jeffandnicole

It largely depends on the area within the US. In suburban Maryland, there's a huge issue with people being a bit too nosy. A few years back parents allowed their kids to go to a park alone, and they were termed "Free-Range" parents. They were 10 and 6. Someone called the police because the kids were unattended. It took several court cases but the parents were finally cleared of any wrong-doing. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local...=.dfebf83fb136

In a large city like New York or Philly or DC, these kids probably would be riding the subways by themselves without a problem.

rsteinmetz70112

In large cities school kids often take a public bus by themselves or with a friend.

When I was 8-12 I often went around a small town by myself or with a few friends on foot or bicycle. During the summer I would leave in the morning and come home for diner. Kids today have very structured schedules with all sorts of planned and supervised activities I don't know how they manage to learn to do things for themselves. The Media also plays a part by sensationalizing the cases of stranger kidnapping and similar tragic events. But they are very rare and other things (like riding in the family car) are much more likely to result in harm to the kid, and even that is pretty rare.

DisneyObsessed

Back to the original question...

If this 7 hour delay was during regular daytime hours and did not require an overnight stay, it appears that no compensation is due.

https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/fly-rights

Delayed and Cancelled Flights

Airlines don't guarantee their schedules, and you should realize this when planning your trip. There are many things that can-and often do-make it impossible for flights to arrive on time. Some of these problems, like bad weather, air traffic delays, and mechanical issues, are hard to predict and often beyond the airlines' control.

If your flight is delayed, try to find out how late it will be. But keep in mind that it is sometimes difficult for airlines to estimate the total duration of a delay during its early stages. In so- called "creeping delays," developments occur which were not anticipated when the carrier made its initial estimate of the length of the delay. Weather that had been forecast to improve can instead deteriorate, or a mechanical problem can turn out to be more complex than initially evaluated. If the problem is with local weather or air traffic control, all flights will probably be late and there's not much you or the airline can do to speed up your departure. If your flight is experiencing a lengthy delay, you might be better off trying to arrange another flight, as long as you don't have to pay a cancellation penalty or higher fare for changing your reservations. (It is sometimes easier to make such arrangements by phone than at a ticket counter.) If you find a flight on another airline, ask the first airline if it will endorse your ticket to the new carrier; this could save you a fare collection. Remember, however, that there is no rule requiring them to do this.

If your flight is canceled, most airlines will rebook you on their first flight to your destination on which space is available, at no additional charge. If this involves a significant delay, find out if another carrier has space and ask the first airline if they will endorse your ticket to the other carrier. Finding extra seats may be difficult, however, especially over holidays and other peak travel times.

Each airline has its own policies about what it will do for delayed passengers waiting at the airport; there are no federal requirements. If you are delayed, ask the airline staff if it will pay for meals or a phone call. Some airlines, often those charging very low fares, do not provide any amenities to stranded passengers. Others may not offer amenities if the delay is caused by bad weather or something else beyond the airline's control. Contrary to popular belief, for domestic itineraries airlines are not required to compensate passengers whose flights are delayed or canceled. As discussed in the chapter on overbooking, compensation is required by law on domestic trips only when you are "bumped" from a flight that is oversold. On international itineraries, passengers may be able to recover reimbursement under Article 19 of the Montreal Convention for expenses resulting from a delayed or canceled flight by filing a claim with the airline. If the claim is denied, you may pursue the matter in small claims court if you believe that the carrier did not take all measures that could reasonably be required to avoid the damages caused by the delay.

If the purpose of your trip is to close a potentially lucrative business deal, give a speech or lecture, attend a family function, or connect to a cruise, you might want to allow a little extra leeway and take an earlier flight. In other words, airline delays aren't unusual, and defensive planning is a good idea when time is your most important consideration.

And from Southwest:

https://www.southwest.com/assets/pdf...commitment.pdf


C. Reaching Your Destination It is our goal to get you to your destination safely and ontime. However, if circumstances within our control, such as aircraft "swaps," cause you to miss the last possible flight (or connection) of the day to your destination, our Customer Service personnel have the authority to arrange for overnight lodging. We will find a hotel or motel as near to the airport as possible, and at no additional cost to you. We may also arrange for ground transportation to the overnight facility.
If the cause of your inconvenience is not within our means of control, we will do our best to assist you by securing a discounted rate at a hotel or motel at or near the airport.

We do not pay for Tickets on other airlines or absorb the difference between our fares and higher fares on other airlines. If you wish, however, we will refund the unused portion of your Southwest Airlines Ticket.

DisneyObsessed

As to the question of travel insurance offered by the credit card (if it had been used in this case) You would have to check the terms but I am pretty sure that there was o insurable loss. Other than a meal, the daughter had no expenses incurred and no business losses on the other end of her travels so what would insurance have covered. I don't think any cover the time lost during travel.

WillCAD

I can't address the compensation issue, as I don't know WN's policy or the legal requirements.

