What age for a child to fly alone?

[bettyandbob]

My ds is 18. He goes to school 2000 miles away. Since August he has flown to and from his aunt's house on the west coast for thanksgiving and to and from our home on the east coast. Each trip is with a least one stop. He also has to arrange his ride to the airport 4hours away from school. I consider him very immature and disorganized or his age, but he is fine dealing with his own transportation.

 

19 is just too old to be so dependent on mom and dad that you need an escort. I really wonder if there is an underlying issue you don't know about.

[Jan in SC]

My ds had just turned 12 when he flew for the first time. He went overseas with connecting flights, but while he wasn't with us he was with a group of people. I would let him fly alone now, if someone was meeting him. I'm not sure if I'd let him change planes in a non-English speaking country without help, though- but, most places have English everywhere!

[Danestress]

 

 

She's 19.

 

 

Interesting. At that age, I flew to Europe and Asia alone and backpacked around China all by myself for six weeks with very little money and no plan. Honestly, I don't know how my mother stood it.

 

I do think it is possible that this girl had a mental or physical condition that her Mom simply does not care to discuss.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Uh..... 19? I voted 13 because I was being conservative, but I think a mature 11-12 yr. old could probably do it. I flew to a foreign country by myself when I was 19. Holy smokes.

[lovinmyboys]

Hmm..I am considering flying my 7yr old to my parents house later this year. My cousin flew to our house every year starting about age 5..if I remember right.

 

Now I am wondering if I am completely crazy to think of sending a 7yr old alone. He sure wants to visit the grandparents though.

[Wabi Sabi]

Without reading all of the responses:

 

My 8 year old is flying alone to Miami next month to visit a cousin. Interestingly enough, it'll also be his first flight ever that he's old enough to remember. However, I'm not the least bit worried. It's a short 2.5 hour direct flight, and he's a mature, obedient kid who takes authority figures very seriously. As an unaccompanied minor an adult is required to go through security with him and stay at the gate until the plane is in the air. Once he arrives in Miami he will only be released to the person I have designated, and they will have to show ID. He'll be fine, and he's eagerly awaiting the adventure!

[PinkInTheBlue]

I'm not sure what's the youngest I'd let them but I know at their ages of 16 and 15 I would definitely let them do it if they were alone. They've done it enough times with us they know what to do. I would have let the oldest do it for the past couple of years because he's a capable kid.

 

If I was putting them on the plane and a grandparent or someone super trustworthy, I would let a responsible 8 yr old.

[Lisbeth]

What's the status of TSA agents doing invasive, hands down the pants searches of little kids? My answer depends on knowing that.

[Excelsior! Academy]

15 or 16 for most kids today. Our oldest flew with three of her friends to a camp a few states over. She was fifteen at the time and her friends were between 15 and 17. They had a blast!

 

My cousin flew back and forth between divorced parents from the time she was four, but that was different day and time. I don't know that it was wise then and I certainly don't think it is wise now (that young). They need to be old enough to assert themselves. With TSA that is hard to do as a young child.

 

If a 19 year old has not asserted her own independence then a plane ride is a good place to start. Not because of TSA, but because it is a fairly safe environment and causes you to use your thinking skills a bit to get to your gate on time, layovers, meals, baggage claim, etc. This is the perfect place for someone needing to practice spreading their wings a bit!

[momma2three]

Hmm..I am considering flying my 7yr old to my parents house later this year. My cousin flew to our house every year starting about age 5..if I remember right.

 

Now I am wondering if I am completely crazy to think of sending a 7yr old alone. He sure wants to visit the grandparents though.

 

 

You're not. I really think most people are imagining something very different when they're thinking about UMs flying alone. They certainly do not go through security alone. Most airlines have a minimum age of 5, I believe. If you think he'll be pretty good and follow directions the whole time he's actually on the plane (the only time he'll be apart from you or his grandparents) then he'll be fine.

[Donna]

I'm a wimp in this department. I let my oldest fly alone at 15yo because he was a boy. I wouldn't want my dd to fly alone until a little older even though she is very mature for her age. It wouldn't be her I was worried about but anything else that could go wrong. I didn't grow up around airplanes though....only flew twice before I started doing a lot of traveling for dd's music so I admit I am a wimp about it. I think if I were more comfortable with that form of travel I would have a different opinion.

