I presume you have arranged unaccompanied minor service (UM LH calls this I think) with your ticket. In that case the instruction will be in the PNR. A LH rep will escort the kid onto the plane in LYS and again in FRA someone from LH will meet the kid from the flight, take him/her and escort him/her to the connecting flight to PHL. The same will upon arrival in PHL a US rep will make sure that the kid gets on the right flight to LAX.
I would contact the carrier (LH I assume) who issued the ticket and make sure you confirm all the arrangements with them. I have seen this done many times and heard from people with kids that this UM service is very reliable so I would not worry!
This information is from the LH website:
Kids travelling alone
Traveling "alone" can be an exciting experience for a young person. At Lufthansa, we welcome unaccompanied children and teenage passengers and we look forward to having them on our flights. In special cases this service can also be requested for teenagers between 12 and 17 years.
This internet guide contains tips an suggestions for the unaccompanied child traveler which should help to ensure a comfortable, fun and safe trip.
When making reservations, provide name, address and telephone numbers of persons responsible for dropping off and picking up your child at the airport.
The airfare for unaccompanied minors between 5 and 11 years is subject to the applicable tariff, plus a supervision fee per direction of:
€ 35,00 for intra-german transportation only (direct flight & transit)
€ 35,00 for nonstop/direct flight transportation
€ 60,00 for transit transportation (applies also for other airline transportation even if the other airline has no charge)
Exception:
For flights from Brazil, no charge applies.
If unaccompanied minors are brothers or sisters with same address and surname travelling together, the charge applies only once.
When purchasing the ticket you will receive a yellow bag, which your child will carry clearly visible, for the duration of the journey. This bag will contain all necessary travel documents (ticket, UM papers, passport/minor's ID, visa for destination, travel health insurance, allergy pass, etc.).
Standard measurements apply for carry-on baggage. Security regulations do not permit electronic equipment such as Gameboys on board.
Special check-in counters for unaccompanied minors are available at the following airports: Frankfurt (Terminal A, counter 282-283), Munich (all counters) and Hamburg (Terminal A).
Who looks after your child?
A Lufthansa employee will accompany your child to the aircraft from
the check-in counter or the airport child care facility (Frankfurt and
Munich). On board a flight attendant will look after your child for the
duration of the flight. Additionally, special meals, toys, the board magazine
"Lu" and - on certain flights - a special in-flight entertainment program will
help make your child's flight a pleasant one. At the destination your child
will be picked up by another Lufthansa employee and delivered to the
designated pick-up person. Unaccompanied minors travel conveniently
and safely with Lufthansa.
For more information please contact Lufthansa Information Frankfurt:
Tel. 069 - 696 94433 (6 a.m. - 11 p.m.) or your local Reservations office.
http://cms.lufthansa.com/fly/de/en/i...780451,00.html