14 year old travel alone
 

Has anyone ever sent their teenager on a flight home by themselves?
My daughter has the chance to spend a couple of weeks in London this summer. I know she'll be fine and she's not afraid to travel alone but I'm still nervous about it.

Re: 14 year old travel alone
 

Yes I have although it was quite a while ago. It was with BA and we were very pleased with the service. There was a thread on this subject a few months ago...some said the procedures had changed in recent years.


Edit: Here is the thread.

Re: 14 year old travel alone
 

ok, thanks, I guess what I'm most nervous about is seating and supervision.

Re: 14 year old travel alone
 

Would you send them completely alone, or use the unaccompanied minor service? my stepdaughter used the UM service all the time from the age of 10, it works really well - worth the extra cost for your peace of mind. They are with a member of staff at all times whilst travelling through the airport at both ends, and a flight attendant will take them onto the plane and check on them frequently whilst in flight.

Re: 14 year old travel alone
 

Used the unaccompanied minor program with BA. Worked very well.

Re: 14 year old travel alone
 

If you look at the link I posted it shows my daughter's experience. I think it's best to call the airline and find out exactly what type of service is provided for UMs...especially if it's an overnight flight.

Re: 14 year old travel alone
 

When I was a teen, I flew to Japan a few times on my own, with Virgin, didn't use the UM service, but they still had someone from check in to pick up on the other end. Think they still do that.

BA is very good for UM flights too.

Re: 14 year old travel alone
 

I just read it, thanks for posting a link.

Re: 14 year old travel alone
 

The first time I ever traveled on a plane I traveled alone, I was 16! If they have flown with you and are doing the UM program I would not worry at all.

Re: 14 year old travel alone
 

Our 12 yr old daughter just travelled from LHR to SFO and back again by herself. We used the UM program on United even though she was technically old enough to simply travel alone, and it worked out fine. She got looked after well and received treats and lots of attention during the flights. She is a very experienced traveller and actually would have managed perfectly well by herself but we wanted the extra peace of mind, just in case the flight got diverted or some other unexpected event occurred. We would do it again.