Accompanied Children

[Load Toad]

I'm thinking of sending the kids over to UK from HKG this summer so they can spend some time with the UK side of the mafia.
Anyone used the services for unaccompanied children before and any experiences or advice / suggestions?

So far I've only looked at BA which is running at ~HK$9K return each (they are 10 & 11 yrs old) but requires US$150 each for the Skyflyer Solo fee (the minder for the lil' terrors).

Cheers,
LT

[radeng]

There was a horror story here a while back about KLM and UAMs, which suggests they're worth avoiding.

[Capetonian]

I am very anti-BA but I have to be fair. A few years ago I sent my son on a return trip, two sectors each way, on BA, and the way it was handled, from beginning to end, was outstanding.

I would go for a nonstop flight if you can so CX, VS or BA (off the top of my head I think they're the only ones that do HKG LON nonstop)

I'm surprised at the negative comment regarding KL, an ialrine I've only ever had good experiences with, but then I rather like the cloggies!

[Hartington]

As well as BA, CX and VS there are non stops operated by QF and NZ. I have flown 5 separate segments on Air NZ (in Business) and found them very good. They get good reports for all their classes but I have no idea what their UM service is like.

[TightSlot]

I think it's pretty good...





But then, I would, wouldn't I

[Final 3 Greens]

Would you really trust ANY airline with your kids?

I wouldn't.

Although there are some good personnel, I have encountered a significant number who have the brains of a gnat and no sense of responsibility.

10 and 11 is still a vulnerable age.

[Skylion]

They will be perfectly safe on any of the nonstops. BA are probably the best for younger children of this age but rather overwhelming for older ones who want to be treated as more grown up.

[ulxima]

Last year my daughter made her first UM trip.
UK-Italy with a connecting flight. She was 9 y/o and since then she has been travelling alone on this route.
Well, she is well used to planes and airports. She took her first flight when she was three months old and her first long haul at 6 months.
She travelled quite a lot, both with me and with Mrs. Ulxima before being engaged in the UM flight type.
Would I leave her alone on a long haul flight? Yes.
Would I leave her alone on a flight without an adequate training? No, absolutely no. In fact I did not do it!
Safety begins with us and it is better not to put kids who are unprepared to travel in the hands of CCs.

CCs are great professionals. As usual smile and you'll receive a smile back. Behave and your flight will be at least nice as it must be.

My two cents.

Ciao
Ulxima

[groundbum]

my 6 year olds twins did Manchester-New York nonstop with BA several times between 6-10 year's of age, and my 10 year old son did it recently, and all were fine. I would almost say they prefer not having us parents along! They are still very proud of how independent they were at such a young age! My son got upgraded to Business Class on the way out. They probably sussed he sleeps a lot when travelling, so realised there was no risk of aggro in the business cabin.

I'd never consider this though with delicate/highly string kids, or where they had to make connections etc.

G

[Capot]

In the good old days when schools were not available in various outposts on BOAC/BA routes, the start and end of UK boarding school holidays were marked by the UM specials, dreaded and avoided by staff and adult passengers alike. IIRC they carried extra female warders for disciplinary purposes; they dressed as additional cabin staff, but that fooled no-one. (Then as now, it was sometimes hard to spot the difference between HMP and BA staff in any case.)

Extra handling staff were needed to herd them off and on the aircraft and through the airport, corralling them when a wait was needed. God, that was terrifying enough, but the 6-hour flight that followed must have been a real challenge for the crew.

PS Why is the thread title "Accompanied Children"?

[Hartington]

Capot, I wonder if the OP thinks that someone meets the kids at checkin and stays with them all the way until handover at destination. What you might call a "Sky Nanny".

[Load Toad]

My kids are pretty well experienced air travelers and fortunately very well behaved. They are not fazed at all by the idea of traveling alone to the UK. I have no idea how the 'accompanying' happens though. Though they know about check-in, immigration, customs etc I expect that to make sure they don't make a mistake or screw things up / get worried that they'll be shown / taken through these processes at both ends of the flight and someone will make sure they are at the gate and correctly boarded. Then at the other end handed over to my parents when they arrive. I'm certainly not expecting someone to hold their hands from the time they get to the airport until they are sitting at grandma's house and sitting by them for the duration of the flight.
Correct assumption or not?

