When I lived in Manhattan, I made an acquaintance also not originally from there. He said that every time he returned to New York after a visit home he’d get down and kiss the airport ground, happy, ecstatic even to be back. Being from an equally cool but different state than New York, I didn’t feel the need to genuflect to the Empire State gods. But this trip, though, I almost did. I arrived in New York with my side kick exhausted (always) and in a funk. Was it the last holds of winter or the ever-constant difficulties of daily life? Who knows; don’t care. But, thanks to a voucher from a previous bad flight, I ditched the daily drudgery and stress to be somewhere awesome, do interesting things, and dare I say, be cool and interesting myself. Ok, maybe the last bit is a stretch. Whether doing or being, everything was surely going to be choked full of “did I ever tell you about...” and “I remember when,,,” First stop: to settle in with my friend and host. Meeting in New York eons ago, it’s been years since we’ve been able to catch up in person. Despite the time that’s passed, it was like none had passed at all. We sipped coffee – of bean and of mushroom, and remembered times from before. En route to our first touristy destination, I tried to teach the kid some tricks for navigating Manhattan: “I always get turned around on the west side, so when you don’t know where you’re going, don’t just stop in the middle of the sidewalk. Move to the side and orient yourself. You’ll get yelled at and probably run over if you stop the flow of traffic.” Approaching our destination, we were greeted by the sight and smell of street vendor carts. “Breathe that in, Kid. Do you want a pretzel, a dirty water dog? I want egg and cheese on a roll and coffee, definitely NOT sweet and light!”
“Dirty water dog? Ewww?! I just wanna slice.” How CANADA Keeps Trying to Keep Me in its Borders, but Won't Admit it Wants Me. Much of the U.S is on pins and needles watching the post-insurrection mid-term elections. Will tight and contentious races go the way we want? Will bleakness yield to hope? Is Georgia on my mind? Ab-so-peachin’-lutely. But you know who, or what seems to be thinking about me? Not California. Not New York. Germany could give a rat's ass. But in case things here go tits up, it seems that one locale is opening its arms to welcome me, offering me an escape. Or, maybe just the opportunity to contact one of its specialists and fill out an evaluation to see if I’m worthy… O, Canada. To date, you’ve played coy. You’re always there, quietly on the fringes, saying “no,” yet showing “yes.” It’s a new era now, Canada. Don’t play games. Just come out and say it. You know you want me, baby (Canada). My family has ‘dabbled’ in Canada. One of my great-grandmothers was born there. Her husband, my great-grandfather (was) moved there as a child. My grandfather was born there but wasn’t considered a Canadian or British citizen, simply a British subject. Gee, thanks for the warm embrace of inclusion, Canada. Despite not fully welcoming my family into the Canadian fold, growing up in northwestern Washington, my mom recalls believing that O’ Canada was her national anthem. Her neck of the woods tuned in more Canadian than U.S. television channels, and the stations back then signed off at night with color bars and “O, Canada”. Time hop a couple of generations and maybe Canada is changing its tune about my family. One summer during my early high school years, my mother wanted to show her Australian friend where she grew up, and from there, visit Canada. This was, ah hem, a while ago, before we needed passports or had Real IDs to cross our northern border. My prior visits to Canada had never been an issue, so no worries. Right? As per usual, we rode the Coho from Washington to Victoria, B.C., Canada. We visited the Butchart Gardens, hit the James Bay Tea Room because the Impress was too touristy, and shopped for Rogers’ Chocolates and Murchies tea – yet sadly, not a Mountie in sight. And, after a day on Canadian soil, it was time to board the ferry back to Washington. It was a sunny day and the winds whipped off the waters onto the ferry’s deck. Upon docking, all us passengers then mooed our way to customs to be cleared to enter the U.S. I knew the drill. I also knew that the border guards drilling me always got tripped up on the point that I was born in a different state than I grew up in. And, as expected, the border guard grilled me on where I was born, where I’m from, and then proceeded to get a bit flustered that those are two different states. Then the real fun kicked in.
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. 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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