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Unaccompanied minors

Not a cat

By Not a cat
in Food and Travel

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Not a cat

Not a cat 5739

Posted
Posted

No, not the Penn State kind, I mean like on an airplane.

I'm driving to Colorado for some camping and thinking of flying my son out to meet me for a few days.  He's 14, looks 16, and has certainly flown enough that he can handle a simple direct flight with no problem.

All the airlines with good flights either prohibit under 15 from flying alone or charge an additional $100 each way.   Anyone ever just lied about their kids' age for something like this?  I'm sure I've put his real birthdate in before on previous trips so is that going to set off alarm bells where he's getting the cavity search from TSA?

Any advice other than quit being a cheap ass and pay the completely unnecessary unaccompanied minor travel fee?

 

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Brew

Brew 3049

Posted
Posted

Southwest is 12 I believe if it’s an option. My 13 and 11 year old are flying in a couple weeks without it. I can still accompany them to the gate, but there is no additional fee and they board whatever their boarding number is.

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midtown

midtown 3348

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Not a cat said:

Kid has sports, drivers ed and other bullshit commitments where he can't miss a full week.

Does he get some kind of fine or jail term for missing?  Jk..but what a sad comment on our youth that a 13 year old can't road trip with his dad because of "commitments"

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Chewbacca

Chewbacca 7793

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, Brew said:

Southwest is 12 I believe if it’s an option. My 13 and 11 year old are flying in a couple weeks without it. I can still accompany them to the gate, but there is no additional fee and they board whatever their boarding number is.

Yep.  And then just tell the gate agent that he's flying by himself.  Our 12 year old has done this a couple times going to/from his grandma's house.

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Sbbruin

Sbbruin 21912

Posted
Posted

I put my kids who were like 12 and 10 at the time on an SWA flight Burbank to Oakland to meet my wife a few years back.  I don't recall charging us extra.  But I was allowed to escort them to the boarding gate and watch them get on and my wife got a pass to meet them at the gate.  

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Brew

Brew 3049

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Posted
6 hours ago, gecko said:

I would think the airline will ask for some form of verification of age and relationship.  Doubt you could get away with misleading them in his age.

 

When they fly with us, the TSA agent asks their name and age usually. However, last week they only asked their names. They don’t have to have identification for that. I don’t remember if they had to have their passports or birth certificates last time they flew together though. They fly back to the beach in a couple of weeks and since the oldest is 13, they just fly like anyone else on Southwest. I’ll go to the gates with them in case their are flight issues, but I may take their passports just in case. Their mom is picking them up curbside at the airport, she’s not even going in. They have flown through the airport there several times though and know where to go.

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BillyGoatHill

BillyGoatHill 4332

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 6/24/2019 at 11:04 PM, Not a cat said:

No, not the Penn State kind, I mean like on an airplane.

I'm driving to Colorado for some camping and thinking of flying my son out to meet me for a few days.  He's 14, looks 16, and has certainly flown enough that he can handle a simple direct flight with no problem.

All the airlines with good flights either prohibit under 15 from flying alone or charge an additional $100 each way.   Anyone ever just lied about their kids' age for something like this?  I'm sure I've put his real birthdate in before on previous trips so is that going to set off alarm bells where he's getting the cavity search from TSA?

Any advice other than quit being a cheap ass and pay the completely unnecessary unaccompanied minor travel fee?

 

 

On 6/25/2019 at 7:27 AM, Brew said:

Southwest is 12 I believe if it’s an option. My 13 and 11 year old are flying in a couple weeks without it. I can still accompany them to the gate, but there is no additional fee and they board whatever their boarding number is.

Haven't had to do it for ten yrs +, and maybe the age has changed, but due to my divorce and the ex moving out of state (long story there), my daughter flew unaccompanied minor on the west coast with SWA from age 5 to 18. As Brew stated, you get a pass at the ticketing agent to get through TSA and accompany them to the gate for boarding. On the other end, adult can do the same to sign for them (with ID) at the arriving gate. Super simple other than the usual TSA hassle.

Edited by BillyGoatHill
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Your Mom

Your Mom 4873

Posted
Posted

 It’s 12 and under for Southwest. You still have the option of paying for the fee and having the UM status but it’s not required if any kid in the party is at least 12. So a 12-year-old could fly with a 10-year-old and not have to pay the fee but also not get the  supervision that comes with unaccompanied minor status, ID checking etc...   if they are 12-18 and not paying the UM fee, they are considered a Young Traveler.   In that case you can escort them to and from the gate but they get no supervision whatsoever on the airplane and when they get to their destinations they can walk off the plane to wherever they want to. 

 On a related note, about a year ago a guy on one of my flights was arrested after landing for groping and trying to get the phone number of an 11-year-old UM that was seated next to him.  I’ve also heard many stories of flight attendants moving passengers who got creepy around the UM’s.   It happens quite a bit apparently so speak to your kids about speaking up if you put them on a plane alone. 

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Your Mom

Your Mom 4873

Posted
Posted

I’ve seen lots of airports turn into a complete shitshow in the weather but none quite so spectacular and often as Newark. I get that there’s only so many options jumping off to Europe but I try to avoid connections thru the NY Big 3 as much as possible.  I might be biased though, I just hate that place. 

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CooterBrown

CooterBrown 18095

Posted
Posted

Coming back from Tulsa last week, a fuck head okie put his 6 year old on the 2pm flight. No biggie except she was going to visit grandma in Vegas. Since unaccompanied minors cant switch planes, her flight was TUL>DAL>AUS>SAN>LAS. He gave her no snacks and no entertainment for what had to be 8+ hours. Passengers gave her some coloring books and crayons from their kids. The flight attendant let me buy her some dinner when we landed in Austin and leave it with the gate agent. Should’ve left a sternly worded letter for grandma to shoot her fuckstick son but I didn’t.

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