unaccompanied minors ( U.M )?

Question

hey,
well my daughter is on to be an unaccompanied minor. i have a few questions to ask about this.

who will my child be sitting next to ? will they be sitting next to the other unaccompanied minors?

will anyone be suppervising my child while they are on the plane?

will they make sure that my child get off the plane safely ?

what is the best airline for U.M ?

Answer 1

un accompanied minors and those minors traveling alone that have special needs will be taken care of by the airline employees. the flight attendants will make sure that your child gets onto the plane, finds his or her seat and gets off the plane at their destination. your child will be sitting beside whoever has a ticket into the seat next to him/her, however if there is a large amount of unaccompanied minors, they will probably seat them together. Also. unaccompanied minors, and those who have special needs and are not traveling alone, are "pre-boarded" first so that they have extra time to get into their seats and get comfortable. I would inform the airline that you have a minor who is traveling alone just so that they are aware of it, and can help him or her with any questions or difficulties. Unaccompanied minors usualy are seated in the forward most part of the aircraft, to allow easy boarding and de-boarding of the plane. In Canada, i find that WestJet or Air Canada is one of the top two airlines that are helpful in this matter. not sure about the USA.

Answer 2

Boarding/ Seating/ Deboarding procedures for U.M. are as follow:

1. If there are multiple unaccompanied minors flying on the same flight most likely they will be seated together. If not they may be seated next to a regular passenger or alone.

2. Your child will be seating most forward or most aft in the coach class cabin, whatever is closest to the airplanes gally / gallies. If your child is riding first class they will be seated in the very front seat. Basically where ever your child sits on an aircraft they will be closest to a flight attendent's station.

3. Once plane is deboarding your child will be the last to get off the plane along with any other U.M.s or disabled passengers. The gate agent working the flight will escort your child off the plane either to the gate (only if the adult is able to obtain a gate pass) or to the main terminal area. Someone will remain with your child until the parent or guardian is located.

4. Basically all airlines handle U.M.s in the same method, but be advised the fee usually runs $75 domestic flight also, U.S. Airways does not offer this service at all.

5. Be advise to book your child's flight during the earlier part of the day incase of cancelations especially if your child must make connections in another city. If your child does get stuck in another city unable to make connecting flights for the rest of the day they will be guarenteed a reservation for the night at an hotel plus food vouchers. They also will be rebooked for the earliest flight out for the next day.

Answer 3

who will my child be sitting next to ? will they be sitting next to the other unaccompanied minors?

If there are other UM's on board then yes they will be seated together. If your daughter is the only UM if the aircraft is not full then check-in staff usually have a spare seat between the UM and the next passenger (of course this depends on the aircraft). If the flight is full then she will be seated next to someone however most airlines will ensure it is next to a female. She will also most likely get an aisle seat and be seated in an area where crew work for example near a galley so crew can check on her easily.

will anyone be suppervising my child while they are on the plane?

Absolutely. As previously mentioned UM's are usually seated near crew work areas so crew can easily check on your daughter and so your daughter can easily find the crew

will they make sure that my child get off the plane safely ?

Yes very much so. The crew usually hand over UM to ground crew who then take your daughter through the airport and will only hand over your daughter to the person you have identified on the UM form and ground staff will also ask for photo ID.

what is the best airline for U.M ?

You'll find all airlines will treat UM's the same - Rest assured whatever airline you pick while the on board service might not be great, they will all look after your daughter as if it was their own child.

Answer 4

Okay when I had to travel to Colorado a flight steward was suppervising me on the flight. I sat with everyone else. You're child depending on her age will be chaparoned through the whole process. The stewardess should have info on who is picking you're daughter up when the flight ends and have proper ways to identify the person. Not sure which airline is the best . But you can ask at the air line how they handel unaccompanied minors. Just make sure you are completly satified with their answers before you allow your child to fly on their plane.

Answer 5

How old is your daughter? I ask this because they will supervise younger children only in getting off the plane.

