toomanybooks

If the 16 y.o. is not travel-savvy enough to navigate routine confusion/problems that crop up, it's insane to have her change planes. People incapable of traveling alone should not do so. And all to maybe save $30-40 or something?

These things often blow up and then it's all over the news how it was the airline's fault.

OP, if the kid goes through with this, she should be taking the first flight of the day to allow max time to fix misconnects.

3Cforme

On the United forum they're complaining that UA has raised its age of mandatory unaccompanied minor service from age 11 to age 15. Some parents want the service - some parents don't want to spend the money for it.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...nor-rules.html

palmetto86

I'm amazed that people on here think a 16 year old can't navigate an airport or misconnects on their own. You'd let your 16 year old drive a car but not fly alone? The helicopter parents are out in full force on this thread.

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?

palmetto86

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.

toomanybooks

Sorry, my SIL just had this situation. She and minor daughter (17) were flying from different cities, meeting in PHL to tour colleges. SIL's flight was cancelled and she had to hopscotch around the country, arriving near midnight, delayed over 12 hours. It was close as to whether she'd make it at all.

Hotel would NOT let 17 y.o. daughter check in. She sat in lobby for 12 hours.

And there are some 25 y.o. people I know who are incapable of changing planes.

chuzzlewit

I'm amazed you're amazed, and equating driving to flying is ridiculous. I've been driving since 14, and went to college out of state at 17 which required traveling solo many, many times with subway rides, trains, shuttles, delayed flights, etc etc. and the only time I've been frightened was at the age 21 when I was delayed by a snowstorm and missed a connecting flight in SLC, evidently we were the last plane to arrive. Everyone else on that flight got their luggage and quickly left, and the only people left there were security and the cleanup crew vacuuming and myself (ticket agents, car rentals, restaurants long closed). I went to the hotel call board and one by one started calling every hotel, got about half-way through with out a single room available. A security guy walked by and advised the airport would be closing shortly. With near white-out conditions by this time and negative windchill I started panicking (by then it was around midnight). I kept calling the hotels while watching the snow piling up, and noticing a complete lack of any taxis, cars, or any other form of transit. I finally found a hotel that said they had one room if I could get there. So I started flipping through the yellow pages calling taxi services, most were closed or couldn't guarantee any taxis could make it to the airport anytime before morning. Finally after half an hour one showed up and off we went to the Best Western. There was probably 6-8 inches of snow by then and it took a long time. Finally we got there and I asked the taxi to wait there in case they didn't have a room (it was in a pretty remote dark area with no businesses around open). Well sure enough they didn't have a room as the taxi guy had driven me to the wrong Best Western. I had to get the hotel desk guy go tell the taxi driver where exactly the correct Best Western was (I had given him the correct name to begin with so he obviously didn't know). Off we went again and after 1am arrived at the correct BW (luckily I had enough cash to pay him, this was long before taxi's took CC's.) I can't even imagine my kid or anyone's else's dealing with such a situation, a lot of non-international airports close down and don't just allow people to sleep there out of convenience like many people here seem to suggest as a back up plan. 20+ years later I shudder to thing what would have happened if I had let the taxi drive away from that first hotel, the lobby was small and dingy and the clerk didn't seem like the welcoming type that was going to pull out a sleeping bag for my convenience.