^Agreed. Just because we might not use this paid-for service provided by the airlines, does not mean a family is negligent for doing so. The airlines contract to take care of the kids and deliver them to the parent–who was waiting there at the gate. They messed up big time. Whether or not one agrees with the parents suing, their original choice to use this service is not “wrong” because “we” do things differently.
Like the mom who let her kid play in the park while she worked fast food, people make not unreasonable choices when they need to.
Middle class Americans lose their minds if others don’t wrap their kids in cotton every day.
The problem started at the airport in the Santiago, Dominican Republic. I’ve never been there but perhaps the airport is different. Maybe there aren’t as many checks or security or whatever… I would not send my kid at 5. But if I had I would be very upset about this mix up. However I would not sue but I would make sure the public knew about the it so other parents would think twice about send their 5 year old on a flight by themselves.
Maybe if they were put in a waiting room together they put their 5 year old little heads together and decided to trick parents a la “Parent Trap”!!!
Truthfully, as long as they are safe, that parent just might want to think twice about how good of an idea it is/was to have a 5 year old traveling without a family member.
Our kids fly UA minor on American Airlines (domestic) and parents must accompany child to gate and wait for plane to takeoff before we can leave the gate area. One time I tried walking away after the plane had pulled away from gate and was no longer in sight, but was stopped by agent who told me to wait for her to verify the plane was airborne.
Something sounds strange here to me. But when you are in the customer service business you need to compensate for mistakes, which it sounds like they did. Suing is just over the top.
D21 started flying as a UM the day she turned 5 year old. She has been flying ever since. The flight is a direct flight from Lubbock to Dallas. We have never had a problem. Lots of UM kids fly to see their other parent on a regular basis like my kiddo does.
The departure protocol for different airlines we’ve used required us to accompany the minor to the departure gate, then remain at the gate until the plane was airborne.
The pickup protocol was VERY strict too.
My kids absolutely hated the handholding. As soon as they were old enough to be exempted from mandated unaccompanied minor service , we stopped using it.
I flew on Somali Airlines alone with my brother. I was 9 and he was 7. The plane had to make an unexpected stop because of some engine issue. We were talking about it recently. Neither of us can remember why the trip could possibly have seemed like a good idea. (We visited the people who replaced my father in his old position.) I flew lots on my own in high school, changing planes in Europe or Nairobi to get back to school from spending the holidays with my parents in East Africa.
I realize Jet Blue doesn’t have a rule about someone staying with unaccompanied minors. And I know they made a mistake.
I’m just not sure what hiring a lawyer will do.
I’m wondering if perhaps there was a language issue. Is that possible too?
Regardless of the JetBlue policies…if it had been my kid, I would,have wanted whomever drove hi. To the airport to,remain with him until he boarded the plane.
Perhaps,that was not possible. But that is what I would have wanted to have happen.
JetBlue refunded all exoenses from this trip, plus additional compensation. What exactly are they planning to sue for?
9 and 7 seems reasonable to me, but maybe that’s because at that I age flew internationally regularly. I’d take these wild charter flights with a zillion stops along the way. My own kids started flying alone at about 6; but I admit, it did give me pause (Not that it stopped us doing it.)
All of you piling on the families of the children need to remember the kids boarded the Jet Blue flights in a different country. Different country, different rules, different customs. The families may have had no choice but to leave the child with the airline employees before going through security. As a matter of fact, my kids and I flew from Buenos Aires back to the states about 5 years ago and at that big, international airport, the rule was no one but passengers were allowed at the gate. And they made exceptions for no one, not children, not seniors nor anyone who was disabled or ill.
My kids flew unaccompanied from the age of 10 between LA and New York. The first couple of years I went to the gate, after that we stopped using the unaccompanied minor service. And my kids hated it, too.
Good point. Unlike the US, in other countries passengers have to go thru Immigration before going to the departure gate. The parents would have needed to get their passports stamped.
I put my D on a plane at 5 on her own. It was a non-stop, and I was allowed to board with her. When I started crying, she said “mom, it’s time for you to go.” She had grandparents waiting on the other end at the gate so everything went smooth.
Airline should attach a tag with all relevant info to the UM that the child cannot easily remove. If they are not doing it they may want to revisit their procedures.
I would not send a 5 yo as an UM without leaving/meeting him at the gate. Maybe on Singapore Air.
Obviously their procedure did not include matching the name on the wristband against the name on the ticket/passport. Maybe flight number on the wristband could help.
You may ideally want to do and not do all sorts of things with your 5 year old child. However you end up divorced, and travel to meet the demands of shared custody become essential and costly. Or the grandparents can care for your child and provide contact with your native culture and extended family in the summer, saving thousands. There are many ways solo travel for a young child can become part of what you do as a family. Of course this is not desirable, but necessary for some.
(Not that it stopped us doing it.)