money cures everything.

kids on the wrong plane

Two instances of unaccompanied minors ending up on the wrong plane. Note that one parent issues a statement to the media through her attorney that the airline "isn't taking this seriously" and the other parent says he was offered a $75 refund.

Thje kids were 8 and 10. Why didn't the parents watch them board the flight? Can't these kids talk and say where they are going? Aren't they old enought to hold a boarding pass?

Of course, I'm sure that compensation will fix everything.

^I've seen the configuration where they check your boarding pass inside the concourse and you then walk outside to a row of regional jets. If they were loading a couple of them at the same time, changing lines wouldn't be that hard. If the flight numbers were similar............

I find it interesting that one of the parents is already speaking through a lawyer. Looks like an opportunity for the parents to score some quick cash off an airline.

This sort of thing never happens in Europe.

From what I've seen, the parents don't always watch/aren't allowed to walk into the terminal with the kids. They have to arrange at the ticket counters now to have the airline personnel take them through security and to the correct gate, where they're handed over to the flight attendants. The flight attendants will even make them wait and be the last to get off the plane (I just watched this in person on my Continental Express flight last week). I forget if the cutoff for this is 16 or 18 if unaccompanied by a parent now. In all likelihood, it wouldn't surprise me if they were escorted directly to the wrong flight.

I won't comment on the parents going sue-crazy, but I think some of you might have a different perspective if you're waiting at the baggage claim for your kid after their flight comes in and they're nowhere to be seen.

oh great! were letting my son (10) fly home from grandma's by himself next weekend, but the airline said that a parent (it will be grandpa) can take him to the concourse and sit with him until the plane boards! Hope my wife doesnt see this story or I will be making another 5 hour drive soon...

But I imagine here is that whomever took them to the airport didnt want to spend the time waiting on the plane the whole time and had to leave.

I had some friends who flew in from CA the other weekend. The dad was already here, and the mom / 3 kids were flying out to meet him and then we got to see them on the weekend and the families played... etc.

Anyway, the dad called to the airline and requested to see if he could get past security with no boarding pass and get to the gate to help mom/kids when they arrived. He was told in no uncertain terms, "NO" every time he asked.

Then he showed up to the airport and went to the ticketing counter and the lady there said, no problem, we'll print you out a special "boarding pass" just for that purpose, so you can get through security to meet at the gate. She said that it is no big deal and that it's just not "advertised" or everyone would want to do it.

Not sure if every airport is that way, but with small kids, I'm sure they would be more than happy to do something to let guardians go with the kids to the gate to be sent off. 8 or even 10 year olds are pretty young to be expected to do some of that on their own, I would think. Having an airport person help is one thing, but I'd feel more comfortable if family was there to see them off...

Road Guy said:

oh great! were letting my son (10) fly home from grandma's by himself next weekend, but the airline said that a parent (it will be grandpa) can take him to the concourse and sit with him until the plane boards! Hope my wife doesnt see this story or I will be making another 5 hour drive soon...
But I imagine here is that whomever took them to the airport didnt want to spend the time waiting on the plane the whole time and had to leave.

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Nice, I see a payday coming RG! j/k

FWIW, when my wife and I saw our kids off to meet up with their uncle and cousins on a ski trip (they were 14-15 at the time), they gave me a temporary pass to go to the gate with them. It was no big deal.

Well, I don't know about airports, but when I drop my kids off at the pool, I am always there to personally ensure they make it in the water.

I can see a lawsuit if the problem came about as a refusal of airport security or the airlines to let the parents escort their children. Personally, I think the airport security "industry" has mushroomed into a monster that is beyond control, and they treat people like crap.

PE-ness said:

Well, I don't know about airports, but when I drop my kids off at the pool, I am always there to personally ensure they make it in the water.

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What do you do if the kids can't float?

TouchDown said:

Then he showed up to the airport and went to the ticketing counter and the lady there said, no problem, we'll print you out a special "boarding pass" just for that purpose, so you can get through security to meet at the gate. She said that it is no big deal and that it's just not "advertised" or everyone would want to do it.

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They have always given us a pass at the ticket counter when we send the kids to visit grandma

PE-ness said:

Well, I don't know about airports, but when I drop my kids off at the pool, I am always there to personally ensure they make it in the water.

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this is especially important in europe.

I agree, it never happens in Europe the press would be all over it

I flew across the country as a kid at 11 and I knew full well where I was going and had to tell people...kids these days...

Anyway, I totally agree with the security thing being a mess. This is what gets me- I was on a flight in the past few years where they couldn't get someone to fess up to a carry-on they found in the front. I'm thinking someone just didn't want to be known as the jerk who dumps his bag in the first bin on, or maybe he wasn't listening. Anyway, they told us they would have to evacuate the plane and do a security sweep because of the bag. However, these kids got on totally different flights and no one flinched. The airlines usually get a listing on the manifest that says when a minor will be on board, a gate attendant had to look at the ticket, and then the kids had to sit a seat that was somehow not occupied by another passenger. That's a lot of failures past the big huge one of the person who was supposed to get them on the right flight didn't. With all that, kinda makes the whole strip search at security seem totally worthless.

My $3 on the situation.

And no, I wouldn't sue, but you better believe I'd want the $75 that they charged me to watch my kid back and then some. I'm pissed when they lose my luggage and I didn't give birth to it!

csb said:

And no, I wouldn't sue, but you better believe I'd want the $75 that they charged me to watch my kid back and then some. I'm pissed when they lose my luggage and I didn't give birth to it!

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true enough and I guess that's my point. IMO, full refund for the kids ticket with a free return flight and it should be a done deal.

No sense dragging in every freakin' news station, airing the "outrage", simply :deadhorse: It made the Boston news this moring with interviews and everything.

MA_PE said:

true enough and I guess that's my point. IMO, full refund for the kids ticket with a free return flight and it should be a done deal.
No sense dragging in every freakin' news station, airing the "outrage", simply :deadhorse: It made the Boston news this moring with interviews and everything.

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They're just trying to get their 15 minutes.

I bet they lose old people everyday!