ella2001

Son, aged 16, flew with BA to Boston and back last month. His first solo transatlantic trip (and thank you BA for taking such good care of him). All went smoothly, until he was back at Terminal 5 coming through UK Immigration (he is a UK citizen). At this point he was told by the lady at Immigration that he should not be travelling as an under 18 without a letter of permission from his parents. She asked where he'd been, who he'd been staying with, how he knew them, how his parents knew them and so on. Remember by this time he's back home.... He told her that I was collecting him from the airport and she said that she really ought to accompany him landside and hand him over to me. Son rather sensibly suggested that she call me on my mobile but she declined, and eventually, after a bit of lecturing, she let him through.

Now I can see some reasons why it might be sensible for an under 16 to have a permission letter -- I suppose he could be a runaway. But at no point has it been indicated to me that it was required. Not when I renewed his passport a few months ago, nor when I booked his BA flights, nor when he checked in, nor when he left the UK, nor when he arrived in the US, nor when he left the US again. There is nothing on the UK Border Agency or Home Office web sites. He has travelled before without a letter and has never been challenged. And, having questioned several friends with 14-16 year olds who travel alone, no one else has been challenged either.

I have in the past provided a letter when he was much younger and travelling with adults who were not relatives, but stopped that when he was clearly old (and large) enough for it to be clear he was not being coerced.

So it's all a mystery. Does anyone else have any experience or know if a letter really is required? I just can't see why she would say so if it wasn't but it does seem odd that it has never come up before.