Will Southwest let me go with my 14 yo to the gate?

[kkmcan]

So my 14 year old dd is going to fly Tucson to Denver to stay with her aunt and uncle and cousins. It's her first time flying alone, although she's flown at least a dozen times before with us.

On Southwest unaccompanied minors are 5-11 and have to pay a fee. Since she's not considered an unaccompanied minor are they going to allow me to take her to the gate and sit with her until it's time to board??

I don't want to drop her off at the airport and have her sit by herself for 2 hours.

TIA!

 

[pooch]

I hope they will as I'd be nervous too!! If you can't go to the gate, I'd suggest staying with her on this side of security until the very latest you can (just enough time to go thru security & get to the gate). Since she'll have her BP with assigned place in line, it isn't necessary to be at the gate more than 30 min or so before takeoff. So her "alone" time would be minimal. Hope it works out!!!

 

[GrnMtnMan]

The answer is maybe. It will depend on the check-in agents you encounter.

What you will do is go to a full-service check-in station and ask for a gate pass to accompany a minor to the gate. The agent will ask for ID and will provide you a gate-pass document to give to the TSA agents at security.

The problem I've encounter is that some airline agents are strict or ignorant of the policy, and won't provide you with a gate pass. And my experience has been contrary to common sense.

I was once successful escorting my early-teenage niece to her gate. Gate agents were very lax and didn't even ask the age of my niece. Another time I was helping my wife get on a plane with our baby, and the first agent I encountered absolutely refused to provide me with a gate pass (I then walked to the other side of the check-in area and asked another agent, and got the pass).

One way you could be certain is to buy a fully refundable ticket for later in the day. Just go through security as if you are going to be flying that day. Then call an cancel your ticket after you're through security.

 

[Big Willie]

We have done this many times before with no problem (nephew travels often to sports tournaments). Even though a 14 year old is "technically" not an unaccompanied minor we were allowed to go the gate with my nephew. The agents we have had were all understanding and were quick to let us have a gate pass. Our home airport is not a major thrufare so maybe that helps. Best of Luck.

 

[dudspizza]

Here is an option IF they refuse to give you a gate pass to get thru security.

Simply purchase a fully refundable ticket on that flight and then put in for a refund after the flight........ it is a land resort, but you can do it.

 

[kkmcan]

Thanks for the responses. I think I'll try and get a gate pass when I check her in. If that doesn't work, which it probably will- she's a very petite 14 year old so she doesn't exactly look like a teenager, we will wait at security until about 30 minutes before her flight. Then she could go thru security and head over to her gate to get in line at which point they will begin boarding group A 10 minutes or so later. We always get group A since we check-in online at exactly 24 hours before.

The Tucson airport is a tiny one. Once she gets thru security theres only one way to go so no chance of getting lost. Also there's never a huge line to get thru security.

Thanks so much for the ideas/insight! It really helps to hear from people who have done this before. I can't say I'm excited at all about this but she is really ready for it and I know she'll be fine. I just wish it wasn't so hard!

 

[MHSweb79]

I did this in Providence with no problem. They just gave me a dummy boarding pass to get through security and I waited with her until she boarded.

On the way home at West Palm airport, the clerk gave my mother the stinkeye when she asked if my dad could accompany his granddaughter to the gate. (My DD was at least 15 at the time.) My mother said, "It's not for HER sake, it's for his!" They gave him the pass.

 

[bumbershoot]

T
One way you could be certain is to buy a fully refundable ticket for later in the day. Just go through security as if you are going to be flying that day. Then call an cancel your ticket after you're through security.

You don't even need to call to cancel. SIL gets the "business" tickets all the time for her work travel, and one time she was informed that the deposition she'd been going to was canceled, while she was in line to board. She just got out of line and went home...the refund was processed quickly without a call or request at all.

 

[pooch]

You don't even need to call to cancel. SIL gets the "business" tickets all the time for her work travel, and one time she was informed that the deposition she'd been going to was canceled, while she was in line to board. She just got out of line and went home...the refund was processed quickly without a call or request at all.

and take a chance on having a very expensive ticket charged to my CC because I didn't make a 5 minute call.

 

[Chelley00]

We've done it multiple times: Chicago, Indianapolis, Orlando I just tell them I wish to sit with my underage child before their flight, and they have always been happy to provide a gate pass. Just make sure you take your ID, and you will have to go through security, so be prepared to remove the shoes and all that fun stuff. No one has ever asked my child's age or anything.

They've also always allowed me to get a gate pass to meet them at the gate when they arrive instead of trying to find them at baggage claim or where ever.

 

[xbatman]

Why not just call the counter at the airport and ask?

We flew Air Tran, not Southwest but DH was able to wait at the gate with DD and I since we called ahead and asked for a guest pass.

 

[LisaTC]

I wasn't allowed to do this when she departed, but when she arrived I was. Didn't make any sense. This was Cleveland. I think it depends on who's guarding the gate on any given day.