lots of kids that do this all the time. Also...just know that unaccompanied minors can not fly on the last flight or last connection of the night. If you booked through a website or did not go directly through the airline, check her itinerary or call and verify with the airline if it is a late afternoon flight. Make sure she is not flying on any flights that are the last ones of the night. Delay's do happen during the summer and there are chances flights may cancel. Ticket agents will not allow her to check in if this is the case. Just know this for the future if this becomes normal summer routine for her. Don't worry, educate her on what is to be expected of her. She will be fine and safe. You don't have to worry. Make this experience fun for her and not get her worried about the possibilities.
6 :
yup
7 :
well it is safe but if u a good mother i wont let her go alone u never know what might happen if i was a mother i wont never let her go alone i would buy to airplanes tickets see a good mother should take care of their son or daughter and i dont think it would be a good idea well hope u use this answer as a good answer just remember be a good mother.
