<p>Thanks, Goaliedad. That’s what I figured too. The representative went on about how they had to check minors, in part so as not to transport runaways. Anyway, I’ll be staying away from Delta for a while, at lease until d is 15 and maybe longer.</p>
<p>US Airways-from Boston…
We purchased a ticket for our 14 yr old. No rules were specified in the purchase process. She used her student ID and they told her she couldn’t get on the flight - “unaccompanied minor.”</p>
<p>US Airway reps were lecturing. They couldn’t imagine a school would drop off an unaccompanied minor at the airport. When I (curiously) asked if we should have lied about her age when buying the ticket, they said they wouldn’t recommend it.</p>
<p>Paying $200 more dollars, pleading and promising to never do it again, they did us a “huge favor” and had a US staffer accompany her to the gate. </p>
<p>We laugh about it now, but will continue to book Jet Blue.</p>
<p>2et-Thanks for sharing that, I was certainly tempted to lie about d’s age, not for the discount, but for the convenience. It is not easy getting someone local to take your child to the airport and escort them to the gate, especially when you know they are capable of doing it alone. For now we are sticking with Southwest.</p>
<p>United is good for kids under age 15 too. But they will be 15 before you know it. US Airways is really bad. Sent D to summer camp last June and US Airways was the only carrier going to the airport I needed. I almost bought the ticket until I read all of the fine print etc. I ended up having her take a shuttle bus from Bush International to the other airport - I forget its name. It ended up being cheaper anyway. Once she got to camp one of her friends was delayed by a day because he was booked on US Airways and had to make alternate arrangements at the last minute and get a different carrier all because he was only 14. Even if you pay the unaccompanied minor fee on US Airways, beware, because they don’t allow for layovers - its for one flight and one flight only. </p>
<p>We haven’t had one problem with United. But now that she is 15 she can fly US Airways - it’s cheaper.</p>
<p>Southwest was always my daughters preferred airline. No extra fees to travel as a minor and they are much more accommodating than other airlines. I highly recommend Southwest if they service your area.</p>
<p>US Air will not allow UCM or flights that connect. All of the major airlines fear having a minor “stuck” in an airport that is not their destination or their home. ie, you 13 yo having to spend the night in some hotel in usual bad areas of town by an airport. I used to fly to Charlotte with her and let her go on her own from there and then meet her in Charlotte.</p>
<p>If you try, make sure you get your boarding pass at home on the computer. </p>
<p>TSA does not care about age as long as they have ID. If she gets on the plane “in a group”, the gate agent will usually not check. </p>
<p>Also make sure they do not have an exit seat as the FA will ask their age if they do.</p>
<p>As an aside, she flew to Taiwan to visit a friend from school over the summer. Cathay Pacific has a great program where they accompanied her. She also went to front of lines in security and customs.</p>
<p>I have to chime in here and say that I think sneaking on board like that is a terrible idea. It’s not ok to break the airline’s rules, just because I disagree with them, and this would just teach my daughter that it is ok to do so. Honestly, I don’t think she’d be comfortable with it, either.</p>
<p>And that’s not even counting the possibility that she could get caught, and left at the departing airport. That’s a scenario I don’t even want to contemplate.</p>
<p>skidad - I totally agree. Even under the best of circumstances, I’d be uncomfortable with the sneaking on board idea. And when you consider all of the confusion,nervousness and unpredictablilty surrounding airline travel these days…I can’t imagine my kid being repeatedly grilled by TSA agents in a fluorescent lit, white walled room with just a table between them.</p>
<p>Princess’sDad said “TSA does not care about age as long as they have ID. If she gets on the plane “in a group”, the gate agent will usually not check.”</p>
<p>[No</a> More Lying about Your Age: Tougher TSA Rules Coming](<a href=“http://rickseaney.com/2009/08/11/no-more-lying-about-your-age-tougher-tsa-rules-coming/]No”>http://rickseaney.com/2009/08/11/no-more-lying-about-your-age-tougher-tsa-rules-coming/)</p>
<p>if your full name and birth date on your ID doesn’t match your ticket…you will not be getting on a plane.</p>
<p>and it may even be a Federal offense to lie about your age when you purchase your ticket–why would you want to risk your child in this situation? </p>
<p>very poor advice…</p>
<p>^lol
Sorry to intrude, but I’m flying alone to DC from Charlotte in March and since y’all seem to know everything about UCMs flying, I was wondering if you could give me some advice on what airline would be cheapest and most accomadating. I just turned 15 and Southwest does not service our area.</p>
<p>Hoping411–check expedia.com --they will give you the cost from various airlines…then you will need to call that airline to book the ticket (since you are under 18) and they can tell you their policy on minors.</p>
<p>
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<p>Par, note I said I flew my d to Charlotte and then she went the last leg under US Air’s rules of only one segment as UM.</p>
<p>However, while you are correct, as of yesterday, my boarding pass did not have my age on it so there was no way the TSA agent could check it.</p>
<p>All I can say at this point is thank goodness that goaliegirl turns 18 before she has to fly again.</p>
<p>I can’t imagine how the boarding schools are going to deal with this issue going forward. It certainly makes it more challenging to recruit talent from a great distance. Especially internationals.</p>
<p>Goalie?
I don’t believe there has been any change except for TSA. But, I have not seen any place on the ticket where it asks age per se and (at least for domestic) there is no discount for “child” vs “adult”. One of few differances with “child” is that they will not assign exit row.</p>
<p>Yes, to date there seems to have no enforcement necessary changes to make these new policies work.</p>
<p>At some point, however either the reservations system or the check-in system will begin to flag minors that are not on a reservation without an adult. At that point, they will have the gotcha to disable boarding pass printing until a ticket counter agent has verified that the minor is traveling with an adult on another reservation. Not particularly difficult from a programming standpoint. This takes TSA out of the enforcement loop. I’m actually surprised that they haven’t done it already. It is probably that they have a policy to cover their legal rear ends (in case a minor gets stranded in the wrong place), but enforcement costs money and risks offending some customers.</p>
<p>Ultimately these policies are more about legal (or financial) issues more than genuine concern for the well being of the passengers.</p>
<p>Anyone have information on age enforcement for buses? Bought tickets for daughter and roommate to come home for Presidents’ Day weekend on BoltBus from Boston to NYC (we will arrange taxi, that will probably cost more than the bus, from school to station in Boston). Then, found out that she needs to be 16 to travel alone…she is 15, and not sure if roommate is the same or 16 yet. I am thinking that they aren’t likely to strictly enforce this, and that we will be okay…Does anyone have any thoughts/experience on this?</p>
<p>Brooklyn
Nice to see you are still around.
I don’t know about the buses in the NE, but I don’t think I would want my d on a bus by herself. Lots of unsavory characters. What about the train?</p>
<p>Same age restriction for Amtrak.</p>
<p>Check again with Amtrack - if parent/guardian buys the ticket (in person at full price adult fare) with the child standing next to them in line there are no problems. No one questioned us at all - he just got on the train alone and it was fine. This was the Providence RI - Boston route and he was 15.</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing that, liddyb4. Exactly the info I am looking for. I was hesitatent whether we shoudl give it a try.</p>