Urgent Help From Parents Needed

HandsAcrossTime · 03-09-2008, 01:27 PM

I'm a finalist for the Renaissance Scholarship (for U of Rochester), and my parents are okay with me going to NY alone, but only if I'm on a non-stop flight.

I have never searched for flights, and they haven't either, so I need help. We are having trouble finding a non-stop flight from LAX (or another nearby airport) to Rochester Intl Airport [leaving on 3/26 in the evening and departing 3/28 in the afternoon or evening]

As parents, I think you might have more experience with this than my own. Thanks.

thumper1 · 03-09-2008, 01:42 PM

I doubt seriously that you will find a non-stop flight. Try a one stop flight at an airport that you either have traveled at before, or one that is not too huge.

owlice · 03-09-2008, 01:45 PM

What thumper said, adding at an airport near friends/family. And congrats!

amb3r · 03-09-2008, 01:46 PM

Come on, you're a high school senior, and if you're not already 18 yet, you'll be a legal adult in a year at most. Ask your parents why they require that you find a non-stop flight? I've seen middle school kids transferring flights alone.

paying3tuitions · 03-09-2008, 01:49 PM

I checked just now, since I actually have to send my S on planes between Orange County and Buffalo, so that's kind of the same idea, in reverse.

There are no nonstops, but I did see flights that stay with the same airline.
For example, if you use JetBlue and go to Santa Ana airport in Orange County to depart, you can be with the same airline all the way. Yes it stops in NYC, but you just get off one plane and onto another in the same terminal.

There are many other ways to do it, but they all involve ONE stop, anyway. NOt so bad if you stick with one airline, as they are more responsible to you if there are delays.

If you are very young, they might also have a flight attendant be told to make sure your transfer goes well.

Wondering: what exactly is your parent's worry here? Baggage getting lost, standing in an airport by yourself, what? If you pin that down, maybe we can give you some talking points to allay their fears...

Congrats!!

HisGraceFillsMe · 03-09-2008, 01:50 PM

Yeah, transferring really isn't that hard.

The only reason I can think of is that LAX is really huge and can be hard to navigate. But I did it by myself when I was 15 and it was no big deal...most of the time if you just go up to a counter and tell them where you need to get, they're really helpful (especially to minors and/or very young adults).

If you're in the LA area, try looking at Long Beach airport. It's much smaller and they do some non-stop flights. And JetBlue flies out of LB.

I almost never go out of LAX anymore.

In fact, even my school uses Long Beach whenever we have to fly anywhere for a school event.

thumper1 · 03-09-2008, 01:56 PM

By the way...if you choose to attend Rochester, you will have to navigate these travels...and change planes. We sent our kid on a solo trip to see a school that involved a plane change. Since she wanted to travel far away...we figured she should know how to navigate the travel involved. I think you can do this! Just make sure that you allow at LEAST an hour for your connection.

paying3tuitions · 03-09-2008, 02:21 PM

When you look up the companies that describe the routes, such as kayak.com,
expedia.com, orbitz etc..

don't just put LAX to Rochester. Check off the option of "Nearby Airports" right below the place wqhere you type in LAX.

That way, you'll also see schedules that depart from some of the smaller airports, such as: Long Beach, Ontario, Santa Anna/John Wayne, Burbank, etc.

Some people prefer to depart from the smaller LA-area airports, instead of using LAX.

But for Rochester, just click "Rochester" since from this end, you really want to land THERE and not an hour away!!

calmom · 03-09-2008, 02:24 PM

I understand your parents concern, but I think it is is misplaced. If you have a cell phone and leave at least an hour between flights, there should be no problem -- you'll be able to call your parents to let them know you are o.k. when you get to the change airport. I had my daughter navigate a flight change (with terminal change) alone at age 12, on an international flight coming in from Mexico. (Result: my d. managed to get herself on an earlier flight home than scheduled, along with an upgrade to first class). Later, at age 16, my d. managed alone with 2 changes on an international flight, including getting through customs & a terminal change in Chicago with less than 45 minutes between flights. (That one was hairy, but she made it).

There really isn't much that can go wrong other than the possibility of missing a flight or being delayed for various reasons. Of course you should have enough cash on you to cover any emergencies.

Consolation · 03-09-2008, 02:28 PM

The most important thing is to make sure that you have at least an hour between flights. Better to sit in a terminal with a good book for an hour or two than to miss a plane because your flight was delayed. Also, if possible, just take one sensibly-sized carry-on bag.

HisGraceFillsMe · 03-09-2008, 02:31 PM

^Absolutely.

When I was flying from Dulles to LAX at 15, I had to arrive at Dulles several hours early due to some restrictions with the program I was returning from, but it ended up being a good thing as I had plenty of time to find my gate, get some Starbucks (YAY!

) and some dinner before my flight.

paying3tuitions · 03-09-2008, 02:33 PM

Also think this through: there's a 3-hour time difference. You said you intend to leave in the evening, which is probably good but you'd be sleeping that night on the plane, then arriving in ROchester in the morning. For the first day, you might feel "jet-lag" meaning your internal clock thinks it's 6 a.m. when everyone else is operating at 9 a.m.

Do you have an interview scheduled during that weekend? WIll you get free housing or a place to stay in the dorm during your visit? If so, you might consider flying by daylight (leave very early in the morning) so you can just sleep when you get here, catch up with yourself, and then face the world.

You're younger than me, but jet-lag is something to factor in if you have to face some kind of big interview in Rochester. Hopefully, you can arrive rested.
If you end up flying all night, just try to actually SLEEP on the cross-country plane!!

Columbia_Student · 03-09-2008, 02:34 PM

What about car? Can you rent a car if you're under 18?

amb3r · 03-09-2008, 02:34 PM

^^ Lol, how is he going to drive from Los Angeles to New York?

midwesterner · 03-09-2008, 02:52 PM

I sympathize with you - you aren't finding any non-stops to ROC because there aren't any. It's a fairly small destination airport. You will have to connect, and when you're leaving from the west coast late in the day, that doesn't give you many options. Most of the connecting cities are in the midwest or mid-atlantic; you'll be arriving after the day's final flight to Rochester has departed. That means several hours waiting at the connecting airport until the first A.M. flight to Rochester, which will leave you exhausted.

How early can you get to the airport on 3/26? Look for the earliest flight you can make, and the connecting city that's farthest west. Otherwise, you are stuck leaving after 10 P.M. and waiting overnight.