The Day-of Realities of Kids Flying Solo To recap: I have a child who must fly solo. I did a lot of online research and called around to different airlines before first booking a trip on American Airlines, and then a second on Delta. I researched and booked a flight for my minor who is flying solo. Now what? Oh, we – the kid and I – actually have to go through the flight process. It shouldn’t be that bad, right? I flew unaccompanied as a kid with no fear. I also enjoyed pretending to be five to fly alone even though I was still four. Even though flying is relatively safe, things feel different now. Maybe it’s the increased understanding of risk that comes with being an adult. Maybe “things” – the world - are different, different meaning unsafe and uncertain, now. And, the kid not wanting to take the trip probably isn’t helping how he or I about the solo flying experience. Some of the minor’s feelings: Whhhheeeeee: This is fun. Later, Mom! Anxiety overload: I can’t leave, Mama. I’ll be all alone. I’ve never been so far from Mama. The contradictory parental feelings: Pride: My little is growing up, spreading his wings, soaring through the skies on his own. Anxiety: My little can’t go alone. He needs me. What if there’s a problem, a delay, an accident, an issue on the other end? The Rundown: For both trips, we arrived at the airport 2.5 – 3 hours before the departure of a domestic flight. The first jaunt, I had to drive around for 30-minutes before luckily stumbling across a space being vacated – the only available spot as far as eyes could see. The departure time inhibited using mass transit to get to the airport, that, and to drive was 27 minutes, mass transit would have taken 1.5 hours. The second trip, I drove straight to a far-off parking lot and then we took a SkyTrain to the terminal. This was relatively easy. rIn November, lines to check-in and check baggage at American were very, very long. The week following Memorial Day at Delta was medium busy, but Delta had agents working to ensure that patrons were evenly dispersed across available counters. NB: An unaccompanied minor cannot check-in online 24 hours before the flight, instead having to report directly at the counter. There, the adult fills out paperwork with contact information for the minor and the adult on the receiving end. And if the hefty unaccompanied minor (UAM) fee hasn’t already been paid, it is charged now. On the second trip, there was an error flagged on my flyer’s itinerary. The agent thought he’d accidentally been booked on the last flight of the day for the final leg, which is a no-no. He'd have to be rescheduled to return a day earlier. A few calls and computer clicks later, the itinerary, which had already been changed three times, was deemed in order. I was then issued a gate pass to take my little passenger to his flight. Long gone are the days when my mother just walked me to my departure and my grandfather arrived at the arrival gate in Seattle to watch planes take-off and land long before I’d ever left California. Security: When my child and I travel together, we both get through security on my TSA-Pre. During our first UAM experience, I asked if we could use it since I’m escorting him. The American Airlines agent thought that would be possible on his next trip. Take Two: feeling experienced, I asked the Delta agent if we could, indeed, use my TSA-Pre to jump the security line. She gave us a big “NOPE.” So, with him as the solo traveler, and children under 12 not eligible for TSA-Pre, we had to go into the gen pop that is general security. And the line was long with us getting to the gate five minutes before boarding. Our second general security experience took about 40 minutes but felt more organized yet more traumatic than our first trip. In the security line for the Delta flight, we took in a moving multi-media exhibit about Sen. John Lewis and his fight for voting rights. As we moved closer to ID checks, a young lady a few people behind us had a medical emergency. She seemed to faint. Her party and security got her up and barely moving when she had a medical emergency again. The woman in front of me appeared to mumble a prayer. Us non-practitioners of any religion stood there stunned by the startling medical emergency and the religious response before we gathered it together to line up two-by-two to be rudely sniffed by a TSA dog. I managed to keep the kid from petting the “cute doggie.” We arrived at the gate in plenty of time, but not without first, you guessed it, seeing an older gentleman sprawled on the floor in the throes of a medical emergency. At the gate, the kid asked if he, too, was also going to have a medical emergency. "No, Kid, they aren't contagious, I hope." Departure: And it’s flight time. The attendant escorted my kid to the back of the plane because it’s “safer” and helped him stow his luggage. My minor texted me from the connector airport that he’d landed and was being taken to the next gate. Then I eventually received proof of life on the other end. Pick-Up: The pick-up for the American Airlines flight in November, was, um, frustrating. Parking was easier, thankfully, but once I got to the counter, it was deserted. No. One. Was. There. It was about 8:30pm at a major airport. I asked another airline’s counter staff where I might find someone for my airline – I needed a gate pass to pick up the kid. I was sent to one end of the airport, then back to the empty counter. As I approached again, I saw a flight attendant who tried to ignore my attempts to flag her down. She proceeded to give me excuses like, “I’m not working,” “No one’s here right now,” “I think they might maybe bring the children to baggage claim.” No. Just. No. What are we paying the UAM fees for? I have a young child to pick up at the gate! A maybe of where he could be in a giant airport is completely unacceptable. This attendant finally found someone else who could issue me a gate pass from the still desolate check-in counter – issued to the wrong gate, but thankfully no one caught that. Once at the gate and the plane had landed, there was a competent attendant who escorted my little traveler safely to me. Pick-up for the Delta flight was easier in many ways. I had my parking routine down. There were agents at the Delta counter, I got my gate pass, but no arrival gate was listed. I get through security and I look for arrival/departure gates so I know which terminal to take the airport train to so that I can pick up my precious cargo. All the boards had departures only, no arrivals. I track down an airport worker. She wasn’t quite sure. I have the Delta app and it gave me a gate, but what if I didn’t have the app? And what if the app is wrong? Why aren’t the arrivals posted like the departures are? And, I have often had gates be different than what I was told at the counter. I arrived at the gate, and still no listing of the arrival. I really want to know where my kid will be arriving. I don’t think this is an unreasonable ask. I asked at other gates. They weren’t sure. I went back to the app and the app says the gate I’m at is it. And, finally, after much anxious waiting, the last to stumble off the plane, was my kid. Safe, sound, and ready to spill the tea of his adventures.
Kid report: “Mama! Yea, I’m home!” Phew. |
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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