Travelling with minors

[SpringHeeledJack]

A question posed to me by someone the other day and I thought that i'd share here to see what the experienced panel has to say.

As most airlines these days charge for selecting seats, that is up until 24hrs or thereabouts when they are free, those not wishing to pay have to wait. By doing so, they save money, but run the risk of not sitting where they might like to. What is the legal situation if there are minors (under-16?) in the booking ? AFAIK, a minor needs to be seated adjacent to their parent/legal guardian for both safekeeping and safety reasons. That said, I can't find any definitive information if that is the case legally. Any thoughts ?

[ShyTorque]

My son used to travel from Lincolnshire to SE China and back by himself at the age of fourteen. The airline initially insisted he was mentored by a staff member at all times from check in onwards but he complained bitterly as she made him hold her hand and he was embarrassed because she was a foot shorter and thirty years older than she was! We were subsequently able to write a formal disclaimer letter so he could travel alone, like the grown up he was.

[netstruggler]

A question posed to me by someone the other day and I thought that i'd share here to see what the experienced panel has to say.

As most airlines these days charge for selecting seats, that is up until 24hrs or thereabouts when they are free, those not wishing to pay have to wait. By doing so, they save money, but run the risk of not sitting where they might like to. What is the legal situation if there are minors (under-16?) in the booking ? AFAIK, a minor needs to be seated adjacent to their parent/legal guardian for both safekeeping and safety reasons. That said, I can't find any definitive information if that is the case legally. Any thoughts ?

We're not particularly frequent flyers but over the past five years I've probably taken a dozen or so flights with my partner and 2 grown up children. We don't pay a seat supplement but have never been allocated anything except 3+1 or 2+2 so even if the children had been minors there wouldn't have been a problem.

[ShyTorque]

I jokingly say I’d pay extra NOT to have to sit next to my wife, for a bit of peace and quiet…..

[SpringHeeledJack]

I jokingly say I’d pay extra NOT to have to sit next to my wife, for a bit of peace and quiet…..

A joke with a hint of truth, bravo!

The person who asked me about this dilemma was thinking more about younger minors I guess, perhaps less than 10 years old. Obviously at a certain age (14 or so) most kids develop a maturity that allows them to be somewhat autonomous in the controlled environments of airport's airside and aboard the aircraft, but younger children who cannot execute good judgement and should be next to a guardian during the flight don't and need known company next to them. It's just that I couldn't see what the legal obligations were/are by the carriers and so on. I did read of families having issues with young kids being separated by the airline and resulting in begging parents negociating with disgruntled adult passengers to get a child place next to them.

[flyingtincan]

This is what Ryanair say - For family bookings, children (aged 2 to 11 years) receive free reserved seating so they can sit beside a parent. When an adult purchases a reserved seat they can select up to 4 children’s seats beside them free of charge.
And this is what EasyJet say - 2 - 15 years old
Children between these ages cannot travel unless they are accompanied by an adult who is 16 years or older. Unaccompanied children aged 15 and under are not permitted to travel alone and will not be permitted to board the plane as easyJet does not provide an escort service or special requirements for unaccompanied children.