Would you let an almost 10yo fly alone?

[mcnuss]

Here is the situation.

I have a conference at WDW from 3/10 to 3/12 (Friday). DD wants to come down and join me for the weekend, but DH cannot travel then. SW flies from here to MCO non-stop, and I can get pretty cheap tickets. My hotel would be paid for and we have days left on a Hopper that could be used, so this would be a pretty cheap trip.

However, I am not thrilled about letting DD fly unaccompanied. She is a very experienced traveler, and she really wants to do this. Since it's a non-stop flight, I don't have to be concerned about relying on airline personnel to watch her in an airport.

The funny thing is that I have no worries about her, per se. DH would put her on the plane and then I would be there to take her off. What I am worried about is if something bad happened to the plane while en-route, neither of us would be with her. Is this crazy? Am I being totally irrational? As many of you know, I log 100+ flights per year, so I am not afraid to fly. Why does this scare me so much?

Have any of you let a child this young fly unaccompanied? Could you share your stories? (If they are awful, just the barest details please...?)

TIA.

Allison

 

[Tigger&Belle]

My daughter is now 16yo, but we let her fly to see her grandparents (in CA, we live in Maryland) when she was 6 and then again a few years later. When she was 14 she made the same trip with her brother, who was 11yo. I was a nervous wreck every time, but knew that it was the right decision. Of course the first two trips were before 9/11 and I think that we worry a lot more now. I'm sure that the two of you would have a great time together, which would far outweigh your worry the short time she is actually flying.

T&B

 

[shelleybell]

I had the same what ifs as you last year. My DS(10) flew from Dallas to Anchorage with step brother(13). Needless to say, it was a very long 8 hours for me.Would I let him do it again? yes, but this time...I will need Prozac!

 

[prncess674]

As long as the flight is NON-STOP I wouldn't have any problems. give your child a little money just in case they are inadvertently diverted. Make sure she knows how to make a collect call from a payphone. Give her a list of phone numbers and contact information for both your husband back home and your contact info in Orlando so she can give to a uniformed associate should there be a problem.

 

[mcnuss]

If we do it, she will have a cell phone programmed with all of our numbers on her person. I may even give her my Blackberry since I won't need it at the conference.

She usually has more money than I do, LOL, so that won't be a problem, and an excellent idea nonetheless.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by mcnuss
If we do it, she will have a cell phone programmed with all of our numbers on her person. I may even give her my Blackberry since I won't need it at the conference.

She usually has more money than I do, LOL, so that won't be a problem, and an excellent idea nonetheless.

My son used to fly alone often and I had no problems with it. Of course I was concerned about him during the flight, but, that is a natural part of being a parent.

 

[sgtdisney]

I flew a number of times unaccompanied as a child. A couple of times in 7th and 8th grade to visit a friend in Dallas and numerous other times when I would go with my dad on his trips (he was a pilot) I would sometimes fly home alone as he continued his trip. I always enjoyed it a lot. I flew a lot as a kid, so I was a 'seasoned traveller' as well.

It sounds like you have all the bases covered. Non-stop flight, child who is a seasoned traveller with contact information, etc. It sounds like your daughter will enjoy it. I am sure you will both have a great time!

 

[safetymom]

It sounds like your daughter could handle it. Since it is a nonstop I don't think you have much to worry about. I say go for it.

 

[pathubia]

You have all made me feel better too. My sister has invited my 10 year old daughter to visit her in Orlando. I let my older daughter fly unaccompanied a couple of times but that was way before 9-11-01. My 10 year old has her nose out of joint because I let her sister fly alone, but not her, but I am starting to come around. Maybe next year.

 

[prncess674]

Originally posted by mcnuss
If we do it, she will have a cell phone programmed with all of our numbers on her person. I may even give her my Blackberry since I won't need it at the conference.

She usually has more money than I do, LOL, so that won't be a problem, and an excellent idea nonetheless.

Cellphone & Blackberry are a great idea but having written instructions on where you can be reached (hotel address and phone number, cell phone, etc) should also be carried. I am sure she will do fine and there won't be any problems but if for some reason something happens a distraught child doesn't think, heck even some adults don't think in a panic. Being able to hand over to an airline employee specific info can be a better solution rather than having a non "techy" airline employee have to fumble through a foreign cell phone on how to contact you.

 

[monarchsfan16]

Southwest is very good about making sure that unacompanied minors get exactly where they need to. Your husband will be able to go to the gate, and wait until the plane leaves. You will also be expected to meet her at the gate in Orlando. I believe forms have to be signed and everything else so that she can be turned over to you when she arrives. Southwest is very dependable. My 12 year old sister and I flew from Manchester, NH, to Chicago, to Seatttle with them, by ourselves this summer. The employees are very helpful and do not treat kids as though they are kids (at least when you're dealing with them). They didn't act as though our questions were annoyances, rather they went out of their way to help us. We carried my cell phone and my dad's credit card number in case tickets needed to be changed. He had bought our tickets. Cash was on hand too. Southwest made everything a breeze, and since she is a seasoned traveller it probably would not be bad at all. I have seen many kids as young as 6 on flights alone.

 

[PattiPB]

This past summer my DD (barely 9) flew alone from Vegas to San Fran. She did the same thing this past December. Side story: My BF (her GM) owns Trapeze Arts, which is a circus skills and trapeze school. They had a one week training camp for kids, and this is why DD went both times. It is WAY COOL, and she LOVES doing it! Here is how we survived:

1. She only flew alone one-way. We drove to San Fran mid-week and she drove home with us. In Dec. my BF flew back with her for Christmas. At this point, we would let her go both ways, but for her first two times, we were happy it was only one-way.

2. She had an envelope on her person that included all home and cell numbers, her insurance info, letter authorizing my BF to act on our behalf in an emergency (not necessary in your case) and some money for snacks. She had a duplicate envelope in her carry-on, JIC.

3. She was prepped repeatedly about who to talk to (and not talk to!!!), where she was to go (and not go!!!) and what to do if she found herself alone.

IMPORTANT NOTE: There is no GUARANTEE a person will be allowed to escort her to the gate or meet her at the arrival gate! This was the hardest thing for us to accept! If there is a security breach in the airport, or some other form of emergency, NO NON-TICKETED PASSENGERS can go to the gate, and your child will be escorted to baggage by an employee. Chances of this happening are extremely slim, but we prepped DD anyway (and BF picking her up!) JIC.

BTW---SW does do an EXCELLENT job with kids. I'm glad we did it, although we got flack from both sets of GPs and some friends. It was a wonderful opportunity, and we didn't want our (relatively groundless) fears to rob her of it.

JMO---Patti

 

[mcnuss]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. As it turns out, she has a GS event that weekend and has decided to do that instead of the trip. I will file away all the tips, though, for when we really do this.