BMI and an Unaccompanied minor problem
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BMI and an Unaccompanied minor problem
For those of you that send children unaccompanied, a word of warning! Recently I sent my daughter to Texas via Chicago with BMI. Her flight was delayed at MAN, it happens, but sadly that resulted in an 11 year old being left at Chicago for 16 hrs. It appears minimal attempts were made to reschedule her within the US. I guess that its is difficult as they have so few airports and carriers and the flight to the US is so fast!, leaving no time for re-scheduling. Worse still was, NO contact at all was made with her parents to advise of this problem! And upon arrival at her final destination her bags were lost. (Naturally not BMI's fault they say!)
And to end the sorry saga, they lost her bag on the way home again! And for all that grief a dear sir we are so so sorry. But as for compensation or anything else, we don't thik it is warrented in this case. Not even a lousy upgrade.
As a pilot and a regular flyer, It sticks with me knowing that the paying public are really there purely to grease the shareholders wallets. That as a modern day air traveller, with all the baggage restirictions, security etc, an airline cares so little for an unaccompanied minor!
My advice to you all, check out very carefully the airline before entrusting them with your children, and stay away from sending them with BMI!
And to end the sorry saga, they lost her bag on the way home again! And for all that grief a dear sir we are so so sorry. But as for compensation or anything else, we don't thik it is warrented in this case. Not even a lousy upgrade.
As a pilot and a regular flyer, It sticks with me knowing that the paying public are really there purely to grease the shareholders wallets. That as a modern day air traveller, with all the baggage restirictions, security etc, an airline cares so little for an unaccompanied minor!
My advice to you all, check out very carefully the airline before entrusting them with your children, and stay away from sending them with BMI!
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No contact was made to her parents to advise them of the problem? You've written in you post that she was YOUR daughter so didn't you already know the flight was delayed before you passed her to the groundstaff?!! 
The issue here is that she unfortunately had a long wait in Chicago which can happen when flights are late and connections are missed. The issue isnt that she did not arrive at her final destination safely, she was badly treated, left unattended or unsupervised or not given the due care which is afforded to unaccompanied minors by airlines when travelling alone.
So your word of warning should be....Delays happen, missing bags happen thats air travel fo you.
The issue here is that she unfortunately had a long wait in Chicago which can happen when flights are late and connections are missed. The issue isnt that she did not arrive at her final destination safely, she was badly treated, left unattended or unsupervised or not given the due care which is afforded to unaccompanied minors by airlines when travelling alone.
So your word of warning should be....Delays happen, missing bags happen thats air travel fo you.
Last edited by agent x; 17th Sep 2006 at 14:27.
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Delays do happen, especially on multi sector trips and I'm not sure what obligations the airlines have in such situations regarding keeping parents informed. From a personal point of view I wouldn't have sent such a young child on such a long journey on their own. That said, even if I did I would be watching the arrivals and departures like a hawk for any possible delays concerning my children.
Too mean to buy a long personal title
The big question in my mind is what did the airline do for the UM after arrival. A 16 hour layover means an overnight. Did the airline find accommodation? Were meals provided? Was the UM chaperoned? And was the adult taking delivery at the destination kept informed? (That's more important than keeping the parents at origin informed, though that would have been courteous.)
If all that was done, then it seems to me that this is exactly what the UM service is designed for where there's a long delay.
I would have thought that the airline wouldn't readily have thought it worthwhile to do all this, than to re-route the UM, on other airlines if necessary, to ensure a same day delivery at destination. I wonder what prevented that?
If all that was done, then it seems to me that this is exactly what the UM service is designed for where there's a long delay.
I would have thought that the airline wouldn't readily have thought it worthwhile to do all this, than to re-route the UM, on other airlines if necessary, to ensure a same day delivery at destination. I wonder what prevented that?
You must have had your reasons for sending her via Chicago but I must admit if it had been my daughter I would have tried to organise UK-Texas non-stop, ( Gatwick- IAH or DFW). As a pilot you obviously know that with the best will in the world missed connections happen.
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To those who have posted thank you for your comments, and for those of you who read the post I hope you think twice about choosing BMI for the UM service.
