13 Comments »

1. Isn’t there some age limit for allowing children flying solo? Common sense tells me that a 5 year old needs an adult companion and should not be put on a plane and left to the not so tender mercies of a flight attendant who has many duties to perform. I would call this child neglect on the part of the parents or guardians.
   If my grandchild (who is age 5) needed to be sent to us by her parents and no relative was available to accompany her, I would fly to her home and accompany her to our home. Yes it would cost a lot but her well-being is the only concern.

   Comment by anonmom — January 5, 2008 @ 10:23 am

2. Egh, i flew quite alot as an unaccompanied minor, starting at age 4. no problem at all. Granted, all of those flights were direct, non-stop.

   Really, it’s about the kid. I have a 10 year old nephew who I would not send alone. But his 7 year old brother would be a-ok. And his 4 year old brother would be fine next year.

   Making rules for the lowest common is insane. Letting people make judgments for themselves is a good thing. =)

   Comment by none — January 6, 2008 @ 8:23 pm

3. At 5, my kid was an experienced flyer who would have done just fine solo. But we’ve taught him to independent and taught him how to travel. It’s not fair that rules should treat every child as dumb or incapable; let parents decide what risk theyy want to assume. Oh, and require airlines to keep their contractual obligations - wouldn’t that be wonderful for us all!

   Comment by JJMom — January 10, 2008 @ 12:16 am

4. Absolutely too young in today’s world. What happens if there is something amiss with the flight and the young passenger becomes afraid or the flight sits on the ground for hours before takeoff. The cabin crew does not have time to be “Mom” and then the impetus would be on the passenger(s) sitting next to the child. I do not want to do child care when I want to relax.

   Comment by Anne — January 10, 2008 @ 12:34 am

5. Westjet(WJ) Sent the mother to Montreal/Trudeau-YUL where her Ex lives and Child was sent for Xmas at no charge and I believe refunded the child’s airfare/fees. As well WJ apologized and said there will be a review of their procedures. Note WJ had lower fares but non-direct service. Edmonton (YED)-YUL service.Air Canada(AC) which as similar problems does have a direct flight YED-YUL. It sound to me (Her mother and stepfather took Sara-Maude to the gate Allow on Canadian Domestic Departures. ) that they checked in without really mentioning she was an unaccompanied minor something WJ should have picked up on.

   What I do know is AC would not have refunded anything or readily admit to problems. It seems to me that the parents were looking for the cheapest not the most direct routing. The mother and father are originally from YUL, HQ for AC.

   Comment by Jim Ashenden — January 10, 2008 @ 5:18 am

6. Making rules standard for the lowest age is completely appropriate. This gives the airlines a baseline for training staff. It also holds parents responsible if the go outside that baseline.(legal drinking age, legal driving age) My husband’s younger sister flew solo every summer to visit us from the UK but not until age 14. At 5 most kids don’t walk to school alone, but you’d allow them to fly hundreds of miles alone?

   Comment by Denise — January 10, 2008 @ 8:25 am

7. As a mom of an four-year-old I find it pretty appalling that anyone would let a five-year-old fly alone. Especially considering the crazy man last week who was fondling a grown woman. At least she can defend herself. Flight attendants cannot be relied upon to be baby sitters. If you wouldn’t leave your kid home alone you shouldn’t let him fly alone either.

   Comment by Gayle — January 10, 2008 @ 11:20 am

8. I would NOT let my 5 year old fly alone. However, my brother and I used to fly a lot by ourselves growing up because our parents were divoriced and lived in different places, but I don’t think until we were older than 5. Your parents basically drop you off onto the airplane and the flight attendants escort you to a seat and then pick you up and escort you off to your other parent when the flight is over. No big deal. But you are putting a lot of trust in someone. We always flew southwest and they are great with kids.

   Comment by Lindsey — January 10, 2008 @ 11:45 am

9. I was 7 when I took my first transatlantic flight solo. My grandparents live in Italy and I had done the trek many times before, so I knew the drill. My mother made sure to let the airline know I was travelling alone. From moment one, the airline staff kept a watchful eye on me.

   Comment by Christina — January 10, 2008 @ 11:57 am

10. One aspect of the story of the five year old flying solo that bothered me was that she was apparently seated beside an adult male. Happily for her he was a father himself and took her safely to her parents. I would be concerned about WestJet seating my young daughter beside an adult male. I used to see children who were flying solo with Air Canada or Canadian Airlines years ago, they had to wait for boarding in a special area, wear a big ID around their necks, and were seated by themselves in a bulkhead seat where the flight attendent checked on them frequently, gave them food and drink, amusements and would sometimes sit beside them for awhile and chat. The children weren’t permitted to talk to any other passengers on the flight. Seems like the standard for unaccompainied minors has dropped considerbly. I won’t even think of allowing my daughter to fly solo until she is about 12.

    Comment by Wendy — January 10, 2008 @ 12:54 pm

11. First and foremost, the parents are responsible for the safety and well being of their child. If the parents understand the airline’s policies and commitments regarding unaccompanied children, and they believe that their child is capable and comfortable traveling on an a flight full of strangers, then they are making an informed parental decision.

    The airline that accepts unaccompanied minors of any age, also accepts the responsibility of delivering that minor safely to their intended destination. If the airline falls short on their commitment to provide reasonable supervision, then they have failed in the most important objective of the carrier: safe travel. The consequences should at least be this kind of public outcry. No refund is going to make up for compromising the safety of any passenger, especially a child.

    If on the other hand, the parents failed to follow the airline policy, to prepare the child, or even misjudged the child’s ability to travel alone, then that is bad parental judgment. The consequences of that poor judgemetn could be catastrophic.

    I flew solo as a 5 year old, but 40 years ago in a very different age and time. There are dramatically more challenges and problems today, and every parent should understand that airline travel is not a guaranteed service. Whether, mechanical issues, and other passengers divert flights and cause unscheduled stops every day.

    While my boys, ages 5 and 9, would handle solo air travel as just another adventure, there is no way I am putting them in the hands of any of today’s airlines. Avoiding the cost of a ticket will never be worth passing the saftey of my 5 year old to a company and its employees.

    Comment by Jay — January 10, 2008 @ 4:06 pm

12. a 5 year old - on a plane, alone …come on….let’s say something scary happens, bad turbulence, plane re-routed, inappropriate behavior from a pervert..etc. etc. would a parent really want their 5 yr old child to be in the company of complete strangers if any of these things happen? all have happened to me and knowing how unsettling it was to me I can’t imagine sending my child off into the unknown of air travel. wise up and protect your children!

    Comment by are u kidding — January 10, 2008 @ 11:13 pm

13. While the thought of putting a child on a plane with some malevolent pax is scary, it’s still thankfully not a common occurrence — whereas missed connections and planes diverting due to weather happen daily.

    Say a flight is diverted from its original destination due to weather. One such pax is five years old, like the guy in the article. His next possible flight out is the next day. Who takes care of him in the meantime? He obviously doesn’t have cash on him for a hotel room, and if he gets a voucher, how is he going to use it?

    IMHO this kind of thing is a disaster waiting to happen.

    Comment by Charles H. — January 12, 2008 @ 2:16 pm

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