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.

[Justapax1]

My kids (they're twins) can fly hang-gliders but can't fly unaccompanied as Self Loading Freight on some airlines. They're 14.

There must be 14-year-olds who've passed their PPLs for three-axis aircraft, but fall foul of EasyJet's rule.

[PAXboy]

If they carried a minor and anything happened to the child - I expect that they would be liable in court. Whether a child can fly a plane is irrelevant in law.

[Justapax1]

...and I've just discovered that you can't get a PPL now until you're 17, although you can start lessons when you're 16. So the question, these days, no longer arises.

When I was a kid, I was an Unaccompanied Minor, frequently, from quite a tender age. I was a member of the BOAC Junior Jet Club, which meant I quite often got a cockpit visit. Nowadays, having kids of my own, it seems that very few airlines will take Unaccompanied Minors for love nor money, and of course cockpit visits are a thing of distant memory. This is a pain.Kids these days have a lot less freedom in the air than people of my generation (I'm in my 60s) did.

[SWBKCB]

There must be 14-year-olds who've passed their PPLs for three-axis aircraft, but fall foul of EasyJet's rule.

Not in the UK - you need to be 17.

[S.o.S.]

Hello Justapax1 and welcome to the Cabin of PPRuNe.

As I recall, in those days, BOAC had clear rules and staff allocated to looking after UMs. I never travelled as one myself but have many stories - mainly on this site. Nowadays? All change.

[Mr Mac]

Justapax1
I used to travel from Santiago in Chile to UK for school and back 3 times a year in early to mid 70;s on BCAL 707,s. Initially with an ex CC Auntie but from age of 13 on my own, but under a close eye of CC. We moved back to UK, and my commute dropped to the standard Volvo Estate from around 1976 and my bragging rights in common room dropped appropriately.

There were a number of us on the route down and back but I was the only one going all the way as I recall. We were a quiet bunch I think, but apparently the lot on BCAL to Lusaka in Zambia were a bit more of a handful my auntie used to say without details. There maybe someone on here who may have experience of that as either school child or CC or even passenger, but they will all be getting on a bit now 🙂

Cheers
Mr Mac

[Hartington]

1) Every airline has slightly different rules.
2) In the USA the DoT has posted this (https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/airline-family-seating-dashboard)

[radar101]

LGW to Aden 1966-67 At end of term there was a complete aircraft full of kids from age 5 to 18. I used to pity the CC. I was 16 at the time so just opened a book inserted earplugs and relaxed.

[Justapax1]

Hello Justapax1 and welcome to the Cabin of PPRuNe.

As I recall, in those days, BOAC had clear rules and staff allocated to looking after UMs. I never travelled as one myself but have many stories - mainly on this site. Nowadays? All change.

You and others are replying to a follow-up I made, reminiscing about young days flying as an Unaccompanied Minor, but I can't see the follow-up myself. Is there something I have to do to view it?

[Update: I don't know what's happened, but I can see the post now. Blame it on being a newbie.]

[SLF3]

Get a domestic flight in Norway on a Friday and it’s full of unaccompanied kids. They seem to cope.

My lad did London - Cairo some years ago on his own at 14: ‘don’t worry dad, Mohamed will meet me and I’ve got a phone’.

And why not?

[WHBM]

If I am not mistaken the UK CAA requires this. It is not a specific legislative requirement, but the CAA requires a carrier to state in their Air Operators Certificate submission how they are going to do it. If not followed through you have broken your AOC conditions, which as any Ops Director will tell you is a fate worse than being taken to court.