United "loses" 10-year-old girl on flight

my 10-year-old has a cell. i could give two shits what (not you DD) a bunch of childless know-it-alls have to say about that fact.

 

It does seem like the perfect situation for one of those pre-paid cell phones. Which doesn't mean the parents are at fault at all - they clearly aren't. But it could have saved them a touch of angst. Live and learn.

 

According to the Southwest guidelines, parents/guardians can go to the gate. On both ends of the flight.

http://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/family/unaccompanied-minors-pol.html

 

Would never work. Boom-idji Airlines would lay a trap, and some Star-go carrier would take the bait.

 

I remember when my step daughter was younger, we had to fly her unaccompanied every summer and Christmas break, as she lived in Iowa and us in Texas. The one thing that we always insisted upon was direct flights. Since, at the time, there were no direct flights from Houston to Des Moines, we always drove to Dallas to drop her off and pick her up.

Never had any trouble. But then again, this was pre-911 and we always took her all the way to the gate and knew there was someone waiting at the other end of the gate. There was someone literally waiting at the receiving gate before she was ever put on to the plane.

People used to think we were being over-cautious. I think not.

 

I believe that all airlines will allow you to do this, as it is actually the TSA that controls who gets to go to the gate. I'm pretty sure you get to go to the gate if you are flying an unaccompanied minor. But I could be wrong. I knew that a few years back you could do it.

 

I think with unaccompanied minors it's pretty much mandatory for someone (parent/family rep) to be at both the departing and arriving gate.

Flyette, who is 17, just flew to visit her aunt in Denver solo two weeks ago (not unaccompanied minor, which was not required on Frontier due to her age). Mrs. Fly was not allowed to go to the gate with her @ DTW. However, her aunt in DEN was allowed to meet her at the gate. Maybe it depends on the airline or even airport. :shrug:

 

+1