Continental Errors Cause Parents to Reevaluate Wisdom of Air Travel for Unaccompanied Minors
After Continental Airlines sent two unaccompanied minor to the wrong cities, parents are becoming increasingly concerned as to whether it's safe to send a child unaccompanied on an airplane to visit a divorced spouse or relative who lives across the country.
In the wake of the Continental errors — and on the cusp of summer, when thousands of unattended kids zoom across time zones en route to camps or to see divorced moms and dads — many parents and grandparents are re-thinking how and when children should go it alone.
Every major carrier accepts and offers special attention to unescorted flyers starting at age 5. On United Airlines, solo-flying kids must wear red-and-white buttons so flight crews can identify them. On Southwest Airlines, unattended children are introduced to the flight attendants. Still, parental nerves seem more frayed over the issue, experts say.
At the Family Travel Network, an online magazine and trip-planning hub, many parental e-mails are this week tinged with vapor-trail jitters.
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At what age do unattended minors still require gate-to-gate handholding? That debate extends well beyond family dinner tables. Even the carriers don’t have a consensus. On Southwest, unaccompanied-child service is available only for passengers between ages 5 and 11.
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Delta Airlines, in contrast, will provide extra attention to riders who are 17 — if parents request it and pay a $100 fee. (All the major airlines charge for the service). However, Delta also leads the U.S airline industry in complaints when it comes to their handling of unaccompanied minors. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, customers have lodged 23 complaints against Delta since 2007 about its treatment of solo-flying kids. (Delta did not respond to an interview request for this story).
We are not fans of children flying unaccompanied; we think it's just too dangerous. But family finances and work schedules force many families to put their children on a plane alone to comply with custody arrangements. In any event, the airlines need to step up their game on this issue.
