iahphx

I'm thinking of sending a 15-year-old on a flight by himself. He's a seasoned traveler, would fly nonstop, and will have family to pick him up at the airport. And in this age of cell phones, I'm not worried about communicating with him if something went wrong.

That said, I checked the rules just to make sure it was "legal." Not only is it legal, but I was surprised to see that the USA airlines seem to allow children aged 12 and older to travel unaccompanied without restrictions. Twelve seems rather young to me -- especially on connecting flights when the probability of something going materially wrong is higher (especially on the last connection of the day).

I honestly can't recall seeing young teens travelling by themselves. Is it a common practice? Given how high the "unaccompanied minor" fees are, I would think lots of kids get sent off to visit friends/family with their parents just "hoping for the best."

steppie

3 of my 4 grandchildren , ages 15, 13, 12 have traveled alone (seperately). No problems, kids are so savy and experience today..and very savy with cell phones. I have seen many young people by themselves. Your 15 year old will be fine and will love the independence!!

gobluetwo

It depends on the child's maturity level and parents' comfort levels.

My sister and I traveled to visit my uncle in Denver when we were 13/15. We also flew up alone to visit my cousins in Baltimore when we were 12/14. My family weren't huge travelers when I was growing up, but I did do solo travel when I was 14 and 15 to summer debate camps in DC and Michigan (grew up in ATL). This was in the very early 90s (so I'm aging myself), so we relied on things like pay phones and calling cards to keep in touch.

I think a big driver of kids traveling alone is to see divorced parents in different states. During the summer, you'll also see many kids heading off to camps and other programs. Many of my friends went to summer academic programs (which were really just big parties) at Harvard or some of the northeast boarding schools (Andover and Philips Exeter are the two popular ones that come to mind).

Eclipsepearl

I used to fly by myself all the time at that age. My mom was a widow with only two children so we couldn't be on the same flight. I, being the older one, would take the earlier flight with the connection and my sister would take a later non-stop (usually) when visiting my dad's relatives on the East Coast.

One time when I was 12, my uncle and aunt messed up with the pick-up time. I was stuck at the airport for hours in the days before cell phones. I called them and they were still at home, unable to get there any faster. When my sister arrived, I found them at the gate. Someone from the airport stopped them and had a talk. I was okay. Really. I bought a magazine and something to eat and I was fine with it. No one said anything to me and I could have told them that they were on their way.

Wouldn't happen today! Perhaps for the better??

If they're used to flying, they're fine at that age, even with a mix-up like we had. Even better with cell phones!

P.S. Reminder; anyone, especially kids, need to bring their rechargers with them in the carry-on.

gobluetwo

Very true. Every child traveling alone should have:
- Cell phone (of course, I see even 2nd and 3rd graders running around with their parents' hand-me-down iPhones these days)
- charger(s)
- cash and a credit card
- Some sort of ID card (those ID cards they give out in schools, even a laminated piece of paper with emergency contact info, picture, vital stats like height/weight/age)
- itinerary info (where to go, when, with whom, flight and pickup/dropoff info, etc)
- snacks/food/empty water bottle

lost*in*cyberspace

Some airlines do have restrictions on unaccompanied minors. For example, on United, they can only be booked on nonstop flights.

I don't see a problem with an experienced 12 year old traveling as an unaccompanied minor. My nieces and nephews used to do it all the time (divorced parents).

CDTraveler

Most kids can't get or use a credit card or even use their parent's card anymore. For my son to get a debit card that I authorize I had to prove he was 14, and yes, they did require proof of his age. IIRC, I had to show either passport or birth certificate to prove age and also provide his Social Security number for tax reasons.

Redhead

You can get a prepaid card for them

iahphx

I recall an incident of my children (probably ranging from 10 to 15) traveling with their aunt on a connection through IAH a couple of years ago. A storm at IAH delayed their departure from TUS after they boarded, and they were forced to spend the night at IAH. Even with my aunt there, it was a PITA to arrange accommodations, new flight bookings, etc. Airport staff were not terribly helpful. This is not a situation that I would want to subject an unaccompanied 12-year-old to.

Zaragoza

I started traveling to and throughout Europe with my sister at age 10 and unaccompanied at age 12. I took flights and overnight trains and never ended up with a bad experience despite delays and lack of cell phone access (it was 25 years ago!). I found then as I found recently when a delay in Addis required an overnight stay and an unaccompanied 14 year old was on the flight- that people watch out for you and make sure that you are cared for. Granted, this is looking at the situation optimistically so if things happen and people aren't helpful, then your son should be prepared.

I agree with others that preparations are key: cell phones, chargers, pre-paid phone card, detailed itinerary, back up plan (hotels at connecting airports in case there is a delay), a snack bag, etc. If there is a connection, look at the airport map with your son so you can walk him through it- though I'm sure he doesn't need that level of assistance and at 15 he might not even want to participate much in the conversation. At 15 I'm certain he will be fine navigating the experience and it probably will be good for him. He'll be a FTer in no time! It goes so fast!

CDTraveler

I've been told by businesses large and small that they won't accept any form of credit or debit card from a child, and even though my son is now taller than I am some businesses still don't want to accept his debit card - "We don't take those from minors."

YMMV.

GUWonder

Proper equipment -- especially if with proper processes -- make things a lot easier now than before.

We write down the phone number on the arm for kids under twelve even if "accompanied". [We've "lost" (or been made lost by) kids skiing in foreign countries, and the phone number on the arm or on an armband gives us the confidence that they are better equipped to get or find help if needed.] As 12 year old children now can use a computer or phone to call, text message or email and are mini-electronic warriors, most of the recent lot of 12 year olds in my family would do just fine traveling by air by themselves. We do have enough contacts at transit cities around the country and in other countries that we could arrange for pretty timely recovery in the event of an overnight delay at a transit point -- which is a reason for selecting itineraries to minimize that possibility.

That said, most people are decent enough that people unexpectedly step up to the plate to watch out and help out when required -- just don't count on it being airline staff.
ATM machines and debit cards with a PIN mostly work fine for kids too. If a credit card were needed, telephone/fax authorization may help.

gobluetwo

Actually just saw a thing on TV where a lady came up with custom temporary tattoos with the parents' phone number(s). Supposed to last up to 12 days and be water/soap proof. Good idea to have the key info somewhere on the child's person where it is hard to "lose"

SRQ Guy

When my parents divorced, I frequently flew alone, and after I turned 12 did it without being an "unaccompanied minor" with the airline. it helped that i'd started traveling alone as a UM at the age of 8, so by the time I was 12 I was pretty well used to navigating airports.

GUWonder

Which TV show? Was it like the item covered in the following article?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/dispat...attoo/2116417/

Thanks in advance.