Kids Flying Alone

You've probably seen this news story. A little girl flying as an unaccompanied minor wasn't properly cared for by United Airlines upon arrival at Washington Dulles airport.

United Airlines, by their own admission, did not follow their own policies in this situation. The parents and the ten year old girl had a pretty frightening hour until they were reunited. It was a regrettable situation all around.

This situation could probably have been avoided if the girl had been taught some basic things she needed to know before she flew unaccompanied.

• First of all, she needed to be taught what to expect from the flight attendants. She needed to know that she was not to leave the airplane except in the company of a flight attendant. She needed to be given permission to question the people in authority in that situation. She needed to ask that flight attendant "Excuse me, but aren't you supposed to be walking me off the plane?"


• Next, she needed to be taught what to do if she found herself alone. As it was, she went with the flow of people winding their way to baggage claim. When she was finally afraid enough to start to cry an adult approached her and ask if she needed help.
  
  I have told my children that if they find themselves lost in a public situation, to immediately approach either a) a woman with children (with rare exception a mother will drop everything to reunite a lost child with her parents) or b) a person in authority in the situation (like a store clerk or a ticket agent)
  
  If a lost child waits to be approached by someone in that situation, who do you think is quite likely to approach that child? Someone, perhaps, looking for a vulnerable child?


• Lastly, (and I understand that this might not always be possible) she should have been given a cell phone with instructions to immediately dial her parents cell phone as soon as she landed and stay on the phone with them until they were physically together.

You have to count on the probability that everyone messes up. You can't trust your kids to chance. Equip them to protect themselves.