absolutely not. SD is 8 and she can barely find her way from the toilet to the sink without written directions and a map.

99% of the airlines wont even allow that, so why would you?

My son started flying alone (unaccompanied minor) between NYC and RDU ~ nonstop flights only ~ when he was 9.

I would have never allowed what the OP described.

As I said on someone else's blog no way would I or could I do that. Sorry but I'd have a very hard time letting my kids that young fly alone.

hmph. honestly, any airlines that runs the unaccompanied minor program will make it work for an 8 year old (and yeah, even on a prop plane they have to fly with an attendant) The worse part, in my experience of sending my young bd off to see her dad (west palm>philly) was what she would encounter once there. He wouldn't let her call me, I had no way of knowing if she had landed safely, etc etc.

I would feel leery about doing that myself.

I always find this interesting. Yes the airlines provide an unaccompanied minor program.

Not one will provide emotional support if your child has a problem.

I did not put my daughter on a plane alone until she felt emotionally ready to handle boarding a plane and leaving a parent.

She was 13-14 years old and had been going to her dads twice a year since 2.

I've never known of a commercial airplane to fly without at least flight attendant. Someone has to ensure the seatbelts are buckled & all that. If there's no flight attendant, I would guess that maybe a plane that small doesn't have the cabin separate from the flight deck, so one of the pilots would be able to help him...?

I have seen small kids fly alone & the attendants have always kept close watch. If the airline allows it, I would imagine they have policies in place to accommodate it.