America West is taking its lumps lately over unaccompanied children. The latest flap involves a 8- and 11-year old sisters, flying from HOU to SAN via PHX. In PHX, the two were mistakingly put aboard a flight for ONT.
See
Airline Sends Girls to Wrong Airport
I have difficulty understanding how this could happen. First of all, I feel an eleven year old should be smart enough to ask, repeatedly if necessary, if she is on the right flight or where her flight is boarding. Second, no airline personnel checked the sisters' tickets or boarding passes? I find that incomprehensible. Heads should roll.
My eleven year old brother (it was a few decades ago), was planning to take a non-stop flight from MSP to EWR on NW, but a strike intervened (the good ole Don Nyrop days), and he had to change planes at ORD. He made his connection without a hitch, without having to ask anyone. Moreover, his ticket was re-checked at ORD (by management fillins), since what he had was a single piece of paper that read MSP - EWR.
How is it that gate attendants could let a situation with the two sisters develop? How is that FAs don't also ask questions? A lot of people aren't doing their jobs at HP.
HP is now instituting a ban on children flying alone who must also change planes. Unaccompanied children can now only fly non-stop aboard HP flights. Such a policy does not speak well of HP.