<p>fendrock: Alitalia does have a bit 
of a reputation for going on strike. That hasn’t ever stopped me from flying them - but just so you know. You can do a “Google News Search” on Alitalia Strike and see what’s current. They usually give notice…but I’m not sure how that helps.</p>
<p>Last summer I drove with my daughter out to her college so she could have her car and then flew home. Next to me on my flight was a 13 year old girl flying alone and meeting friends at the airport. I could tell that she was very glad to have me next to her and I didn’t let her out of my sight after we got off until I saw the family she was meeting. That was just a short domestic flight and direct so I can understand her flying unaccompanied. In fact, my (to be) 14 year old will be doing the same flight in reverse this summer by himself. However, I don’t think I would want him doing a flight with a change of planes just on the chance that there would be a change/delay of planes on the next leg, which can also make the end connection tricky. But, that’s just me. I think the policy of UAM has changed since 9/11. </p>
<p>And take that with a grain of salt - we were at the gate during the black out of the East Coast in 2003 and missed the departure of a cruise ship from Barcelona, have been bumped and had cancelled/delayed flights numerous times.</p>
<p>Kathiep’s post reminded me of another time my D flew alone which I had forgotten about. When she was 13, my husband took her to Florida (to swim with the manatees 
) and he then stayed for a business trip. She flew back alone on a direct flight from Orlando to Newark, NJ. He did not leave the Orlando airport until her plane took off and I met her as she came off the plane. We knew that there was a very slim chance of something weird happening and the plane having to make an unplanned stop somewhere, but this was highly unlikely. We were not too worried about her making this trip without any supervision by the airline personnel.</p>
<p>As someone else mentioned it’s also not possible to accompany your child to the gate unless you have a ticket or a special pass. Perhaps when you sign them up as an unaccompanied minor you can do that.</p>
<p>My friend accompanied her elderly father who is not 100% in his mental ability to the gate. The airline allowed it in such a circumstance.</p>
<p>You can accompany them to the gate if they’re signed up as UAM, but I was allowed to accompany a 15 year old without paying the additional fee last summer. There was a mom waiting for the same flight who had paid the UAM fee for her child. The difference was that I could leave the gate area as soon as my child boarded; the other mom was not allowed to leave until the plane was in the air. With the UAM there is a ‘chain of custody’ that doesn’t allow much chance for the child to slip through.</p>
<p>DD flew to Paris and London as a UAM when she was 12/13. We lived on the West Coast at the time, and she had to connect in Denver once and Minneapolis another time. I would advise, though, that you ensure that your child has a cell phone that works in Europe and that you give him/her firm instructions to call you at any stop-over/connecting cities - this will give you peace of mind.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the responses.</p>
<p>I showed them to my daughter, and she is also feeling reassured.</p>
<p>She wants to travel with other program participants, also doesn’t mind being treated as a UAM, as she will feel more secure with the extra attention!</p>
<p>When my 17 yo D flew up to Ohio last fall, I just asked when we checked her in for a pass that would allow me to accompany her to the gate. The Atlanta airport has a bad habit of changing departure gates at the last minute, and the airport is huge. I didn’t want my D sitting at the wrong gate, unaware. It wasn’t any big deal - I had to give a photo ID, and they printed a pass that specifically said I was accompanying my minor daughter to the gate. Didn’t pay anything. She wasn’t flying as an UAM - it was a short direct flight, with relatives at either end.</p>
<p>Yes, getting a gate pass is very easy if there’s any kind of logic to it.</p>
<p>My son went to Berlin alone to visit a friend when he was 15, not as an unaccompanied minor, changing planes in Frankfurt. I had confidence in his problem-solving abilities, as did he, and he was proud of his ability to do things like that on his own. But it’s true that I would have thought a lot more about it if he had been a couple of years younger.</p>
<p>Don’t fly with Alitalia. Don’t even consider it. They are the airline from hell. I had been warned about them by a friend but they were cheap and i didn’t listen. I was so wrong.</p>
<p>My flight was from london ->Turin (winter Olympics 2006). When I arrived at the airport there was no flight going to Turin. Alitalia said they had no free aircraft so we were going to Milan instead and there would be a but to take us to Turin. Arrived in Milan,. Sat at the airport till midnight and all the staff went home. no bus. Had to get a taxi to the centre of town and find somewhere to stay. the next day I got a train to Turin.</p>