I certainly understood that delays do happen, and in fact said as much. However one would think that a carrier when entrusted with our most precious cargo would exercise a serious duty of care for them. The fact that no calls were made to her parents was disgraceful.
I would love to post the pathetic responses from BMI so people could also read how little was their concern after the event. Another disgrace!
For your information this event took place over a month and a half ago now, and it was only in the last few days when a non form letter apology was made. Sadly the apology will do little to entice me to offer one red cent of my own money to travel with these people again.
I certainly understood that delays do happen, and in fact said as much. However one would think that a carrier when entrusted with our most precious cargo would exercise a serious duty of care for them. The fact that no calls were made to her parents was disgraceful.
I would love to post the pathetic responses from BMI so people could also read how little was their concern after the event. Another disgrace!
For your information this event took place over a month and a half ago now, and it was only in the last few days when a non form letter apology was made. Sadly the apology will do little to entice me to offer one red cent of my own money to travel with these people again.
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Agent X, looks like you are a little jaded from your job. The tone of your response appears to lack a little empathy which could be expected from someone who has regular contact with customers as part of their job.
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The final word from BMI
I thought some of you may be interested in the final word from BMI after losing an 11 year olds bags on both legs of the journey, holding her at a room in an airport in the USA for 16 hrs, and now misplacing the correct phone number of their passenger.
From the Customer (lack of) service manager:
"See the note from our management in Manchester. Normally we deliver delayed bags except if the journey was on separate tickets as was the case here. The bag is available for collection therefore as soon as you wish."
From the duty manager:
"We are holding the bag here and have been since the 10th September!
We were given the incorrect telephone number for the passenger so have been unable to contact them regarding them collecting it and have been waiting for them to contact us!
They were however on separate tickets so will have to collect the luggage but we do have it here ready and waiting for them."
That is that then. A 2 hour drive to and from Manchester for the joys of travelling with this airline. Say what you may about air travel delays and the like, but it is apparent that in this case, keeping down costs, maximising share dividends, and arrogance is the motto of this mob!
Not worth thinking about if you have to send a UM with them....
From the Customer (lack of) service manager:
"See the note from our management in Manchester. Normally we deliver delayed bags except if the journey was on separate tickets as was the case here. The bag is available for collection therefore as soon as you wish."
From the duty manager:
"We are holding the bag here and have been since the 10th September!
We were given the incorrect telephone number for the passenger so have been unable to contact them regarding them collecting it and have been waiting for them to contact us!
They were however on separate tickets so will have to collect the luggage but we do have it here ready and waiting for them."
That is that then. A 2 hour drive to and from Manchester for the joys of travelling with this airline. Say what you may about air travel delays and the like, but it is apparent that in this case, keeping down costs, maximising share dividends, and arrogance is the motto of this mob!
Not worth thinking about if you have to send a UM with them....
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HANG ON JUST A SECOND HERE B412.... You booked a UM on TWO SEPERATE tickets??? What were you thinking? No wonder everything went wrong. That was a very VERY stupid decision on your part and totally exhonerates BMI in my opinion.
However, Maybe I have missed something here!
P.S...Never EVER book a UM with a connection with TWO SEPERATE tickets. You are asking for trouble. Your children are precious, dont cut corners!!!
However, Maybe I have missed something here!
P.S...Never EVER book a UM with a connection with TWO SEPERATE tickets. You are asking for trouble. Your children are precious, dont cut corners!!!
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No, it was the good old E ticket versus paper ticket thing I believe. I personally have this problem all the time when travelling with VS and BMI. (The problem has nothing to do with VS, as it is on their tickets...)
You did miss something here.....
You did miss something here.....
Paxing All Over The World
Non-parent speaking.
I guess that, if this journey is a one-off, then there is not much more by way of precautions. The only one might have been to ensure that the child had local money to pay for phone calls, or could make a reverse charge (collect) call. That will depend upon the child, of course.
If the route is to be travelled more often, then a mobile (cell) phone with a pay as you go SIM for the destination country will allow the child to be telephoned by parents/guardian/greeter.
I guess that, if this journey is a one-off, then there is not much more by way of precautions. The only one might have been to ensure that the child had local money to pay for phone calls, or could make a reverse charge (collect) call. That will depend upon the child, of course.
