Delta, Unaccompanied Minor and Standby ?

[kaffinito]

Long story short, ex DH is flying DS11 to Texas for the summer, and purchased a standby ticket for him on Delta instead of a regular ticket.

My question is, can an unaccompanied minor fly standby? And as far as the rules go, if you fly standby, and don't get on your initial flight (non stop) then can you wait for another nonstop flight that you can get on? Or do you have to take the next available flight, non stop or not, that has a seat for you?

TIA!

Karen

 

[ancestry]

I don't believe so but it doesn't sound as though your ex DH has him flying as an unaccompanied minor to begin with. When you book the ticket you have to list the child as an unaccompanied minor and pay an additional fee to fly as such. The fee on Delta for an unaccompanied minor is $100 each way. That would be $200 round trip on top of the cost of the ticket. The fee is mandatory for any child between the ages of 5-14 on Delta.
See (http://www.delta.com/planning_reser...r_children/children_traveling_alone/index.jsp)

The fact that he has him booked as stand by tells me that he *does not* have the child booked as an unaccompanied minor in the first place which will cause problems at the airport. On Delta you have to register and pay for any child traveling alone between the ages of 5-14.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I don't know that much about flying stand-by, but I never heard of buying a specific stand-by ticket. Usually you buy a regular ticket and if you want to change your travel time on a particular day, you opt to stand by for another flight that day. So I'm not sure what's going on here.

That said, it's clear that on Delta, your child must fly as an unaccompanied minor and pay the fee. Tell your ex your child needs a confirmed ticket and to stop messing around!

 

[kaffinito]

That's what I'm afraid of. And I can't look it up online to check if he's listed or not, since my ex DH's sister had her friend do it. So who knows what name the reservation is under?

I'll have to call Delta and check.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

The reservation has to be in your child's name. Good luck; I have a divorced sibling whose ex does this type of thing all the time with airline tickets for the kids for visitation and have seen how frustrating it can be.

 

[kaffinito]

The reservation has to be in your child's name. Good luck; I have a divorced sibling whose ex does this type of thing all the time with airline tickets for the kids for visitation and have seen how frustrating it can be.

Thanks It is frustrating.

It's not even pulling up under his name, or with the Delta confirmation number. I'm waiting for a call back from Delta right now.

 

[DebbieB]

I've never heard of the general public buying a standby ticket. Is it a ticket from an airline employee? I know they get free flights but they have to fly standby.

 

[kaffinito]

Ok it's all straitened out now. An unaccompanied minor can fly standby as long as they are checked in and the paperwork is filled out.

Now I'll just have to hope on Wednesday that he can get on the flight he's supposed to be on.

And I will tell ex DH to stop messing around.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Ok it's all straitened out now. An unaccompanied minor can fly standby as long as they are checked in and the paperwork is filled out.

Now I'll just have to hope on Wednesday that he can get on the flight he's supposed to be on.

And I will tell ex DH to stop messing around.

Can you clarify just what type of ticket your child actually has? It is a regular ticket and he is going to try and get on a different flight that day? I'm just curious. It does seem kind of crazy to make a kid fly standby if he doesn't have to.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

What? Delta doesn't selll standby tickets?

The only standby out there is a Buddy Pass for friends/realitives of Delta employees. ANd that sounds like what you have. This is REALLY risky! Depending on the "sister's friend" status at Delta your son can easily be the BOTTOM of the list on his flight. And only a Delta employee can tell you how things look. I think maybe you need to talk to the person who purchased this ticket and get the details.

If this is what you have, your child is at the mercy of Delta here. They won't put him on a connect without his "permission" but he can be moved from flight to flight to flight until they have an open seat.


And if it's a return ticket you have this same "unknown" on the return.

How old is this minor?

 

[crashbb]

Ok it's all straitened out now. An unaccompanied minor can fly standby as long as they are checked in and the paperwork is filled out.

Now I'll just have to hope on Wednesday that he can get on the flight he's supposed to be on.

And I will tell ex DH to stop messing around.

Maybe it is just a terminology issue, but I'm confused. If you are standby, then you aren't "checked in" (meaning, have a confirmed seat and boarding pass), until just before the flight. So, I'm not seeing how this works for an UM.

What? Delta doesn't selll standby tickets?

The only standby out there is a Buddy Pass for friends/realitives of Delta employees. ANd that sounds like what you have. This is REALLY risky! Depending on the "sister's friend" status at Delta your son can easily be the BOTTOM of the list on his flight.

If this is what you have, your child is at the mercy of Delta here. They won't put him on a connect without his "permission" but he can be moved from flight to flight to flight until they have an open seat.

How old is this minor?

The child is 11.

I'm with you in the confusion (and the thought that this sounds like a buddy pass).

