Child arriving to IAD, doesn't speak English - need help urgently
 

13 y.o. but doesn't speak English. It's an international flight, from SVO. For some strange reason Aeroflot would not provide UM services.

Can I get a getepass, get to the gate to wait for her? Again, this is an international flight customs, border crossing and all. What should I do?

Yes I would think that you could get a gate pass, although I would first call DL to a, find out and b, see what you need to bring to get a gate pass, then I would get to the airport early to go through the hassle

howeve I wonder why wasn't the child at least given notes in english as to provide to aircraft, ground, someone else for help if needed. This doesn't sound like there were very responsible parents or guardians sending this child. Why didn't they arrange in advance for you to meet them inside by providing you with gate pass info?

Alert the gate agent and Delta operations, they know how to deal with that. Usually, a DL represeantative is escorting the UM up to baggage claim, which is also accessable for you. I have not heard that any other individual but a medical doctor has received a gate pass for a pick-up or something of equally low "emergency".

I am unsure about IAD having a UM club or facilities, maybe a quick study of the airport would suffice.

BTW: What's up with all the UM and elderly being shipped from Russia to the U.S.? I have noticed a heavy increase at FRA, MUC, and JFK for Russian speaking persons that clearly appeared to be totally irritated by the strange environment. Wasn't there even a news article about a "lost" person who took the flight straight back instead of a connection latetly?

The flight is tomorrow; expected to be able to purchase UM, but Aeroflot said no, trying to figure what to do now. SU flight not DL

Call Aeroflot
 

Call Aeroflot's DC office and push to speak with the manager. Perhaps he can arrange an escort/flight attendent to bring the kid through customs/passport control. This is a more complex problem than getting a gate pass

Contact for Aeroflot, buried on their website (not sure if I can post a phone number):

http://www.aeroflot.ru/cms/en/office_items/261

If you can't get in touch with the DC office (and I assume they close precisely at 5pm), go to the Aeroflot checkin counter before the plane's arrival and beg to speak to the station chief (the front line people are probably contracted).

Unless you have a passport yourself, I can't imagine you would be allowed to meet the passenger at the gate, in the sterile area before immigration. But as was suggested, contact DL or better yet, Aeroflot since SU operates the flight.

Was in a similar predicament once, was not allowed to get a pass to go the international sterile area. Had my passport, Global Entry, and everything, was given an absolute "no" answer. But Delta was very helpful, contacted the gate agent meeting the flight, got an interpreter, and escorted the child to the passport control and customs. They also recommended requesting a wheelchair (I guess it guarantees that someone would be there and would take the person to the right place). I do not know whether in your situation you would need to contact DL, IAD ground operations, or SU though.

Thread should probably be moved to "Other European Programs" as this apparently is...
 

about Aeroflot, not Delta.

I always wondered if you could by a refundable ticket to gain access to the gatehouse and then cancel the ticket. Surely....it can't be that easy.

+1 on the wheelchair idea. The issue will be getting a message to the kid as to what she should do upon arriving at IAD

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You could, and it is not that hard. But it will not help; you would not gain access to the international arrivals sterile area. It is "double sterile," only for arriving passengers.

It is not that easy - and (from my limited experience) it is imperative that a DL representative is with the UM at the only critical spot: immigration. This is where the trouble sits and this is where they might just deny entry or even send someone back. All after that is a piece of cake.

Not even a "gate pass" would make it possible to meet the UM at the boarding door. As I said before, the only exception to that rule I have witnessed was a medical doctor who took over a patient directly at the airplanes door.

Thanks everyone! I'll call aeroflot, I guess it would be better to call tomorrow and not today?? The flight arrives after 5pm

As for giving the child some note written in English, I have no idea what it should say or how it will help.

UM works fine, I'm not asking about UM service, the problem is they WONT provide it, the moscow office, i did not call them myself, but they said something like applied to late (right after purchasing a ticket), can't process paperwork in time, too many UMs on the flight already, all of the above, SU is fond of stupid communist-style bureaucracy it seems.

Maybe they will be able to purchase UM service at check-in though, but they were told no when trying to pre-arrange that