Advice for 13yodd flying alone

[Kristine out of lurking]

My dd will fly by herself later this week for the first time. She's flying nonstop, which is definitely good. I will be able to get a pass through security to see her off to the gate; the mom at the other end will also have a pass through security to meet her at the gate.

We have to drive 3 hours to the airport so she doesn't have to change planes. It will be a looong day!

My dd does not do many things independently (understatement). She'll have a cell phone, cash, snacks, and a portable DVD player, and a book for the plane.

Am I missing something? Any words of advice from those who have been there, done that?

Thank you!

[PiCO]

My 14 yo just flew by herself yesterday. She said it's no big deal. Sounds like you have your dd well stocked.

Remembering my first time flying alone (at about 12 I think,) if your dd's shy, tell her it's OK to talk to the person next to her. Most adults think they're helping by talking to unaccompanied minors. Flight attendants will make sure she's not sitting next to a creep- they know creeps when they see them.

My dd will fly by herself later this week for the first time. She's flying nonstop, which is definitely good. I will be able to get a pass through security to see her off to the gate; the mom at the other end will also have a pass through security to meet her at the gate.

We have to drive 3 hours to the airport so she doesn't have to change planes. It will be a looong day!

My dd does not do many things independently (understatement). She'll have a cell phone, cash, snacks, and a portable DVD player, and a book for the plane.

Am I missing something? Any words of advice from those who have been there, done that?

Thank you!

[Mom2GirlsTX]

Flight attendants will make sure she's not sitting next to a creep- they know creeps when they see them.

This is true and I can speak from experience having been a flight attendant.
The other advice I would suggest is that if for any reason she does feel uncomfortable sitting next to the person she is sitting next to, is to get up and approach one of the fa's in the back or in the galley. One point that I think is important, and this is not to scare her, but is for her to be very aware of where the emergency exits are located. My father was an airline employee and we travelled constantly when I was young, and I can still remember him telling me that he wanted me to be able to know where the the emergency exits were located by counting how many rows of seats to each exit were in front and back of me. I never realized how important this one until I went through training to be a flight attendant and realized he was wanting me to know how to exit in the event of a crash, no power, etc that I could feel my way to an exit. Okay, I am not trying to scare you, just a safety issue is to make sure she listens and notices where the exits are in the event of any type of plane trouble. Hope I didn't upset you saying this, I started to not write it, but I feel safety is important and often forgotten by many busy airtravelers.
I really think she will be fine!

[Kristine out of lurking]

She's not flying as an "unaccompanied minor," just as a regular person. I will mention her age at the gate and pray they remember... This particular airline doesn't offer "unaccompanied minor" status for anyone over the age of 12.

And no, you didn't scare me. An uncle of mine died in a plane crash in 1962 (all survived the crash, no one was able to exit); dh had a friend die in a large commercial airline crash in the 1980s (random, some died, some lived). The ability to exit a plane safely during an emergency can literally save one's life.

(Okay, it didn't bother me to read your comments, but responding to them makes me a little queasy...)

[PiCO]

She's not flying as an "unaccompanied minor," just as a regular person. I will mention her age at the gate and pray they remember... This particular airline doesn't offer "unaccompanied minor" status for anyone over the age of 12.



What airline is that? I couldn't find an airline that allowed minors under 15. I really didn't want to have a $50 babysitter for my dd, who is 3 mos shy of 15.

I thought the only way to get a gate pass for someone not flying was to be accompanying a minor to the gate. Oh, well- live and learn.

[Amy in Orlando]

Southwest allowed my son, then 14, to fly as a "regular" person and I was able to get a pass to walk him to the gate and my aunt was also able to get a pass to meet him in Boston.

[Starr]

She shouldn't go looking for the friend picking her up. She needs to stay in your designated meeting area, near airline employees. Give her some purse smarts if she isn't a city girl. She'll have fun .

[Cadam]

I did the same thing at 13 yo. Advise her about flying' unspoken rules. How to find her seat by the row # and seat letter. If there is no one in the middle seat most people put down that tray to be used by both window and isle people, If the flight isn't full she can ask the stewardess to be moved to a window, when they come around with drinks she can ask to keep the soda can, that kind of thing.

I always tell my kids if they are alone and in need of something they should find a mom with kids. If she can't find an airline employee (female) then I would advise her to find a mom if she has a problem.

[gardenschooler]

My dd13 just did this recently, and I was so nervous (http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37516). But she was fine. She did have to get someone to help her put her bag in the overhead compartment, as she couldn't lift it over her head.

We went online beforehand and chose her seat, to be sure she had a window seat. We also printed out her boarding pass.

Just make sure her phone is charged and she gets there in time both ways to check her bags. My dd got to the airport late coming home, couldn't check her bag, and had to throw away a few bottles of sunscreen and lotion (because they were over 3 oz.).

She'll be fine! It's hard to believe they're big enough to travel alone, isn't it?

[Kristine out of lurking]

Thank you, ladies! Her flight went off without a hitch today.

I mentioned to her about creepy men, and reminded her to find the emergency exits nearby. Pam, yes, she flew Southwest Airlines. Because she's under 18, I was able to easily get a pass at the ticketing counter to get through airport security, and wait with her at the gate. My friend was able to do the same thing at the other end (in Denver!). (You are in or near Denver, aren't you?)

Southwest doesn't assign seats ahead of time, so the only big deal was making sure she was able to find a decent seat.

I drove to an airport three hours away so she could get a direct flight. It ended up landing half an hour early, and my friend wasn't at the gate yet, so dd called me and waited there until the friend arrived.

If I'd been thinking about it, I would've had dd on her cell phone while she was finding a seat; but her phone was off. It's not "her" cell phone, just an extra that we have, and she's the kind of kid that would've found that all to be very stressful (searching, talking) anyway.

Everything went great, and she will be flying back with her girlfriend next week. :)