Best airline for minors travelling alone?

[mamabear]

My daughter needs to fly unaccompanied to Europe this year and I am hopeful someone here will have ideas on the best airline to send her with?

She will be 15 on departure and 16 when she returns but she's a country girl and anxious about connecting flights etc.

I read that some airlines have a service where they have cabin and ground staff accompany the 'child' from drop off to pick up and we all like the sound of it, all the rules and age limits are different and atm we're looking at Singapore Airlines.

Any ideas or experiences, good or bad, we'd be keen to hear.

The travel agent suggested Qatar Airlines but after looking at their website I'm not so sure - just a mother thing I suppose , you know, intuition.....

 

[nlagalle]

My daughter needs to fly unaccompanied to Europe this year and I am hopeful someone here will have ideas on the best airline to send her with?

She will be 15 on departure and 16 when she returns but she's a country girl and anxious about connecting flights etc.

I read that some airlines have a service where they have cabin and ground staff accompany the 'child' from drop off to pick up and we all like the sound of it, all the rules and age limits are different and atm we're looking at Singapore Airlines.

Any ideas or experiences, good or bad, we'd be keen to hear.

The travel agent suggested Qatar Airlines but after looking at their website I'm not so sure - just a mother thing I suppose , you know, intuition.....

I've only seen QF on this and they are exceptional IMO in the way they look after minors.

You can request them to have staff accompany them to the plane (based on her age).

here is there link:

Children travelling alone with Qantas

 

[samh004]

I’ve only done the UM thing myself with Cathay Pacific, as I grew up in Hong Kong. They were pretty good with me, and recently when the snowstorms hit the UK and flights were cancelled, Cathay were loading only the kids on their flights to get them home…

You say she’s anxious about connecting flights, is it a complex itinerary, or are you just worried about the transit in say, Singapore?

 

[pauly7]

I've only seen QF on this and they are exceptional IMO in the way they look after minors.

You can request them to have staff accompany them to the plane (based on her age).

here is there link:

Children travelling alone with Qantas

+1 Qantas of course is excellent.

Air NZ is also great.

Having lots of little cousins has given me some experience.

I'd be nervous about Qatar too

 

[docjames]

Many many moons ago I've done the UM-thing on QF and UA. Both were fine, would happily use either.


I think most will be fine, keep the connection simple, and go with a "full service" carrier, not a LCC.

Perhaps post up where she is going / connecting.

 

[tuapekastar]

I have done this (as a YPTA rather than UM ) a number of times and QF were fine. BA (actually BOAC, that's how long ago) looked after us well during a 34 hour delay in SYD when the operating aircraft went U/S, but did not even entertain the idea of booking myself and siblings on another flight (I asked).

 

[Boris spatsky]

I have travelled on most Middle Eastern airlines (except Etihad) and I would avoid them for an UM.

Culturally they are very different and I would not expect great support. Emirates would be the only one, but you still need a stopover in Dubai which is a daunting airport.

Stick to QF, BA, or CX I think where language is not an issue and the stopover locations are ok. Think about what will happen if there is a major delay. I would want to be on QF through SIN if that were the case.

 

[mamabear]

Thankyou everyone,

She is travelling to Denmark docjames, which will mean a stopover somewhere. QF will take her all the way through to Heathrow and SIN will stop at Singapore before heading on to Frankfurt to catch a connecting flight (sorry if I don't have all the lingo!) I've looked at BA which again has the long haul to London but is only one stop.
I had the feeling that the Middle Eastern Airlines might view children (especially her age) a bit differently to what I do and appreciate the heads up there

My biggest issue with QF is that the cut off age for the service is 15 years (inclusive) and she'll be 16 when she's coming home - I might be worrying a bit much, she will have had some experience by then, travelling through the EU for short trips but I'm her mother, eh, what can you do?

I don't think her itinerary is complicated samh004, just that she has no prior experience with rolling with the punches (so to speak) as her only experience with transport other than the family wagon is her school bus !!!

Thanks for your help - I'm glad for the reassurance, I'll keep an eye on the thread if there are any other ideas

 

[blu]

Hi Mama, maybe a premium economy seat.

 

[extracta]

Thankyou everyone,

She is travelling to Denmark

If she is travelling to Denmark I would want to use an airline that flies directly into Copenhagen without the need to pick up her luggage, go through customs and potentially even change airport.

Singapore, Thai and Cathay all meet this criteria. Other airlines would as well and that is probably why the travel agent may have suggested the airline they did.

Unless there was a need to I would not like my child having to get off the airline in Heathrow, and then with all of their luggage find the connecting flight and check back in again.

 

[mamabear]

If she is travelling to Denmark I would want to use an airline that flies directly into Copenhagen without the need to pick up her luggage, go through customs and potentially even change airport.

Unless there was a need to I would not like my child having to get off the airline in Heathrow, and then with all of their luggage find the connecting flight and check back in again.

Great advice there, thanks a million - these are the things I'm not aware of :?:

You would have to fill me in on a premium economy seat Blu, I have no idea what you are talking about and feel like my head is exploding looking through all these airline websites.!!

What are the advantages to this kind of fare to make you suggest it? I don't mind paying the extra for peace of mind - this is my baby we're talking about!!!! Ok, so she's transformed into a teenager and her reaction to being told she was going o/s was a very calm -"cool", but I still love her all the same!

 

[blu]

or QF then SAS through Narita.

 

[extracta]

or QF then SAS through Narita.

That works.

Looks like it is best booked through the SAS website. http://www.flysas.com/en/#

 

[trooper]

Premium Economy is a step above "normal" Economy (and comes at a price premium that varies from OK to :shock..

Generally a seat with more pitch (legroom), possibly a bit wider, possibly with a somewhat deeper recline. Service ranges from same-as-economy to "Business Lite"..:mrgreen:
Some airlines offer extra baggage allowance with PE fares too....

Would make no difference to the trip - other than being more comfortable.... It wouldn't change her treatment as a UM in any material way....

 

[Boris spatsky]

If you are worried about connecting flight then avoid Heathrow. It is hell sometimes to clear customs, get to another terminal, clear security again etc.

Try to get her intermediate stop where the terminal change is not required or is easy.

 

[blu]

I thought Y+ may have a better FA / Pax ratio & that may have some advantage in monitoring a minor.

 

[ric_melb]

It would seem that with Singapore and Cathay that you would have to fly through London or Frankfurt, with a connection to Copenhagen on a codeshare partner.
Not sure whether this would mean luggage could be checked all the way through.
Thai do fly direct from Bangkok to Copenhagen, so could be useful, provided you were satisfied with their procedures for a UM.