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Maybe it is just a terminology issue, but I'm confused. If you are standby, then you aren't "checked in" (meaning, have a confirmed seat and boarding pass), until just before the flight. So, I'm not seeing how this works for an UM.

I was assuming "checked in" meant with the gate agent regarding the 'child"

Personally I don't think I would send a child on a low priority buddy pass if this is what she has.

 

[seashoreCM]

On Delta and a few other airlines your chances of being bumped are a little larger if you are unable to get a seat assignment. But simply not having a seat assignment is not classified as standby.

If a registered (fee paid) unaccompanied minor has a confirmed reservation and was unable to get a seat assignment, he will not be bumped but ratehr someeone else will if worse came to worst. If a registered UM misses a connection he will be put on the next operating flight.

 

[crashbb]

I was assuming "checked in" meant with the gate agent regarding the 'child"

Personally I don't think I would send a child on a low priority buddy pass if this is what she has.

That makes sense.

Unless the child was a frequent flyer, I don't think I'd do so either (I flew enough as a child/young teen, that my parents would have been okay with it - as would I have).

On Delta and a few other airlines your chances of being bumped are a little larger if you are unable to get a seat assignment. But simply not having a seat assignment is not classified as standby.

If a registered (fee paid) unaccompanied minor has a confirmed reservation and was unable to get a seat assignment, he will not be bumped but ratehr someeone else will if worse came to worst. If a registered UM misses a connection he will be put on the next operating flight.

All true.

None of it relevant to the question asked by the OP.

The OP's son does not have a confirmed reservation. Nor he is simply lacking a seat assignment.

 

[kaffinito]

Sorry, internet trouble so I couldn't get back to my post. I do appreciate all of the feedback!

I've never heard of the general public buying a standby ticket. Is it a ticket from an airline employee? I know they get free flights but they have to fly standby.

The ticket is from an airline employee.

Can you clarify just what type of ticket your child actually has? It is a regular ticket and he is going to try and get on a different flight that day? I'm just curious. It does seem kind of crazy to make a kid fly standby if he doesn't have to.

It was a ticket purchased by a friend of ex DH's sister who works for Delta.

On Delta and a few other airlines your chances of being bumped are a little larger if you are unable to get a seat assignment. But simply not having a seat assignment is not classified as standby.

If a registered (fee paid) unaccompanied minor has a confirmed reservation and was unable to get a seat assignment, he will not be bumped but ratehr someeone else will if worse came to worst. If a registered UM misses a connection he will be put on the next operating flight.

Good to know. I did get through to Delta, and his confirmation number was in the system and apparently he is supposed to fly out as an unaccompanied minor.

That makes sense.

Unless the child was a frequent flyer, I don't think I'd do so either (I flew enough as a child/young teen, that my parents would have been okay with it - as would I have).

All true.

None of it relevant to the question asked by the OP.

The OP's son does not have a confirmed reservation. Nor he is simply lacking a seat assignment.

He does fly back and forth from Texas four times a year so he's ok with flying.

And from what I found out from Delta, he does have a confirmed reservation. I do have to check him in the morning though and fill out the UM paperwork.

Trust me. Ex DH has heard an earful about this one!

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Good luck! I think that he is on a Buddy pass and I am not sure how "confirmed" those can be.

I figure it will work out as you will be there until the plane takes off and once he's in the air it's unlikely he will get out ranked in the "flying arrangements"

You might want to read this page, it's a scan of Delta's buddy pass info

http://travelinfo.delta.com/dlnonrev/Buddy_quette.pdf

 

[kaffinito]

Thanks for the link!

From what the agent said though, his ticket was paid for, and he does have a confirmed reservation and that I can do online check in for him within the 24 hour mark.

So I'm wondering if he just has a discounted ticket or something?

Next time, I get the tickets and I'll just have ex DH pay for them.

 

[happiestgrl]

On AA, unaccomanpanied minors are allowed to fly on standby/employee passes at no charge. All the paperwork is filled out and the child is "checked in" or put on the standby list, but DOES NOT have a confirmed seat. There is a standby reservation in the system, with a reservation number, but again...not a confirmed seat. I would double check with Delta to make sure he's got one!

 

[crashbb]

Thanks for the link!

From what the agent said though, his ticket was paid for, and he does have a confirmed reservation and that I can do online check in for him within the 24 hour mark.

So I'm wondering if he just has a discounted ticket or something?

Next time, I get the tickets and I'll just have ex DH pay for them.

IF you can check him in online within the 24 hour mark he is not flying standby. With standby, you don't know what flight you'll be on, until the last minute (i.e. everyone else has checked in); confirmed reservation and standby are mutually exclusive (at least, in any way that I have ever heard the terms used).

Do you have a flight time for him?

 

[kaffinito]

Yep. I have a flight time and a confirmation number.

Now that makes sense too. Why would he have a flight time and number if he was flying standby? This is too weird.