Son's first flight alone

[Hannathy]

Unfortunately I called United customer service first and the rep was not any help. He actually told me he did not know and just to ask when they got to the airport. I thought I would come here and ask people who have experience. I appreciate everyone's advice.

He will only have a small carryon, no bags to check. We are bringing all of his stuff with us when we fly out. Honestly my biggest concern is making sure he is listening for the boarding calls. It's amazing what he can tune out at home. He is a 15 year old boy after all.

I wouldn't worry. Kids surprise you how they act when you aren't around to baby sit them. They really step up and act differently. If he knows he has to be paying attention I would bet my house he will be.

Give him some credit and I'm sure you won't be disappointed. Remember he will be leaving for school in a very short couple years-that ought to give you something else to worry/think about, lol

 

[LilyWDW]

This made me . I'm 43 and whenever we're going on a trip, my mom always says, "Be careful" to me.

I am 30 and my mom tells me to be careful when I drive to Knoxville (1.5 hours away give or take). I think moms will always worry about their kids, but learn (hopefully) to not allow that worry to take over.

 

[dudspizza]

But, they have amazing attention spans when it is something they want to do.

I wouldn't worry. Kids surprise you how they act when you aren't around to baby sit them. They really step up and act differently. If he knows he has to be paying attention I would bet my house he will be.

Give him some credit and I'm sure you won't be disappointed. Remember he will be leaving for school in a very short couple years-that ought to give you something else to worry/think about, lol

I totally agree with these......

 

[luvmy2babies]

Be careful and text me when you get there is what I get. I’m 39.

But I guess a lot of people get that since everyone turns their phones on the nanosecond we are allowed to.

He’ll probably be too excited to miss the boarding call. If he’s gone through there before with you, he will know what to do.

You’ll always worry. My stepchildren flew back and forth between here and their mom’s and we always waited for that “we’re here” call or text after sending them back and whenever they arrived, I always reminded them to call their mother as soon as possible, in the baggage area once they got cell phones.

When I took them to the airport, I accompanied them to the gate the last time when they were 14 and 16. It was the first time after 9/11 they flew and my stepdaughter was a little nervous. I stayed in the area until the plane took off. After that, I just (like someone else said) made sure they got checked in and to security in case something happened with their flight they weren’t told about until check in. I do that whenever I take anyone to the airport though. The one exception was when I took dh to the airport at 4am for a 6am flight and he told me to drop him at the curb since dd was 3 and asleep. We are only 30 minutes from our airport and I could return easily if something happened after that.

Once when my stepchildren were coming to us, their mom had her boyfriend drop them off and he just pulled up to the curb and let them out. They were 15 and 17, so old enough in some people’s eyes, but according to them they had no idea he was going to do that. So, they were immediately nervous. Well, wouldn’t you know they got to the check-in counter and found out their flight was cancelled and they had to change their flights twice at the counter. My stepdaughter called me frantic and I talked her through what to do. The BF didn’t last much longer after that.

 

[NotUrsula]

The PP who stated that the ticket agent now has final say over courtesy gate passes is absolutely right: there is no rule unless the passenger is an unaccompanied minor paying the fee, or a passenger who is in a wheelchair &/or legally blind. As a general rule, these days the airlines are more likely NOT to let you go through just because you asked, because TSA has told them not to. TSA has directed them to only give out the passes if there is a good likelihood that the passenger will not be able to negotiate through security and to the gate area unaided; letting additional healthy bodies through security slows down the lines and makes TSA look worse.

There is only one foolproof way to get to the gate area to accompany a healthy adult passenger: buy a ticket. It is common knowledge among frequent flyers that this is actually quite easy and simple to do as long as you have no issues with floating a credit card charge for 30 days. You simply buy a FULL PRICED, FULLY-REFUNDABLE ticket for any flight leaving out of the same concourse within a 3 hour window of your friend/family member's flight time, use the BP for that ticket to get access to the gate area and see them off, and then stop off at the ticket counter on your way out of the airport to process your refund for your unused ticket. The catch is that even though the refund request is processed immediately, it often takes the CC company 30 days to reverse the charge, and if you are carrying a balance you may end up paying interest on the ticket price in the meantime, if your card does not have a grace period.

I cannot emphasize enough that in order for this to work, you have to purchase a ticket that is fully refundable with no penalties. This is likely to be an expensive ticket up front. For example: I just checked what it would cost me to do this for a flight leaving from my airport tomorrow to MDW (SWA has flights to MDW out of my airport every hour, so they tend to be the best-priced last-minute): the Anytime ticket on SWA is $186 one-way. If I needed to get access to the other concourse I'd have to choose a different airline: in that case the cheapest fully-refundable option would be a ticket to DEN on Frontier at $246 o/w.

 

[gmeh1]

The issue is that the "customer service" can not give a difinitive answer because its up to the ticketing agent to decide if the situation warrants a gate pass or not.

Then if the ticketing agent agress that the 15 yo needs assistance and issues the gate pass to the grandmother its also up to TSA if they accept it or not.

So the best case senario is to plan for the 15yo to clear security alone in case the gate pass is denied.

And answer such as the explaination you just gave, which was excellent, would have been MIILES better than " I don't know". IMHO, "I don't know" is NOT an acceptable answer EVER.

 

[Sandi]

My DS flew by himself last summer when he was 12 and not as an unaccompanied minor and he did fine. I walked him to the security checkpoint and he went thru by himself and walked to the gate. I had him text me when he got to the gate and then when he got on the plane. He was absolutely fine and did not want me to walk him to the gate! He was absolutely, abundantly clear that he did not need walked to the gate.

Since your son is 15 I would fund out from him whether he wants walked to the gate or if he wants to go it alone, and I'd respect his wishes.

My DD flew by herself when she was 15. We fly a lot, so she is very familiar with what to do and navigating new areas. She was flying from an airport she knows well (Detroit) to one she had never been to before (St. Louis). She did NOT want mom walking her through security to the gate in Detroit. I watched her go through security and then she was to call and text when she got to her gate and when she was on the plane. Independence day -- or close enough. When she arrived in St. Louis, she met up with her friends and they found the family that was picking them up by phoning and texting. Then I got another text.

Unfortunately I called United customer service first and the rep was not any help. He actually told me he did not know and just to ask when they got to the airport. I thought I would come here and ask people who have experience. I appreciate everyone's advice.

He will only have a small carryon, no bags to check. We are bringing all of his stuff with us when we fly out. Honestly my biggest concern is making sure he is listening for the boarding calls. It's amazing what he can tune out at home. He is a 15 year old boy after all.

Your son will rise to the occasion and manage just fine. I figure that we've done what we can do to help kids through life and eventually they have to show us what they learned. Usually, they come through with flying colors.

 

[disneyeveryyear]

I am sure your son will be fine and his gma will be able to go with him if needed. The story struck me as funny because it would be reversed in my world. My DS at 15 would have had to walk his gma through the airport to her gate.

 

[WicketsMom]

"Since your son is 15 I would fund out from him whether he wants walked to the gate or if he wants to go it alone, and I'd respect his wishes."

You may be worrying about whether or not Grandma can get through security or not for no reason. Ask your son what he wants, many 15 year olds would not want to have someone walk them to the gate. I flew for the first time ever, alone, at 16 and while that was well before 09/11 security rules (so anyone could go to the gate) I went by myself with no problems.