<p>Phoned Alitalia UK - the english speaking phoneline and they said on the return journey the flight would again be from Milan, and a bus would pick us up from Turin central bus station. Luckily the mother of the host family I was staying with had had similar problems before and she insisted that the bus never went from the main bus station. So she phoned the Italian speaking phone line and she was right. the bus left from a central shopping station, miles away from the bus station. So on the way back we got the bus and drive to Milan. When we got to the airport we were informed that our flight had been changed to the OTHER iarport in Milan, an hour away, and was leaving in 1hr 15mins… We had to pay for a bus to this other airport and only just made it.</p>
<p>I am 25, I was accompanied by my friend who is an Italian speaker, and I’ve flown all over on my own. Not in a million years would I send an unaccompanied child anywhere near Alitalia, ever (this wasn’t a strike, just an average day). I didn’t get any refund or anything either. They said all the problems were “unforseen circumstances”. I have flown with lots of different airlines and NEVER had problems like this. Fly with BA or Air France and if you have to change in London/Paris at least they are responsible people.</p>
<p>I don’t think Alitalia are alone in striking. Airlines in Europe strike all the time. occupational hazard.</p>
<p>would it be feasible to have her fly from your home airport to where all the program participants are meeting? That way she would have company on her flight and would also only have to connect in the US, which seems easier as she would speak the language. Also, if anything bad actually happened, you could drive to pick her up (not ideal, obviously, but possible)</p>
<p>Yes, it looks likely that we will take her to meet up with some fellow travelers, or maybe we will even be lucky and there will be someone else from our area.</p>
<p>I’m not sure yet whether I would drive or have us fly to departing airport - seems that adding another flight to the mix has the potential to further complicate things.</p>
<p>Has anyone ever had an issue with a child’s passport, as the passport with the picture of the ten-year old must serve for identification of a much different looking 13-year old? (although my daughter has strong features which are clearly identifiable in the earlier photo)</p>
<p>My kids have had passports since birth. And, as you know, they are only updated every five years. So an infant has the same passport until they are 5. A five year old until 10…and so on. It was never a problem</p>
<p>I actually considered using #2’s infant picture on #3’s passport. Now how could anybody tell?</p>
<p>Fendrock - based on my experiences last summer with Alitalia and Delta making that connecting flight (Milan to Florence on the way over, Florence to Rome on the way back) - DON’T DO IT! Get her a direct flight to her final destination, or take a train from Rome/Milan/Venice to her final destination.</p>
<p>Our short flight was delayed for 3 hours due to high winds, we missed our flight to the states, and when we arrived at the Rome airport, there was no available for Delta - no one at all - and the Alitalia folks were entirely overwhelmed.</p>
<p>Back in the day, once we took the child off the plane, he was our responsibility until we handed the child off to the next carrier or the receiving adult. Therefore, we went through customs with the child, immigration, etc., and took the child to the next plane or waiting area and made sure the proper person received the child. Alitalia? Air France, as well…</p>
<p>Even now, with the heightened security, if you are waiting on an UAM, the airlines will give you a gate pass to get through security. This limits the time they have to stay with the child, and makes it easier on them. If I am taking a minor to the airport for departure, I always still get a gate pass. No problem, just ask for one.</p>
<p>Passport will be fine! Sounds like you have it figured out. I would suggest, like another person already has, that you get a cell phone for your daughter that she can use on the trip for “emergencies.” She will be fine. This is for you. When she lands and arrives at destinations…a short text or call will do wonders for you.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reassurance, overseas.</p>
<p>When my daughter was away for two weeks last year, we heard from her only once (short call at my instigation).</p>
<p>So I think it is likely she will be fine, but of course I am nervous anyway.</p>
<p>Well, I wanted to update everyone on my daughter’s experience. (I can only do that now, as my daughter has returned and I have the full story!)</p>
<p>We paid $70 each way for DD to fly as UAM, and feel that it was very worthwhile.</p>
<p>On arriving at Newark airport for departure, we found it to be a complete Zoo and the UAM status avoided a very long line for check in.</p>
<p>Then, on arrival in Rome, no one was there to pick up DD. Airline called program director on her cell phone #, learned that she was still on her way from Assisi, and my daughter was put in the UAM waiting area until being picked up an hour later (DD was annoyed but not scared).</p>
<p>Finally, DD was worried that she would miss her flight on the way back (director left late for three hour drive from Assisi to airport in Rome). Due to her UAM status, she was whisked to the gate even though she arrived a mere one hour prior to departure.</p>
<p>Thanks to all for your encouragement, as it was key to my daughter undertaking this trip. It was a bit more of an adventure than I had bargained for, but fortunately I didn’t hear the whole story until DD was safely home. DD herself handled the whole thing remarkably well, I must say.</p>