|
If your child will be flying alone to visit a parent, friend or other family member, there are some precautions you need to take to make sure they get there safely. Every year 7 million children fly alone and airlines are pretty good about watching them, but horror stories still occur if you do not take extra care.
Airline personnel are responsible for putting your child on the correct flight, but it is a good idea to teach your child how to read the monitors to find the correct gates. Preparing and teaching your child how to do this will help them find and correct any mistakes should he be sent to get on a wrong flight. Make sure that you have the itinerary written down for both the outgoing and the return flight.
You should also teach your children that they can protest and get help if the person sitting next to them is making them feel uncomfortable. Flight attendants have the authority to make passengers switch seats. Tell your child to ring the call light or get up out of their seat to look for help. Airline attendants are pretty good about placing children in a seat next to a person that is good with children. They also like to put them where they can keep an eye on them.
Airline personnel (the flight attendants) are not responsible for entertaining your child. You should be concerned about the boredom your child might be encountered with while on a long flight. Prepare a carry-on bag with lots to do. Books, coloring books, a personal tape player with headphones and a tape with you telling a story, games or a brand new toy. Pack only things that are not messy, or things that might disturb the other passengers. It is also a good idea to pack some extra health treats, such as fruit or crackers.
To maximize a safe journey for your child, you should always try to get a direct flight. There have been horror stories of young children having to go to a hotel with a flight attendant for the night when a connecting flight was canceled. Another good rule of thumb is to use the first flight of the day where the weather is generally clearer and less likely to act up. Mechanical problems with planes statistically occur more in the afternoon than in the morning. If changing planes is the only way to fly the route your child will be going on, it is a good idea to make the changeover in a city where you have friends or relatives. You will have to write a note to the airlines with your signature of the person in the city that is to be called. Make sure you add their name to the “unaccompanied minor paperwork†to be able to release them. Make sure the person is home and can be reached should a layover occurs.
Teach your child to stay with the flight attendants at all times when the plane lands. Tell them to wait until they are released to the person picking you up.
| 
