Scenario: Young child (5-8 yrs of age), flying for the sake of visitation.
Please provide your personal experiences, if possible.
2007-04-10 12:50:08 · 36 answers · asked by 4eyesshorty 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Grade-Schooler
i went through this as a child. my dad and stepmom wouldnt let us fly unattended and therefore my mom had to fly to pick us up and drop us back off. i have seen kids on airplanes and they are constantly attended by a flight attendtant and they are taken from the plane to where they are supposed to be and not left alone.
its really a matter of preference. if you or your child are not comfortable with them flying alone, dont let them....in my custody papers, when my ex husband gets them, he has to pay the transportation costs. so if he wanted them to fly, he'd be flying too cause i wouldn't let them fly alone and my kids are 5 and 8
2007-04-10 14:08:06 · answer #1 · answered by goissygo 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am not single but my son who is 9 has been flying unaccompanied to visit his father for 2 1/2 years. I am not happy with this but I have to follow the court order. I have only had problems with 1 airline, but I can say that the flight crew has been extremely attentive on the other 2 airlines he flies. My son does this every monthj also. At first he was excited and his friends were jealous because he gets to fly, but the flair is starting to wear off on him. It is a tough thing to handle, sending your child all alone, never knowing, but most airlines assign certain people to unaccompanied minors. Though some do charge more for that. Oh, and my son flies about 700 miles each way. Hope you can find some answers to make you feel comfortable with whatever decision you make.
2016-05-17 06:25:24 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, I'm not the parent, but the girl I used to nanny for did this. It was a positive experience for her. We would bring her straight to the airport and put her on the plane with a flight attendant (she won't technically be alone and an attendant will escort the child off the plane). The attendant will bring the child directly to the parent at the other end. The little girl loved it and thought she was so special. However, she was a well mannered little girl and could easily entertain herself with books, music, and a GameBoy. If your child is rambunctious in any way, I'd say don't do it. Plus, make sure the child is okay with it. Check with different airlines--different airlines have different policies. I'd say as long as your child was up for the task and as long as there will be someone waiting at the gate on the other end, you'll be fine.
2007-04-10 13:29:38 · answer #3 · answered by Sit'nTeach'nNanny 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I absolutely would not. That being said, I have a neighbor who let her 8 yr old fly with her 2 older children to visit family in another state, and the airline was extremely helpful. If you absolutely have no choice, see if the airline has a "buddy system" where they can have someone stay with the child at all times.
2007-04-10 14:15:26 · answer #4 · answered by has_anybody_seen_my_keys 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i have two kids age 10 and 8 who live 2 and a half hours away from their dad, the eldest has askd in the past to go visit by train and i said no...far too young in my opinion. so the idea of a plane journey would be a hell no!!! a lot depends on child and how far etc but i wouldnt be comfortable with it at all until mid teens and would make the parent come for them.
2007-04-12 06:40:42 · answer #5 · answered by slsvenus 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No way. That's way too young. I have been on too many flights that were canceled. Sometimes you can't get on another flight until the next day. What happens to the child then? The flight attendant doesn't sit with the child on the plane. My nephew flew alone last summer, and they stuck all the unaccompanied minors together at the back of the plane.
2007-04-10 15:32:07 · answer #6 · answered by Tiss 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Personal experience, not from a one parent family but a forces family and I flew unaccompanied from this age and loved it. I was always treated like a princess and hated having to fly with the family.
2007-04-17 03:58:55 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I personally wouldn't let a child of that age fly alone - for visitation purposes or not. I think that would be worrying and distressing for them.
Sounds like you're in a difficult position, but I'd insist that the other parent comes and collects them.
2007-04-10 12:53:42 · answer #8 · answered by Hello Dave 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Okay, I know it says for single parents who share custody, but I am the child of a divorced couple. My parents divorced when I was 8 and my younger sis was 7. We flew to California to visit my dad. We lived in Texas. It's okay, mom. We always had a stewardess to accompany just us! We felt so grown up. When my dad moved to South Carolina, we flew to visit him there, too. We even had a layover in Atlanta, once! I remember how much fun it was! No bad memories for me. You can rest assured your child will be well looked after. :)
2007-04-16 13:40:16 · answer #9 · answered by trace 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No never. Not under any circumstances. What with all the terrorism and stuff going on ? And what if some jerk sticks something in their luggage ? I wouldn`t even send them on a bus journey alone. No. If other parent wants to see child, and cares as much as you do, they will pay for flight both ways and make sure child is safe.
2007-04-16 00:57:44 · answer #10 · answered by yahoobloo 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