"And they call Disney expensive"

[sam_gordon]

What some people fail to consider is all the extra attention that is required at the originating airport, destination airport, and connection airport (if applicable). The airline has to pay an employee to escort the minor from the ticket counter to the gate. A gate agent must be present to supervisor the minor before boarding. If connecting, there has to be an employee present to escort the minor to the next gate. Upon arrival, another employee must be ready to deliver the minor to the person waiting outside security. All of that involves a lot of labor. In a big airport, it could easily take 15+ minutes to accomplish each segment.

umm, airlines can give "security" passes that would allow a parent through security and then have them wait until the plane leaves. In fact, a radio host talked about having to do that for her daughter recently. They can then give a security pass to the adult meeting the child at the destination. Have the child be the first on and last off. Granted, at a connecting airport there should be an employee present, but how about charging extra for those? Then you can base the rate on the length of the layover... 1-2 hours: $100, 2-3 hours: $150, 3-4 hours: $200, etc. That amount would pay the employee's hourly rate and still leave a profit for the airline.

 

[LittleMissMagic]

Southwest actually has a really cool unaccompanied minor service (from what I've observed). They gather all of the kids together in the terminal, and the kids get to board the plane first, so they sit them in the front, all together. It makes me happy on my holiday flights to see all of the kids together, sharing games and making friends.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Southwest actually has a really cool unaccompanied minor service (from what I've observed). They gather all of the kids together in the terminal, and the kids get to board the plane first, so they sit them in the front, all together. It makes me happy on my holiday flights to see all of the kids together, sharing games and making friends.

That IS kind of a cool idea!