[Capot]

Once upon a time the parents/guardians would hand the UM over at check-in to a staff member designated for the task; that person often took several in charge at that point. It was his/her responsibility to stay with the UM(s) and hand them over to the cabin crew. Signatures were required at every stage, I think.

The UM wore a large colourful plastic envelope on a string round its neck, containing its travel documents. It was told that removing this would result in execution.

If you saw a stray UM you had to take it in charge and get it to the right place. (Nowadays, of course, that would result in arrest and vilification as a paedophile, so I guess that's no longer required).

Cabin crew had to make sure the UM(s) survived the flight with no visible bruises, and that they were fed and watered, didn't injure other passengers and stayed in the cabin. They then handed them over to a designated person on arrival, getting a signature for each one.

Not having had to deal with or indeed dispatch an UM for a very long time I don't know if this routine is still followed. One of the earlier "Airport" series had a very funny episode where a passenger agent spent the entire time wandering about the terminal bleating to anyone she met "I've lost me 'UM. Have you seen me 'UM?", so I guess it hasn't changed much apart from laxer discipline.

[jetset lady]

Load Toad,

For BA at least, Capot has got it pretty much spot on. That's exactly the way it still works although apparently, we're no longer allowed to threaten execution. Something to do with PC stuff and them having rights now.

If there should be a diversion to an airport with none of our staff, the children will stay with the crew, even down to us sorting a hotel room and staying with them if an overnight stop becomes necessary. In those circumstances, you would obviously be contacted not only for your peice of mind but also in case of special instructions. In the case of a local diversion where the passengers are then bussed the rest of the way, a crew member will be taken off the aircraft and nominated to accompany the UM on the bus. In other words, your child/children will be accompanied every step of the way.

I don't know how it works on other airlines but I'd imagine it's pretty much the same throughout the industry. I hope that puts your mind at rest somewhat.

[parabellum]

So those large, toughened plastic boxes with holes in the top and a wire grill on the front that I see at check-in aren't for children then?:confused:

[sea oxen]

parabellum

wire grill

You've been in Australia too long - next, it will be 'program' and not 'programme'.

LT, if you go BA you might get them the seats RIGHT down the back - there are tow rows, no third seat. Right next to the dunnies so they can muck up. Plus by the time everyone else has alighted they might see a pilot or two.

It would be at odds with my experience with BA or QF to think that their trip would be unpleasant. The UK Border Agency will make up for this, though. That's something no airline can fix.

SO

[ulxima]

LT
I think there should be no problem, you can go for it.

Here a few link about company policies. Pretty much the same.
British Airways - Children travelling alone (http://www.britishairways.com/travel/childinfo/public/en_gb)
Alitalia - Unaccompanied minors (http://www.alitalia.com/GB_EN/help/popup_umnr.htm)
Unaccompanied children (http://www.airfrance.co.uk/GB/en/common/guidevoyageur/assistance/bleue_enfant_seul_airfrance.htm)
Unaccompanied minor service - KLM.com (http://www.klm.com/travel/gb_en/prepare_for_travel/travel_planning/children/umnr_yp_framed.htm)

I wish your kids a pleasant journey and a nice stay with the UK side of the mafia.
The day you wish them to taste the Italian side let me know and we'll arrange a UM group trip to my homeland :E

Ciao
Ulxima

[Load Toad]

Thanks all for the information. I'll get looking early next week for the best deal on a direct carrier HKG to LHR which will prolly depend a lot on the dates chosen at summer holidays time.

[PAXboy]

Slight thread drift ...

I am not a parent but have met my niece and nephews off lh flights from South Africa at various stages of their childhood. The last being about six years ago. I add this comment since it may be read by others reading this thread for the same information as the OP. I flew lh from 9 butnever travelled UM myself, age 17 was first solo.

Don't bother with South African Airways. Whilst they did a good job from the hand over and through the flight AND saw my niece and other UMs through passport and customs and baggage hall ... they then pointed them to the exit said 'Bye'.