[OhanaBee]

19?!?! Holy cow! Our family lives on the opposite coast from where we are, so our girls starting flying on their own when they were around 8. We had flown many times before and only chose direct flights for them for a few years so they had no problems. Last year my 17yo flew from here to her grandparents and ended up having to make 2 unexpected connections. No problem. She had a cell phone and an emergency credit card.

 

My niece is planning to come out and spend some time with us either this summer or the next. She's 9, but hasn't flown all that much. Her dad is planning to fly out with her and then let her fly back on her own. With all our family spread out around the country, we all think it's a good idea for the kids to know how to get places on their own.

 

19 isn't a child. By 19 I was making my own travel reservations and had gone to Europe twice on my own.

 

Of course, I'm also the mom who "let" my oldest dd at 17 take a bus from CT to VA because it was all she could afford at the time and she HAD to visit her friends. Midnight at the bus station in NYC. Good times.....good times....

[Guest inoubliable]

I voted for "Under 12". I have a niece who won't be 12 until the end of the summer. Every adult included in her visitation arrangements has agreed that she is fine to fly alone at 11. I think it depends on the kid, but most kids should be okay by 12, I'd think.

[Cinder]

If a 19 year old has not asserted her own independence then a plane ride is a good place to start. Not because of TSA, but because it is a fairly safe environment and causes you to use your thinking skills a bit to get to your gate on time, layovers, meals, baggage claim, etc. This is the perfect place for someone needing to practice spreading their wings a bit!

 

 

[bolded mine] This. This is sort of how some friends of ours handled it with their (then) 19yo. She had some slight neuro delays and significant vision impairment (legally blind) but when she was 19yo she wanted to join a Christian drama troupe over a thousand miles away from home so they let her. She had never flown by herself before nor been on her own before but the parents felt that at 19yo she was ready for a bit of independence.

 

I didn't vote. I think the age depends on the child and the family's situation. None of my dc have flown alone; the situation has never come up. My first time flying alone was at 17yo to visit a friend. At 18yo when I went off to college--flew across the country, 2 transfers, 12 hours total. We couldn't afford another plane ticket for a family member to go with me so I had to go alone. Getting a cab from the airport to school was more scary to me than any of the flying parts.

[Wabi Sabi]

I'm a wimp in this department. I let my oldest fly alone at 15yo because he was a boy. I wouldn't want my dd to fly alone until a little older even though she is very mature for her age. It wouldn't be her I was worried about but anything else that could go wrong. I didn't grow up around airplanes though....only flew twice before I started doing a lot of traveling for dd's music so I admit I am a wimp about it. I think if I were more comfortable with that form of travel I would have a different opinion.

 

 

You wouldn't worry about something that could go wrong if your son was flying? Just your daughter?

[Greta Lea]

I *hate* flying alone. Hate it, hate it, hate it. SO, I would never have a child (meaning 18ish and under). My 19yo ds has Asperger's syndrome (extremely high functioning, but still AS). He's never flown at all, so I wouldn't let him fly alone yet. If he had already flown with us before, I'd let him. He would do GREAT flying alone, if no surprises happened. I also have a 15yo ds (no issues). He's flown before. I'd feel comfortable letting him fly and he'd be they type to LOVE doing something like that totally alone. NOT me. Hate flying alone.

[Joanne]

What's the status of TSA agents doing invasive, hands down the pants searches of little kids? My answer depends on knowing that.

 

The adult goes with the child to the gate, just like if your family flies together.

 

The TSA does not put their hands IN pants as a part of the routine security check.

[Giraffe]

The adult goes with the child to the gate, just like if your family flies together.

 

The TSA does not put their hands IN pants as a part of the routine security check.

 

And DD has NEVER been subjected to any kind of pat down in all our travels within the US and abroad. Neither have I, FWIW, as her sole companion. We are sent through the "normal" xray machine (not the backscatter whozit) and that's that.

[msjones]

Depends on the flight (layover? changing planes?), the time of year (i.e. possibility of massive delays due to blizzards?), the region (again, huge weather delay possibilities), the child's maturity, and the level of responsibility of the person picking them up on the other side.

