Hello. I've found this board to be immensely helpful in planning our trip this summer. Now I have another question.<BR><BR>We'll be travelling from Canada to the UK with our 13 year old son. A friend of his, same age, will be joining us. He is flying alone, arriving at Gatwick, leaving from Heathrow. <BR><BR>Does anyone have any experience with meeting unaccompanied minors at either airport? Or with um's travelling overseas?<BR><BR>Marnie

UM are usually not allowed on the last flight of the day,,so plan accordingly, and you may want him on the first flight just to be on the safe side. Need to get a pass from airline to go to the gate to meet him also.

Marnie:<BR><BR>My one experience with the um procedure was a disaster (though it all worked out in the end). Be SURE the airline will take responsibility for a 13-year-old. Despite Air France assuring me over the phone last year that they would take complete responsibility for my daughter's 13-year-old friend who was flying home from France alone after visiting us, when I took her to the airport, they denied they could do anything at all - saying that 12 years old was the cutoff (they had had problems with older kids and had changed their policy during the time we were in France, bla, bla, bla). The girl had to make a fairly complicated terminal change in Paris and if I hadn't written down a couple of pages of detailed instructions, with French phrases, etc., I'm not sure she ever would have made it. So, first thing to do is check on whether the service is available for a 13-year-old.<BR>Hope your experience goes better than mine did.I'd also recommend renting a cell phone that the boy can call you on if something goes wrong.

I wouldn't let him fly on anything but a non-stop flight from his point of origin. Also, recommend his parents prepare a statement saying you are authorized to travel with him and give consent for emergency medical care, and have the statement notorized. Then check directly with the airline about their policies.

Legally speaking, a minor in the UK is any child under 16 and most UK businesses follow this (including, I think, BA.) So he'd probably be covered by the airline if he flew with them.<BR><BR>You might also want to check out the website for BAA who own & operate both Heathrow and Gatwick www.baa.co.uk - this might contain some information about unaccompanied children, or at the very least will have a telephone number you could call to ask.

I agree that you need to be happy with the particular airline the child is booked on.B.A's arrangements were fine and stringent (but they were unable to foil a determined attempt by my daughter to escape, I wonder if they are still looking for her!)<BR>After this an enquiry of Finnair showed them to be most unhelpful when I asked what would happen if a U.M. missed the last connection of the day.They seemed to suggest they would fund a hotel but the child would be alone there.<BR>I also recall being pursued into the airport by a Delta flight attendant who had lost her U.M. and was fairly insistent it was my daughter-any port in a storm!

<BR>Marnie,<BR>I up put a message on your posting last night but it has vaporized. <BR>Capsule version: we have used UM every summer for 6 years sending our daughter overseas, connecting in London, Paris, Miami, and Chicago, within the airport and on the same carrier. Each UM must be accompanied by an airline attendent and it costs $30 or $50. Gatwick and Heathrow are 25 miles apart. This looks like it could be a problem for your son's friend.<BR>www.enjoy-europe.com

Big responsibility you are taking on! Under the current circumstances with excessive flight delays and cancellations, I would not accept the responsibility of sending a 13 year old on his own abroad. Airlines have enough problems to worry about to effectively care for an unacompanied child.<BR><BR>Please make sure you address your quetions directly with the airline and try to get as much info from them as possible.<BR>

Thanks all. I appreciate all your concerns and suggestions and happy tales.<BR><BR>I have some concerns about the airline -- I think his mother is putting him on a charter. I'll check into it for sure. I don't want a repeat of the Air France scenario! I'll speak to the airline myself, not leave it only to his mother. At least both flights are non-stop, no transfers.<BR><BR>I'll have a lawyer draft a letter giving us permission to have him, to give him emergency medical care, etc.<BR><BR>Thanks for the website for gatwick and Heathrow. He arrives through one and ten days later leaves through the other. Strange, eh? I didn't know it ever worked that way.<BR><BR>Also useful: the idea of a cell phone, thanks. <BR><BR>Appreciate the answers. Wish us well!

Marnie - I really don't think you need to engage a lawyer to have the mother write on a piece of paper just something like.."Marnie XXX has permission to travel with my son YYYY in the United Kingdom during the following dates June X - Y, 2002. Additionally, she may give consent to urgent or emergency medical treatment he may require during this same period...." Then have a notary witness signature.

Leslie, thanks. I should have been clearer: since my son's father and I are divorced and my son and I travel quite a bit, I have letter such as I'll need to model from. i guess I wanted a lawyer to review that letter, but maybe it's unnecessary. I'll rethink it. And for sure, I'll be getting her signature notarized.

My children flew as UMs 4 years ago with Air Canada. I suddenly needed to go into the hospital and had to send them home alone. They were 8 and 6 at the time. <BR>Air Canada was absolutely fantastic. They flew from Heathrow to Toronto and had to change planes for Cleveland. Air Canada made a difficult situation much easier.

That's great to know. Our young friend will be arriving on Air Canada. Thankfully the charter he was going to fly in on canceled the flight. I'm much happier with him on an airline I know better.

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