If the route is to be travelled more often, then a mobile (cell) phone with a pay as you go SIM for the destination country will allow the child to be telephoned by parents/guardian/greeter.
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Thanks for putting me right! Seems like you need to explain things again to BMI. I have never worked for them but it seems highly unlikely that BMI would knowingly treat a UM in such a way, not so much out of duty of care but more out of fear of being prosecuted!!!
Too mean to buy a long personal title
As I understand it, if you book travel on one ticket and it can't be e-ticketed throughout because the carriers can't interline e-ticket or something like that, the whole thing should be paper ticketed. If you e-ticket part of the trip and paper ticket the other part of the trip, it's two separate tickets.
bmi's response certainly appears to be consistent with two different tickets having been issued for the trip.
Who booked the travel? If it was a travel agent, you probably need to take that up with them.
And what did happen to the UM during the long unscheduled delay? Was she looked after or not?
bmi's response certainly appears to be consistent with two different tickets having been issued for the trip.
Who booked the travel? If it was a travel agent, you probably need to take that up with them.
And what did happen to the UM during the long unscheduled delay? Was she looked after or not?
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Quick question B412, did you remain in the aiport until the flight had departed which is part of the requirements for UM travel?
Also how come she was on two seperate tickets, if you booked through a travel agent they need talking to as well?
It is standard practice to not deliver bags on a seperate ticket booking.
Also how come she was on two seperate tickets, if you booked through a travel agent they need talking to as well?
It is standard practice to not deliver bags on a seperate ticket booking.
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As a parent and as someone who has worked for an airline for 18 years (and I'm not telling you which one !) I would never send either of my children as UM's, whether it be to ORD or to EDI.....I've seen too much of what can go wrong. Any kind of delay can complicate the process. Of course, the parent/guardian has to remain at the point of departure until the a/c is airbourne, but I've seen many of them leave as soon as the littl'un has wandered thru' security.
Is it ever worth the risk?
Is it ever worth the risk?
As a bmi employee let me apologise for what seems like a less than perfect performance by my company. However, and it's a big however, I reckon that the airline companies and the parents are as mad as each other. The companies for offering to do it in the first place and the parents for putting their children in the situation. No UMs on long haul and no UMs on any flight with a connection would be a good idea, there is far to much to go wrong and the stakes are too high. It sounds a bit unhelpful I guess but problems keep occurring and one day it will end in disaster for someone.
Last edited by Max Angle; 27th Sep 2006 at 18:12.
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Bmi's treatment of UM's is appalling. My other half works at LHR for SQ and they had an 8, yes 8 year old child that came in with Bmi that was left to make her own way from T1 to T3 to make the SQ flight with her bags because of Bmi's policy of paying for UM's and a payment had not been made for this child, so Bmi left her to her own devices. It happens regularly too from what I hear from friends at other airlines.
This also happens going the other way too. The airline inbound escorts the UM over to Bmi, who then refuse to accept responsibility for them as no payment has been made, and as they are at a transit point, the inbound airline then looses one of their staff in having to look after the child until the Bmi flight is ready to depart.
Truly appaling treatment if you ask me.
This also happens going the other way too. The airline inbound escorts the UM over to Bmi, who then refuse to accept responsibility for them as no payment has been made, and as they are at a transit point, the inbound airline then looses one of their staff in having to look after the child until the Bmi flight is ready to depart.
Truly appaling treatment if you ask me.
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Leezy I think you will find that a lot of airlines charge for UM's these days. If the parents are too cheap to pay for it (and a lot are) then why should the airline have to take the blame? I believe BA charge and I know the US carriers do. If they didn't help an UM does that make their treatment appaling or does it make the parent irresponsible? As an aside I see you mention that the 8year old had to carry her bags between terminals, so her parent/guardian didn't book her a through ticket either.
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Some of memory is a bit sketchy but as a child i flew to florida from the uk as a um. I did this a few times but i do remember that my dad would pay the extra charge to have someone meet me the other end and escort me through the airport. He would never have considered skimping in this area or booking me on a flight with a connection no matter what cost, I would have been terrified at the thought! Parents have to take responsibility instead of placing ALL blame on the airline.