Comments on: Children and Flying – Unaccompanied Minors

By: April

April — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:35:18 +0000

My friend that is 11 years old is gonna fly over here to southwest Texas from Denver.
She said she’s fine with going by herself.

By: Airline Food and Airport Restaurants

Airline Food and Airport Restaurants — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:42:05 +0000

[...] happen to a child during air travel, but that can of lemon tuna at American Airlines really has to go. Nasty stuff. And it’s (at [...]

By: Eva

Eva — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:41:44 +0000

Hadn’t heard about the Continental case yet! Wild. I wonder how they managed that?

I flew as an “official” UM once, I forget if I was 6 or 7, return from Saskatoon to Toronto via Winnipeg. It was awesome, apart from a well-meaning flight attendant forcing me to eat my fish! (My mother would never force me to clean my plate when the meal in question is airplane food…) Anyway, after that (starting from about 10 yrs old) I just flew alone, without the big UM button on and all that.

I think one major factor to consider is how familiar/comfortable kids are not just with independence generally, but with planes and airports. I’d been flying that same route with my parents a few times a year, so it was familiar territory.

By: wandermom

wandermom — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:52:46 +0000

I was totally stunned when I heard this story. Continental completely dropped the ball imho.
When I researched this topic earlier this year (for this post: http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/blogs/wandermom/2009/02/23/unaccompanied-minors/), I got a lot of feedback from people who work (or have worked) in the industry and/or had traveled as unaccompanied minors themselves warning about the dangers of connecting flights.
This story proves that point!

By: Elizabeth Sanchez

Elizabeth Sanchez — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:26:44 +0000

My mother sent me and my three siblings, ages 11, 10, 5 and 4 (I think) to Mexico. It was an exciting, if uneventful experience, and I think it’s hard to make a blanket statement. I would say the age depends on the children. We traveled alone at that age, but I would never send my 12-year-old cousin unaccompanied anywhere.

By: MountainMama

MountainMama — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:39:53 +0000

Honestly, I would still consider sending my 7- and 9-yr-olds alone (together) on a direct flight.

By: pligg.com

pligg.com — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:22:22 +0000

Children and Flying – Unaccompanied Minors…

After a 10-yr old unaccompanied minor was put on the wrong plane (to the wrong destination), are parents going to change how they let their kids travel?…