Flying alone....
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Just wondering....when do you think a child can fly alone?
Soon to be SS lives far away and right now DF has to fly down to pick up SS and fly back with him for visits. This is very expensive and I was wondering when he'll be able to fly alone. Right now SS is 6 and I know it'll be awhile before he can come up by himself (and save us a few hundred $$$)
Also, DF usually flys down on a Saturday and flys back with SS on Sunday. He says that SS needs time to adjust before coming up. Has anyone else experienced this? I think that if he has to go back and forth, he should just do it in one day.
What do you think?
My SS was 8 when he would
My SS was 8 when he would fly to visit his mom, she moved to Vegas. However that was a shorter flight because we are in WA
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I'm a Flight Attendant
Most airlines offer assistance for unaccompanied minors after the age of 5 years. There is an additional fee depending on the airline. A network is in place to take care of these children, however, I would be cautious. We sometimes forget about the kids on board because of the many extra responsibilities etc. A lot really depends on your child and his/her maturity, and comfort level, being on his own. There is a system in place to make sure an official of the airline is responsible for the connections etc. However, we pass these kids on to very low paid, people who, sometimes I am not all that comfortable with. Not that they would harm the kid but they may not speak English or get paid well enough to take the child seriously. I don't want to undermine the people who do this work. Sometimes Flight Attendants are incredibly consciencious (sp) about the wellbeing of the UM's. My best advice is to gauge your child. If he is savvy and confident. Maybe about 8 years, I might have him travel alone. I always go out of my way for the kids but that is just me. I've heard though, the comments, " do we have a Um?" ... "Where is he..." So make sure you have a kid who can handle being passed from one person to another and is okay sitting alone and managing himself. Otherwise, don't send him alone.