Originally Posted by
nineworldseries
While I appreciate your overblown incredulity, the issue here is that a 16 yo literally CAN'T book a hotel room or rent a car, which are two of the most common "fixes" to IRROPS. How would you suggest that sheer maturity solves either of those problems?
Maybe if you're making short hops, a rental car is a "fix" for IRROPS. In the case of OP on BOS-PHX, driving doesn't really seem like a solution. In my nearly 1000 lifetime flights, I've rented a car exactly once during IRROPS.
Yes hotels have the 18 or 21+ rule, but if a parent were to call and explain the situation, any reasonable front desk agent would understand what was happening. I'd offer to book a room under my name, and say my 16 year old son or daughter would be there before me.
If worse comes to worst, the kid could just stay in the airport until the next flight out. A 16 year old would be in far better spirits hanging around an airport than the more seasoned travelers on this board.