 

I would not want my child alone at an international airport with a long layover, and certainly not stuck overnight or placed on a bus due to weather. Ugh.

 

So, I just think it depends.

[Donna]

 

You wouldn't worry about something that could go wrong if your son was flying? Just your daughter?

 

 

At 15yo he was a black belt in taekwondo and judo and a wrestler. He could handle himself pretty well in just about any situation. My dd is a little violin player and at 15yo probably won't be very big either. In all honesty I'd rather have two kids together on an airplane as teens than one by himself but I did allow ds to fly alone at 15. We texted back and forth a lot during the trip.

[Momling]

That is incredibly sad that a young adult (or the family of a young adult) is so frightened of the world. I would assume something else is going on (agoraphobia? anxiety problems? paranoia?)

 

My daughters flew together at 8 and 10 and I was fine with that. Younger would have been okay too -- especially because I checked them in and their grandma picked them up. At their age they are supervised on the plane and in the airport (and we have to pay extra as unaccompanied minors), but I think I'd actually be okay with them doing it alone too. It would be an exciting adventure for them. They might run into difficulties, but I have confidence they would sort it out.

 

I do go out of my way to encourage my kids to function independently and to know what to do when they run into troubles. For example... we flew to Disney World last week and they ended up having to sit on their own (they were happy to). At one point in the airport, I gave them $10 each to buy lunch and meet me back at the gate where I was waiting with our carry-ons. When they wanted to ride on a ride I didn't want, they went alone. They enjoyed Tom Sawyer's island on their own. They went on their own to the wave pool and lazy river at the water park and returned unharmed and happy. When one lost her sunglasses on a ride, I waited outside the guest information center while she went in to sort it out. In a way, I *want* my kids to get lost (and then realize they can figure out how to get back). I *want* them to go to buy food but realize they don't have enough money (and happily settle on a cheaper lunch). I even want them to lose their sunglasses and figure out what to do (and hopefully learn to take better care of them next time!)

 

I know every family is different, but I honestly don't understand how this type of "overprotection" is beneficial to a child's development. In my mind, the ultimate goal of parenting is to raise children who know how to function in the world and can take care of themselves and are strong and independent and resilient. I just can't understand at all how is it helpful to never allow children opportunities to learn?

[LibraryLover]

I was talking with a friend about the wedding her daughter is going to be in. I asked if she (the daughter) will be flying and she said no, the (neurotypical) girl is too young to fly alone to another state. Her dad will be driving her instead.

 

What age do you think most kids are old enough to fly alone?

 

I think there are folks who do not like flying. The wedding attendant will get there however she gets there. :) It will be a nice stretch for daughter and Dad to chat. No harm no foul, as they say.

[Pod's mum]

Am I the only one who thought of flying solo as in having a pilot's licence?

I was thinking 15yrs. I know it is (or was), younger than you can drive a car here.

 

My kids each had a treat solo flight to rellies, one at 14yrs and one at 10yrs.

[Butter]

We've talked about sending Melody (13) to Ireland on her own to spend time with her grandmother. We've done it together so she knows how it goes. She's also pretty mature and can take care of herself. Wil would do fine as well, but he is too young. You have to be 12 to be an unacompanied minor on an Aer Lingus flight. If it's a JetBlue and then Aer Lingus flight (which it is from here), you have to be 14 so even Melody is too young. For Continental and then Aer Lingus flights (which is from where we will be living at the end of the month), it is 12 and up.

 

I didn't vote because it depends on the kid. Say I wanted to send my kids from where we will be living to back here to grandparents, we'd likely use Southwest. Rory is too little for another month and a half (not yet 5). I'd have no problem sending the older two. Adric gets so nervous and scared by things, he'd need to have a sibling with him (he'll be 7 in July). Sending him with Melody would work fine (he likes flying). And, in fact, since Melody is over 12 she's be considered Adric's accompaniment and we would have to pay the fee. I'd actually have no problem sending all four kids together. The big ones are amazing with the little ones. Totally alone, I'd only send either of the big two at this point. Rory would probably be able to go alone before Adric just because of Adric's anxiety, though if I had a pass to get him to the gate and see him off down the way to the plane and he was assisted by a stewardess, he'd likely be just fine, too.

 

19 is pretty extreme for saying she can't fly alone.