So she emerged into the general outflow with all the rest. What if I had not have been there? She did not have a UK mobile phone, she was 12 (and petite of build and not very full of confidence). Yes - she would have screamed loudly but what I expected was:
SAA Staff person accompanies child into the outflow of pax to the meeting area.
Staff waits to see if the UM goes willingly and happily to the meeter.
Staff then checks my photograph and details against ones they have.
Staff gets my signature.
UM thanks staff politely for their help.To me, as an Uncle, anything less than that would be totally unacceptable and I would be assuring myself that that was the procedure before I released the UM to them. I had been expecting that my brother (in ZA at the time) would have asked me for an up to date photo for this process and when none was asked for I suspected that there would be a less than perfect handling.

OK, all went fine and it was a direct from CPT ~ LHR but the point is that they released her into the general flow of people - one of the most vulnerable times!!! The post from jetset lady fills me with confidence.

Would I pay more for proper handling? Yes. Not because I think that someone is going to take great advantage of the child but one cannot be too cautious and, perhaps, it shows the child how much you value them. Call me a soppy old Uncle (now Great Uncle too) but I value children, which is one of the reasons I never had any, but that's another story!

End of rant.

[ulxima]

@PaxBoy

Agree with your five points list.
What SAA did is totally unacceptable.
Unbelievable :eek:

Ciao
Ulxima

[Capetonian]

I'm shocked at the comment regarding SAA's releasing the kids into the public arrivals area, as that is indeed the most vulnerable point of all. Whilst on the a/c they can't go anywhere or really get up to much.

A couple of times when my son has travelled he's been held in a secured area (not in SA) until the nominated Escort on Arrival has been identified and has signed the documents. In one case, his mother and I went together to fetch him, but because she was the only named Escort on Arrival, I was not allowed into the secure area with her. I think this is absolutely correct and made me feel very secure when he travelled as a UM.

[GemDeveloper]

Just to add to the stories...

First, we had very good experience of UM travel for both ours from age 11 when we lived in Korea (before the days of the BA non-stops). Timing meant that I chose to book them on CX LHR-HKG + HKG-SEL on the principle that if the incoming flight to HKG arrived late, at least they would be deemed to still be a CX problem. We never had any difficulties, and still have memories of glimpsing though the security doors at Kimpo a small bottle-green blazer clad young man pointing imperiously at his suitcase on the carousel as it was heaved off by the ground staff who 'caught' him... and then brought him to us, and asked us to sign for him (!).

Same son also flew KlogAir back via AMS when CX were on strike, and was well looked after… bored crew on a Combi took him all round the aircraft to see the freight and the Captain, and he was whisked through Schipol for his connecting flight to LHR on one of those electric carts by KL’s resident F1 driver, scattering little old ladies the while. This was reported to be a “seriously cool” bit of the journey.

Later trips when they were older, and if it was a day when the BA non-stop didn't operate, were via NRT... LHR-NRT by BA, NRT-SEL by KE... but a long stop of the BA Airport Manager being given a heads up they were coming through, and one of his ground ladies inevitably met them and walked them over to the KE desk... we still have a wonderful fax from Irokawa-san: "No harm can become your beloved children as they pass through Narita."

Final anecdote. After we moved to Germany, our by then 14 year old daughter, of petite build and demeanour, flew BA LHR-HAM, all on her own of course, although Mrs GemDeveloper was waiting for her groundside. There she was accosted by a Very Fierce (German), BA lady ground stew, who marched Mrs GD back though the security doors and Customs men, peremptorily waving them aside, to come to collect her daughter, the BA ground stew clearly having not looked at our daughter’s passport and checked that she wasn’t about 10. Happy days.

[davidjpowell]

Step son used to regularly fly Gatwick to Tenerife with BA from the age of 5. He was always well looked after, (actually rather spoilt). He even got to visit the cockpit a few times (I think this was probably just before 9/11).

From the age of 7 one of the Charter flights took him from Bristol. They were pretty rubbish. Abandoned him in the gate. I believe on at least one flight he was boarded and seated before anyone realised that he was a unaccompanied minor.

[Load Toad]

The kids are going on Emirates and are well looking forward to it.
Cheers everyone for the advice n such.
Ta,
LT