Redbelly

I need to send my 14 year old grandson from Detroit to Portland, OR by himself, in July. Last year I put him on a Southwest flight that was direct, but with one stop. This year, I see that SW has no direct flights. The boy's mother is resistant to having him make a plane change (at about $250 for the trip).

So far, my only other alternative is to put him on a Delta non stop for $450 plus a $100 unaccompanied minor surcharge. Ouch.

Any tips on finding another airline that would fly this route with no plane change?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

icedancer

If the $100 charge is 4x$25 for 4 segments, that's actually pretty good -- some of the other legacy carriers (AA, UA) charge a lot more. If the nonstop gives everyone peace of mind, and that's the only option, I'd just go with it and pay the extra.

Btw, any particular reason to think the 14yo couldn't handle navigating the airport alone for a plane change with a cell phone to call someone in case he gets confused? Is he a particularly timid or inexperienced flyer?

lost*in*cyberspace

Doing a quick search, it appears that Delta offers the only nonstop flights from DTW-PDX.

6rugrats

DL's UM is $100 each way, so OP would be paying $200 total in fees for this trip. This is not particularly cheap; most legacy carriers have similar charges. If OP pays the UM fee, an airline employee would escort him to the gate at the connecting stop, and make sure he boarded safely.

I personally would book the flight with the connection and pay the UM fee. There are no other airlines I see that have a nonstop flight for this routing.

Redbelly

Only need UM status one way, but SW will not allow anyone over 11 to be an UM, nor will they allow UM on a trip that requires a plane change.

I'll check to see if other airlines have a different policy.

Redbelly

All I can say is - I'm not his mother......

Often1

I would not bother with UM for a 14 YOA on a non-stop, but I most definitely would with a connection.

I say this as someone who flew alone at 14 and made connections. But, that was a long time ago and times have changed.

The UM fee is worth the expense on connections not because a 14 YOA can't walk between gates, but because the carrier will take care of the kid in IRROPS. This may include paying two employees to spend the night if a hotel is required (14 YOA can't rent a room).

An alternative here is if the 14 YOA is connecting at a city where someone has an emergency backup, e.g., a reliable relative or friend who could, in the case of IRROPS, pick the kid up and return him to the airport, I would again forget the UM fee. It's unlikely to be needed, but you want it in place just in case.

icedancer

How about Alaska Airlines? We've been extraordinarily pleased with their UM service (albeit with a 5/6 yo), and I believe it's only $25 per segment. There is a connection, but tons of flights between SEA-PDX if he misses his original connection.

MSPeconomist

DL has the nonstop flights but requires the UM fee for all kids under 15 that are traveling along. The fee is $100 or $150 per direction. Even on a nonstop, in the very rare event that the flight were to divert and an overnight were required, DL would pay for the hotel and arrange staff to babysit the kid overnight. It's much less likely than a missed connection, but nevertheless is a possibility.

CDTraveler

Oh, one of those mothers.

FWIW my kid at 13 yo flew SW cross country, with a connection, all by himself and did fine. Back in the day, at 14 yo I flew LAX to JAX, redeye with a connection, then found the right bus and got myself to a youth conference without adult help or a cell phone.

If the kid has traveled by air before, at 14 he should be able to handle doing alone. Maybe see what the boy thinks about doing it on his own, and seeing if he can persuade his mother than he doesn't need his hand held?

Most kids live up to their opportunities.

Redbelly

OP here for what, I think, is a wrap up. Thanks to everyone who posted, I've read and considered all your advice.

I made a matrix of all the possible airlines and all their individual rules regarding young fliers. It boils down to Delta with a nonstop, a reasonable arrival time and a $550 charge or Alaskan with one stop, a 9 PM arrival (parents are 2 hours from airport) and a $250 charge.

The boy's mother has dug in her heels that it has to be a nonstop or no plane change and my DW has sided with her. Of course, DD will not be paying for the ticket. So, Delta it is.

As a side note, I traveled from Detroit to Washington D.C, alone on a Greyhound bus when I was 14 then got a cab at the bus station to take me to my relative's house. But then I've been scarred for life from the adversity.

Thanks again.