Is DFW simple enough for a very savvy 15 year old unaccompanied minor to navigate from concourse A to B and then from B to C on return?

Welcome to Flyer Talk.

I think it is, but I've been through DFW a lot. When I was 15, I flew unaccompanied several times: El Paso to Wichita and then between Wichita and Los Angeles. From Los Angeles, my father arranged for a helicopter (!) to take me closer to our home in Whittier. Yes, back then they had regular passenger helicopter service.

My parents gave my very specific instructions as to what to expect. I still remember needing to get the "B" bus at LAX which would take me to the helicopter place.

DFW is nice to negotiate because they have a Skylink train that moves passengers from one terminal to another, easily and efficiently.

Your young friend needs the following:

1. Get a good map of DFW, and print it out on a color printer. Go to www.dfwairport.com and look for "Airport Guide". There are several maps you can look at and print out. Look on the website for information about the Skylink train.

2. Go to the website for your friend's airline and put their flights in the "flight status" query. That will tell you what gates the flights will arrive at and leave from TODAY. This may not be the same gates as the actual flight day, but should be pretty close.

3. Then, look back at the terminal maps and see where the Skylink train stops are, relative to the gates. Your friend should use the Skylink between gates.

4. At the Skylink stop, there are two different train lines, going different directions. There are clear signs that indicate which train goes in which direction. Your friend should look for the train going toward their desired terminal. If the young person gets on the wrong train, don't worry, it will just take a bit longer to get to the correct stop.

5. After getting off the Skylink train, there is clear signage pointing which direction for which gates.

Go through all of this with your young friend and rehearse each step. Finally, tell him/her that they can always ask someone in uniform for help.

I would think so.

Follow signs to Skytrain. Take Skytrain to desired concourse. Follow signs to gate. Its all very clearly marked. No need to re-clear security or anything.

kse, welcome to FlyerTalk. As DFW airport is often discussed in the Travel->South forum, I'll move this thread there. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

I'll point out that terminal gate assignments for mainline domestic AA flights at DFW change daily. Don't assume that just becuase a flight is using terminal A or C today necessarily means it will be in the same place when the kid travels. The flight using A today may use C tomorrow and D the next day.

But I do think a savvy 15 year old should be able to navigate the transfer without a problem. Just remind them to check the boards or ask a gate agent for the current gate assignment.

DFW is pretty easy to navigate. I can't imagine it would be harder for a 15-year old than any other adult. Why would it? Is there a stereotype going on that 15-year olds don't know how to read signs?

Not at DFW; when they do gate changes, you're lucky if it's even in the same terminal.

That said, a 15-year old shouldn't have any issues as long as she/he can follow simple directions. Tell him to ask the gate agent when they deplane and they will point him to the Skylink that will take him to the proper terminal. It's really hard to get lost in DFW as long as you don't leave the secured area.

I would expect that a typical 15 year old would be able to give directions to lost adults after a few minutes at DFW.

There are little kiosks around with people wearing green vests and 10 gallon hats. They are the DFW Ambassadors. They can help if necessary.

I'd venture that the average 15 year old will do a better job navigating DFW than many if not most of the travelers passing through. "Changing planes" is substantially less challenging than most navigating required for beginning and ending journeys there.

1. Skylink is your friend.

2. The big "maps" on the walls are for real, and should be scrutinized (as should the big screen ARR/DPT boards, which generally reflect gate changes which are neither as frequent or as "terminally" complex as some suggest).

It's been a long time since I was 15, but I still on occasion murmur a prayer of thanks to my parents who raised me as curious and willing to learn by looking and inquiring. I must admit to some trepidation to sending our youngest daughter off to Paraguay when she was 16, but she seemed to deal with MIA better than I often have.

Yes. I remember navigating JFK on a tight connection and switching terminals (had to take the bus) when I was 16 also, with two big heavy wheel-less suitcases filled with books. I was coming home from Europe. It wasn't a problem.

I think DFW will be a piece of cake. In some civilizations, 15 is an adult and of marrying/fathering age.

I think he should be fine. The skylink is amazingly easy to navigate. The trickiest part is going the right way, but even if you choose the wrong loop it will eventually circle back to the proper terminal.