Nice article about US's wonderful customer service, and no they weren't checked through PHL ;)

http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/664789.html

I'm not saying it's an excuse for US - they should have met the kids ...

But ...

Why would any father in his right mind book kids traveling alone on a transcon itinerary with two connections and even a change in airline?

That's a recipe for disaster for even the most experienced traveler, let alone unaccompanied minors. Very bad idea. :td:

But ...

Why would any father in his right mind book kids traveling alone on a transcon itinerary with two connections and even a change in airline?


Yeah, and how hard would it have been to give them a cellphone? :td:

I'm not sure what spin the writer intended, but it does sound like the teens actually had a great time!

Interesting that the kids slept in the tower and apparently got a bit of a tour. How common is that?

These were teenagers used to flying. I've seen much younger kids being escorted. What happens to them when the airline forgets to show up to meet them?

They were 16 and 14, not really children, especially the 16 year old. I mean he can drive for Christ sake, he should be able to navigate an airport!

The problem is that dad should've made sure the kids had a cell phone or at least a phone card, and a credit card or something so they could get a room if things went wrong.

I think it would be cool at 16 to sleep in the tower though, sounds like they had a great trip!

Sean

Yes US dropped the ball on this one but the father is to blame also. The kids sound like they had a great time. I would like to sleep in the control tower.

Article states that the tickets required a change to DL in PHX with an overlay in CVG...if I guess correctly, they were booked
US SAN - PHX
DL PHX - CVG
US (?) CVG-RDU

While the boys were in the air SAN - PHX, parents made a change, getting US to agree to put them on a direct US flight PHX-RDU. Without cell phones, the boys did not know when they landed of the changes their parents had made, and proceeded to the DL gate. An agent was supposed to redirect them at PHX, but that never happened

Here's where I'm confused: OK, looks like US dropped the ball in not meeting their flight. But if changes to the PNR were made, shouldn't DL in Terminal 3 have told the boys to hurry back to Terminal 4 fo the direct PHX-RDU flight they were now booked on? How did they get on their original or later DL flight PHX-CVG if that had been changed to a direct US flight PHX-RDU?

The US rules (http://www.usairways.com/awa/content/traveltools/specialneeds/unaccompaniedminors.aspx) are clear. The article makes no mention of the father paying the extra $50 fee each for escort assistance. It sounds like the phone agent made a well-meaning comment, "We'll keep an eye on the kids, etc", but what to do if an agent misses meeting the kids as they get off the aircraft... The fee, I think, officially puts them in the system, alerting GAs, FAs, etc to ask the boys to wait until the escort arrives, etc. That did not happen, and the US agent is at fault for over-promising, though s/he apparently changed their PNRs to direct flights without an extra fee!

The point of all this is that US alone does not deserve the whole blame. They've offered vouchers as compensation, and all's well that ends well.

US doesn't fly CVG-RDU, so that must have been a DL segment as well.

The only thing that I can think of is that the PNR wasn't actually changed over the phone by the father, rather the US agent was supposed to meet the boys in PHX and take them to the RDU flight stopping somewhere to get the PNR changed and them re-ticketed.

I'm still shocked that anyone would purchase this kind of itinerary.

US doesn't fly CVG-RDU, so that must have been a DL segment as well.

The only thing that I can think of is that the PNR wasn't actually changed over the phone by the father, rather the US agent was supposed to meet the boys in PHX and take them to the RDU flight stopping somewhere to get the PNR changed and them re-ticketed....

Didn't know US doesn't fly CVG-RDU direct...learn something new every day :) And if the father made his boys connect again in PHL or DCA or somewhere to RDU on US or DL, he must now know the torture he's put his kids through!

Somewhere near the end, the article states, "...Airline records show that the agent in San Diego actually put the teens on the direct flight from Phoenix to Raleigh...."This agent was really looking out for these kids," she said. "I'm not sure where this broke down."

Looks like the PNR was changed, yet they still were able to get on the original DL flight PHX-CVG...I'm still confused.

The larger question is, if US is only involved in getting the boys SAN-PHX on the original PNR and it's DL all the way thereafter, shouldn't this have been DL's responsibility from PHX?

BA "allegedly" lost an old man and his baggage this week, although it was really nothing to do with them and the usual UK papers twisting the slightest story...

He was onboard ill flying to the UK to hospital without any insurance which caused a huge run of problems

More on the BA board.

And, from the US website:

* Children 15-17 who require US Airways assistance may travel unaccompanied on non-stop flights only.

*A completed Unaccompanied Minor Request for Carriage Form is required for travel

Doesn't sound like the pop followed any of the rules.

I'm still shocked that anyone would purchase this kind of itinerary.

It stated in the article that the father bought the cheapest ticket (most likely not directly from either airline). The implication is that he was more concerned with price than with logistics. It also sounds like the kids do more flying than the father, so the father may not realize the danger of mis-connecting on an itinerary involving two connections and two different carriers who probably were not codesharing.

Based upon the boys' ages, I highly doubt he paid for a UM escort, and the article doesn't mentioned that the father paid extra for this service. I don't blame US for this one.

I quickly looked at US's unaccompanied minor rules, and in no way would this situation fit. The fee of $50 applies, for the 16 year-old, the flight would need to be non-stop, and no one in PHX could do a proper pick-up. I'm surprised US would even promise anything at all given the situation given the risks and the lack of $100 payment. I would have expected a pretty categorical "here are our UM rules, and this situation doesn't fit" denial by the agent.

I was on a US Airways flight yesterday from PDX>LAS and watched as a flight attendant brought a girl traveling alone to her seat - right behind mine - went over safety procedures and explained that she needed to wait until everyone was off the plane - and then she would be escorted off the plane. The flight attendant was very professional and the girl, about 12, seemed fine with the briefing. Just an observation.

I'm still shocked that anyone would purchase this kind of itinerary.

Hey, I don't disagree here, but I'll point out that certain websites (far moreso than others) list some really outrageuous routings when one searches by price. I find that Orbitz.com really gets the prize on this dubious accolade.

For example, this week I was on a conference call and had some time to poke around looking for flights a meeting I just learned about to MCI in a few weeks. There were several wild, contorted schedules that came back -- the wildest of which was something like:

PWM-LGA-DTW-MCI on the outbound and
MCI-DTW-MSP-LGA-PHL-PWM on the return!

Only an idiot would book these routings, but they came up in droves on orbitz. I've often seen double connections come up even on simple price searches, so I'm betting that's what Dad did.

Several decades ago, I flew on another carrier and despite a cancelled connection, the airlines did not treat me differently as an unaccompanied minor than an adult. I was 9. They just handed me a hotel voucher and instruction sheet. Luckily, I was half smart but I forgot to call home. I just took the flight the next day on a different airline.

As far as the OP thread title, I thought the children was referring to airlines. US has lost 2 of its children, PSA and Empire. Everyone knows about the PSA routes on the West Coast. Empire had a mini-hub in Syracuse, NY.

Given the convoluted nature of the routing, just to save a few bucks, I seriously doubt UAM fees were paid to take care of these young adults/kids. I'm far from a USAir fan, but I assign blame here to Dad.