Sending the Little One Solo into the Wild Blue Yonder Thinking of sending a minor on a plane trip unaccompanied? Just. Don’t. Do. It. Ok, most of us contemplating this anxiety-induced event aren’t doing so willing. There’s likely some external force pushing the issue, and the ripped-out hair and impending debt that comes with it. So, for those who have to suck it up and book those tickets, here’s what you might expect. What is an unaccompanied minor? It’s pretty straightforward – a child at least five – 11, 12, 14, 16, or 17-years-old, depending on the airline, who is traveling without an accompanying adult. Why is the child unaccompanied? It doesn’t really matter, at least not to the airlines, but for the curious, it could be court-ordered visitation, visiting friends or relatives when the parent(s) can’t join the minor; or trips, camps, or other enrichment adventures. What services do airlines provide the unaccompanied minor? They help the children find their seats, escort them to gates for connecting flights, and make sure they connect with the appropriate receiving adult. Logistics: The key term to remember here is “direct flights”. In an article I read on The Points Guy on the topic of unaccompanied minors, the author mentioned she wouldn’t send her (older) minor on a flight plan with connections. I get that, but I don’t have that option. I also had no clue how much has changed since the “good ole days” in the way of airline limitations, booking and flight restrictions, and added costs prior to the 12-plus-hour search-and-book session I underwent for my minor. I recently moved from an airport hub city to another airport hub city. No problem: My flight path is clear. The person on the receiving end moved to a non-hub town. This means that there are fewer flights between the two locations, none are direct, some only have one flight for a particular leg of the itinerary per day, and all flights are costly. Airlines: Considering how many air carriers exist, when looking for flights, it felt like only a handful accepted unaccompanied minors. For my purposes, I looked at American, Alaska, Delta, United, JetBlue, and Southwest. Yes, you will note the lack of budget airlines on this list. They don't take unaccompanied minors.
Booking: I used Google and popular flight search websites like Kayak, Expedia, Skiplagged, and the airlines’ direct websites for an initial search to get an idea of what to expect in the way of day, time, and price options. JetBlue and Southwest ended up not having flights to the destination. Alaska would have routed my minor through Seattle, which overshot the destination by a couple of states. Booking a flight for an unaccompanied minor requires calling the airline reservation line and includes the long holds that typically come with calling an 800-number. Flight Plans/Routes: I found a flight on United that was quite pricey, but still cheaper than Delta or American. Through the exchange with the agent, I learned about one of the major complexities of booking flights for unaccompanied minors in contemporary times: solo or last flight legs. Because my little is flying alone, he can’t be on the only flight of any leg of the itinerary. He also can’t be on the last flight of the day for any part of the flight plan. The United ticket I thought I’d scored was now gone because it was the only one of the day on that route. Damn! Jockeying back and forth with Delta and American, I ran into similar issues – a cheaper leg of a flight, but it was the only one through that connector city, so I couldn’t book it. My minor would have to be routed through a different airport. Then the same circumstances were true when speaking with American, so back to Delta, then back to American. After hours of flight permutations, date changes, and general number crunching, I ended up with a lower ticket price on American, so went with that. When booking a second unaccompanied-minor flight, I tried United again. I discovered from the agent that United only takes unaccompanied minors for direct flights, something that wasn’t mentioned to me in my first go-around. Therefore, I will never be able to book with United Airlines for this flight plan. Costs:
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AuthorGreat transitioner & media operative seeking a position as a script coordinator, writers' room assistant, or staff writer with a TV drama. I'm also open to related jobs with networks and production companies. Landing an agent would be awesome. Archives
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