However, I can say that WN has some truly exceptional people at BWI and it's not surprising that one of them took your daughter in hand and took care of her for the duration of her stay. I recommend that you see if your daughter got this person's name and make a point of sending a compliment to WN. Stuff like that gets noted in many people's employment records and can influence things like raises and promotions.

I also think your daughter over-reacted. At 16, most of the people in my family have a tendency toward histrionics (either tears or screeching outrage, it varies from individual to individual), but even so, it's the adults' job to calm them down and outline the next course of action, if the kid doesn't know what to do next.

I don't; know you or your daughter, but most of the adults in my family would tell their kid to calm down and relax - even if there is a delay or other problem on the return flight, they have already dealt with one, so they can certainly deal with another, and there is nothing to be afraid of. And certainly, not one of the adults in my family would rush to the airport to fly out and escort their kid home. Only you can say whether that is absolutely necessary for your daughter.

Practical advice for anyone of any age. In the case of a kid, it's the parents' responsibility to do this stuff on behalf of the kid, and more importantly, to TEACH the kid how to do these things themself.

I don;t think anyone is beating up on the kid, though some have forgotten that people have varying levels of helplessness regardless of age (i.e. even some adults would be reduced to tears by a travel delay), and it's neither unusual not unacceptable for a 16yo on her first solo flight to be a little overwhelmed.

Rather, many posters are beating up on OP for not being familiar enough with her daughter to know in advance how she will react to travel hiccups (and a 7-hour delay at BWI is most definitely nothing more than a hiccup and an annoyance), and allowing ehr to travel solo before she's ready to handle hiccups on her own, or with some phone support from home. Many poster are also beating up on OP for not properly preparing her daughter for such hiccups.

My own opinion is that it's not unreasonable for a 16yo to be unable to handle travel hiccups on her own, but it was unreasonable that OP didn't know her daughter well enough to know that she couldn't handle such hiccups, and it was unreasonable for OP to not expect travel hiccups (even non-stops are sometimes delayed or diverted due to weather, mechanical, or personnel issues).

ATLflyer2017

Wow what tough crowd. Even if I was a seasoned and "mature" traveler at 16 years old, a 7 hour delay on the other side of the country would be enough to make me very upset. The OP's daughter was upset, this didn't effect her ability to fly and I think lots of adults get upset when travel plans get messed up the slightest.

Here's where the OP went wrong. She asked her question from the perspective of a mother who is on the other side of the country while her daughter is stranded in an airport for 7 hours. That's great that she cares about her daughter, however according to Southwest, this 16 y/o is just another passenger. No special rights are given to her because of her age (because the UM fee was not paid). Stuff happens and parents aren't always perfect in judging their children's ability. SW went above and beyond to help the passenger and no further compensation should be pursued.

IRC, when you purchase a ticket on SW for children under a certain age, but not requiring UM service, you are required to provide an emergency contact and boarding passes are tagged to say child traveling alone.

I have one last thought, to those who are beating up the OP for allowing her "child" to fly by herself unprepared. I wish adults could be "babysat" (as many called it) on airplanes. They act more childish than actual children.

jb3t

1. A 16 Year Old is not a “Child” in Southwest’s eyes. That stops the day they turn 12. My son made many solo trips to BWI from 11 on. Once they turn 12, they are no longer a UM.

2. To the OP... unfortunately, if the delay is because of weather, no compensation is due.

3. When my kids traveled alone, I always had a Plan B, just in case. Whether is be a relative on striking distance, a hotel near by, extra cash or a card, and a cell phone charger, it pays to be prepped. I had to use all of the above over the years.

Keep her travelling. Get her used to it. By the tine my son was 14 or 15, we were dropping him at the curb. Lol

pinniped

Didn't most airlines change this in the past few years to make UM up to 15? Is Southwest an outlier w.r.t. other major U.S. airlines?

3Cforme

I can't say when they changed it (to my recollection Delta has been 15 for a long time), but Delta, American, and United all have age 15. Even then, there can be restrictions: no codeshares, no connection to last flight of the day. Alaska, like Southwest, uses age 12 as the cutoff for mandatory UM service.

Low Roller

FYI - It's a reference to the reality tv show "19 Kids and Counting" and has nothing to do with this discussion.

MSPeconomist

rove312

It looks like a traveler of this age can be classed by Southwest as a Young Traveler: https://www.southwest.com/html/custo...travelers.html . From what I read, the main practical difference from an independent adult traveler is that SWA allows an escort to clear security to see them off and meet them, and "Southwest Airlines® reserves the right not to allow travel on flights that may be delayed, diverted, or cancelled due to weather or other operational disruptions." I'm not sure if something pops up on the site when making a solo reservation for a traveler in this age range, and how do they ask for purchaser's relationship to the child, etc. Is it required or optional to get YT classification in a reservation?

nineworldseries

Ah yes, that Sacramento-Louisville nonstop flight on Southwest is great.

pinniped

There are nonstops SFO-CVG. The situation here may have benefited by adults doing a little extra driving in exchange for the kid not having this itinerary.

Kevin AA

Why should adults drive hundreds of miles out of their way so a young adult doesn't have to change planes? Time to grow up, buttercup.