When my son turned 14 or 15, they stopped walking him off the plane, etc. Problem being that in certain airports, you cannot meet them at the gate because of security. Some airlines will give you a pass to meet them at the gate, others won't. Southwest was very good about that, Delta was not so good with him and Jet Blue was the one airline that gave me a hard time and wouldn't let me go the gate to meet him. He had to meet me in baggage claim. (in NY)

Depending on which airline - most will keep an eye on your child during the flight but they do not have a specified seating area for them. My son has sat with other families and at times had the whole row to himself. Southwest with it's open seating arrangement will allow minors to board early so they can sit up front.

Hope this helps a bit. Good luck!

Answer 6

I was going to say to try watching the movie, Unaccompanied Minors. But that would just make you worry and fret even more, so therefore I suppose I cannot be of any more assistance to you.

Answer 7

Each airline does things a little differently, some block a specific row just for seating minors, most just seat them anywhere in the cabin, and they could be sitting next to anyone, another kid or an adult. If they are seated next to an adult, most people will help the child and talk to them, or look after them as if they were their own. Some times, especially during the summer there are more UM's than there are seats that are designate for UM's, so they are just sat anywhere. On the manifest the FA's receive, it tells them which seats UM's are sitting in, so they will know.

The way it works is, the FA's do not specifically look after the child per say but they do check on them through out the flight. When you check in at the ticket counter and give all the necessary information, the child is given a sticker to wear or a lanyard to put around their neck with a pouch that holds all their travel documents. Once you get to the gate, one adult can escort them, you check in with the gate agent. About 5 minutes before general boarding, the Gate Agent will walk down any and all UMs and hand the paperwork to the Flight Attendant. They FA will ask if they can find their seat, or if they are really young will take them to their seat and explain the rules. They can get up to go to the lavatory if necessary and when it is ok to get up after they are in the air, etc or they tell them to ask for assistance when they need it. Then they explain that they are to remain in their seat once they arrive until someone comes to get them.

Explain to your child that they will be first on and last off and not to get up until the FA comes to get them or announces to come to the front of the plane. Also explain the rules about getting up and when it is ok. How to watch the fasten seat belt sign and when it is turned off etc.

Once they arrive at the connection or destination, they will be the last off the plane. The FA will hand over the paperwork to the arriving Gate Agent and then they will be escorted up the jet way to the gate area. Who ever is meeting the child MUST be in the gate area BEFORE the flight arrives. Gate agents are not babysitters and as soon as everyone is off the plane, there is another flight that has to be worked. The child is not constantly watched on the flight. There are times, like during take off and landing or during turbulance that FA's will have to remain seated. They will stop by during beverage service to make sure they are alright, or will check on them while walking the aisles. But other than that, your child needs to be on their best behavior and be able to occupy themself. In smaller airports, they may be escorted to the security check point, but in large airports they will not be able to do this and who ever is picking them up MUST check in at the ticket counter, show ID to verify they are the meeting party and be in the gate before the plane arrives. Once the child identifies who is picking them up, the gate agent then again checks ID against the documents, so make sure its handy.

Some airlines do not accept UM's at all, some do not accept them on connecting flights. The most important thing is that the meeting partys be on time and be who is listed in the reservation to pick up the child. No one else can sign for the child accept who is listed on the reservation.

If your child is 15 or older, they are considered an adult and will not receive escort. You can however pay for the service still, but after 15 it is not mandatory.

Another VERY IMPORTANT rule is that you can not book a UM on the last flight or last connecting flight. If there is a delay or cancellation, they can be stuck over night and agents will have to stay with them in the airport. There used to be a day when they would take them home with them OR put them up in a hotel room that was ajoining and someone would have to stay with the UM. But now, they have to stay at the airport with the child IF somehow it slips through the cracks. They should catch it at check in if somehow you are mistakenly booked or book it yourself. The best thing is book a morning flight or call the airlines reservations number. Ususally you will get India depending on the airline, and you wont get the rates you can online. But if you do book online, make sure it is not the last flight of the night. Out of small cities, the last flight is usually around 6pm, larger cities it depends. You can always call the airline and ask when the last flights are so when you are looking online, you will know what to stay away from.

Hope this helps. Feel free to e-mail me at [e-mail] if you have any other questions.