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Back around 1985 when my daughter was around 7 years old, she was flying alone on a flight from WA to TN where I was (she'd gone to visit her dad). I kept close tabs on her flight and she was to make a connection somewhere like Dallas, and they always put her with a steward who would walk her to her connecting flight and make sure she was on board and tucked in (she did this several times).
One time the airline said she wouldn't make her connecting flight and I freaked out. They assured me some nice stewardess would take her home for the night. WHAT??????? I lost it on the phone with them, that they better NOT send her home with some stranger, and they better get her on her connecting flight.
They did.
So, when a plane is held for late passengers, I always wonder if there's some unaccompanied child they're making sure gets on the flight.
This has to be the best travel story ever!! Taking a random kid home and expecting the parents to be, "Oh, well, then that's okay. My daughter does get up in the night so can you please extend your obnoxious niceness and have her sleep with you in your bed?"!!!!!!!
If your first flight is late, you will appreciate that the connection waited for you, simple as that. If it's beyond late, then the airline needs to find you a different flight, on their dime.
It does pay to book your itinerary so that you have at least an hour between legs. 20 minutes between legs is just asking for trouble!
Most airlines schedule themselves that much of a buffer on their flights to begin with in order to make their on-time arrivals percentage number look good in assorted reports and news stories. Their operations office will know how much they can go into that buffer and have a delayed departure still get you a scheduled on time arrival without having to burn extra fuel along the way.
This has to be the best travel story ever!! Taking a random kid home and expecting the parents to be, "Oh, well, then that's okay. My daughter does get up in the night so can you please extend your obnoxious niceness and have her sleep with you in your bed?"!!!!!!!
No kidding! I told the person on the phone who was so la tee dah about this, that they better get her on that plane, or hold her at that airport and get me to her pronto, or I was going to start calling every possible news outlet I could find to tell them they were sending my child home with some stranger without my permission!
It's so nuts it's hard to believe it's a true story. Can you imagine this? I guess it makes me feel better about being delayed when I picture it's because of someone's unaccompanied kid. I never let her fly solo again after that. I spent thousands accompanying her across country on flights for myself and hotel rooms. Scared the living daylights out of me.
Back around 1985 when my daughter was around 7 years old, she was flying alone on a flight from WA to TN where I was (she'd gone to visit her dad). I kept close tabs on her flight and she was to make a connection somewhere like Dallas, and they always put her with a steward who would walk her to her connecting flight and make sure she was on board and tucked in (she did this several times).
One time the airline said she wouldn't make her connecting flight and I freaked out. They assured me some nice stewardess would take her home for the night. WHAT??????? I lost it on the phone with them, that they better NOT send her home with some stranger, and they better get her on her connecting flight.
They did.
So, when a plane is held for late passengers, I always wonder if there's some unaccompanied child they're making sure gets on the flight.
I've seen UM's not make connections. Some carriers won't allow them to book on final flights of the day, but when there's weather or other situations not under the control of the airline, it does happen.
They aren't sent "home" with anyone, but rather are taken to a hotel where they are put in a connecting room with a FA who makes sure they are fed and that the parent(s) is aware of where they are and what flight they will be on the next day.
Anyone who can't handle that shouldn't be putting a child on a plane alone. Either take them yourself or pay for a friend or family member to do so.
They aren't sent "home" with anyone, but rather are taken to a hotel where they are put in a connecting room with a FA who makes sure they are fed and that the parent(s) is aware of where they are and what flight they will be on the next day.
Being in a hotel with an adjoining room to a stranger makes all the difference...
Seriously, would this be okay with you?
I do agree that parents should not fly their kids solo, because this could happen.
We had such an experience once. We were delayed in Puerto Rico because of bad weather and landed in Atlanta late, they held our connecting flight and when we got off of our plane they loaded 5 of us on one of those baggage vehicles and literally drove under the wing of a plane that was backing out of a gate, down a runway for a short distance, through a building and over to the waiting plane where we ran up a stairway and as the door closed the Captain said "We're on our way" and was moving before we even sat down. It was at midnight so I doubt that anyone saw us doing that but I wish there had been video cameras back then. The stewardess said they couldn't believe it when they saw us coming on that cart. Fortunately, most of the people that had been waiting thought it was pretty funny. I don't remember how long they had been waiting for us but we laugh every time we tell the story.
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