{"id":37609,"date":"2017-07-31T07:42:15","date_gmt":"2017-07-31T07:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=37609"},"modified":"2017-07-31T07:42:15","modified_gmt":"2017-07-31T07:42:15","slug":"tips-for-parents-of-children-flying-solo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/travel\/tips-for-parents-of-children-flying-solo.html","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Parents of Children Flying Solo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tips for Parents of Children Flying Solo<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Tips for Parents of Children Flying Solo:-Last week, an unaccompanied 15-year-old traveling from London to meet his grandparents in France was bumped from an oversold easyJet flight and essentially treated as an adult, left to deal with rebooking on his own, according to a report by the BBC.<\/span><\/p>\n

Though the incident ended with the boy taking a flight 10 hours later, it underscores a weakness in a system designed to care for children unaccustomed to advocating for themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

Experts emphasize the importance of educating children before their trip.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEven if it\u2019s an older teen flying to soccer camp, they need to learn to speak up and explain that they\u2019re 16 and on their own and can\u2019t be stranded in an airport,\u201d said Eileen Ogintz, who has the syndicated column and website Taking the Kids. \u201cPlay the what-if game. What if you\u2019re canceled? What if you\u2019re diverted? What if you\u2019re stranded?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Even when children are adequately prepared with those answers, the protocol for flying solo is not uniform. Because there are no Transportation Department regulations regarding travel by unaccompanied minors, airlines create their own policies, beginning with who can fly. Here are tips for familiarizing yourself with guidelines established by airlines.
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\nAirline Requirements<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Many American carriers offer services for children designated solo fliers like select seats and airline escorts on and off the plane, and to connecting gates. Most airlines consider solo fliers from the ages of 5 to 15 as unaccompanied minors, though Southwest Airlines puts the upper limit at 11 and JetBlue Airways at 13. American Airlines and Delta Air Lines make the designation optional for children 15 to 17. (For those ages, parents can let the kids fly without designating them unaccompanied minors and forfeit the additional care.) It is optional on Alaska Airlines for passengers 13 to 17.<\/span><\/p>\n

Additional fees for unaccompanied minors vary as well. It costs $25 each way for direct flights on Alaska and $50 for one-way itineraries involving connections. Southwest charges $50 a flight. On JetBlue, the service costs $100 one way, and American, Delta and United Airlines all charge $150 each way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Different fees may apply to multiple children traveling together. For example, American Airlines only charges one unaccompanied minor fee for parties of two or more, and Delta charges one fee for up to four children traveling together.<\/span><\/p>\n

For those fees, children are usually promised a seat close to the front of the plane. Airline agents will escort minors to their seats, again when they deplane, and to connecting gates.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not all flights are available to children traveling alone. Many carriers limit younger children to nonstop or direct flights. Delta allows 8- to 14-year-olds to make connections, assisted by an employee. American Airlines allows connecting services, with an escort between flights, at several of its busier airports, including its hubs in Chicago, Dallas and New York.<\/span><\/p>\n

Parental Considerations<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

At the airport check-in desk, parents with government-issued identification can obtain a pass that allows them to escort the minor to the gate. Some airlines require them to stay at the airport until the plane has taken off, and most experts advise doing so in case the plane experiences a mechanical problem or delay and must return to the terminal.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the arrival airport, most airlines will similarly issue a gate pass to the person designated to pick up the minor, allowing the person to meet the child at the arrival gate.<\/span><\/p>\n

To better track unaccompanied minors, Delta has instituted a system that relies on bar-coded wristbands that are scanned at way points in the journey. The airline has said that it intends to make that data available to parents and custodians.<\/span><\/p>\n

Experts recommend parents prepare children for flight as they would themselves, including sending them off with identification such as a birth certificate or a passport. Pack a water bottle to fill after passing through security; some form of entertainment, like books or a tablet computer with an extra battery booster; a fleece or sweater for chilly flights; and food.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSend the equivalent of a school lunch,\u201d Ms. Ogintz of Taking the Kids said. \u201cChances are there\u2019s not much food.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In the lead-up to the trip, position it as an adventure to ease anxieties. Rainer Jenss, the president and founder of the Family Travel Association, a group that advocates travel as educational, suggests involving children in planning flights to make them feel empowered, and accentuating the positives to get them excited.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCompliment the child on what a big boy or girl they are,\u201d he said. \u201cEmphasize how they can now be trusted and how grown up they are. Talk about how fun flying is. How they can get somewhere so fast without having to go on a long, boring car ride.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, just because children can fly solo doesn\u2019t mean all of them should.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf they\u2019re truly nervous, wait until they\u2019re older,\u201d Ms. Ogintz said. \u201cOr if you\u2019re paying $150 each way in fees, it might make sense to pay for a niece to go with them and fly back.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/07\/27\/travel\/children-flying-solo-kids-parents-tips.html<\/span><\/p>\n

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