10-year-old girl flying alone on United left stranded at Chicago airport

[Go Skins]

[url="http://overheadbin.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/14/13278851-10-year-old-girl-flying-alone-on-united-left-stranded-at-chicago-airport#comments"]http://overheadbin.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/14/13278851-10-year-old-girl-flying-alone-on-united-left-stranded-at-chicago-airport#comments[/url]
The parents of a 10-year-old girl are not happy after their daughter was left stranded in Chicago, when United Airlines reportedly failed to help her to a transfer flight as she was traveling alone on June 30.
The incident was brought to light this week by Bob Sutton, a family friend and Stanford management professor who writes about workplace issues.
Parents Annie and Perry Klebahn dropped off their daughter Phoebe at San Francisco International Airport on June 30 for her flight as an unaccompanied minor to summer camp, according to a letter dated July 13 to United Airlines. Phoebe was on a United flight that traveled to Chicago and then booked on a connection to Traverse City, Mich.
When the Klebahns received a "frantic call" from the camp that Phoebe did not arrive on her intended flight, they immediately called United and were put on hold for 20 minutes. According to the Klebahns, a United representative finally took their call from India, and only after some back and forth discussion did they finally find out that Phoebe missed her connection in Chicago.

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That's because when the 10-year-old landed on-time in Chicago, according to the letter, no one showed up to help her make her transfer flight. Phoebe reportedly asked United attendants in Chicago three times to use a phone to call her parents, but she was told to wait and missed her connection.
"When she missed the flight she asked if someone had called camp to make sure they knew and they told her 'yes—we will take care of it,'" the Klebahns wrote in the letter. "No one did. She was sad and scared and no one helped."
Four hours later, Phoebe did end up making it to Traverse City safely, only after the Klebhans appealed to a United employee who was a mother herself. They were later told by United that the airline outsourced the unaccompanied minor services to a third-party vendor, who "forgot to show up."

I would be curious for the parents on these boards to give their take....I see both sides to this. Granted, O'Hare (presuming that is the airport) is huge, but I would like to think a kid is knowledable enough to look at a screen, see the gate number, and either ask for help or look at a map to find the connecting gate. The flip side is, why is a 10 year flying by herself, let alone, cross country.

[esjbh2]

My kids are older now, but I personally wouldn't have them flying by themselves at 10. But that's just me.

On the other hand, the airlines tout this service and what happened is completely inexcusable. Thinking that a 10 yr old could "figure it out" on their own is asking a lot in my opinion, especially since I'm sure she was told that people would be helping her and she was unprepared to deal with it. O'Hare is definitely one of the worst airports for something like this to happen also due to size, complexify, many terminals, terminals not within walking distance, etc.

[Vol_Bengal]

[quote name='esjbh2' timestamp='1345041071' post='1146508']
My kids are older now, but I personally wouldn't have them flying by themselves at 10. But that's just me.

On the other hand, the airlines tout this service and what happened is completely inexcusable. Thinking that a 10 yr old could "figure it out" on their own is asking a lot in my opinion, especially since I'm sure she was told that people would be helping her and she was unprepared to deal with it. O'Hare is definitely one of the worst airports for something like this to happen also due to size, complexify, many terminals, terminals not within walking distance, etc.
[/quote]

This... I have a 10 year old now and there is no way in hell I'd let him get on a plane by himself. That is beyond asinine.

[Go Skins]

The other key part to this is the parents paid $99 for a service to walk w/the child from one gate to another.

This appears to be the returning flight, so I guess she got to SF w/out a problem. I wonder where the disconnect was w/United on the return flight other than "someone not showing up".

[Bengals1181]

I flew alone when I was 12, but wasn't connecting in nearly as big of an airport as O'Hare.


If we're assigning blame, its on the airline. They offer the service, and were paid for it and they didn't deliver.

[gatorclaws]

I had a bad experience with United lately on our return honeymoon flight, which was booked 6 months in advance. It wasn't until we showed up at the airport that we found out we were booked on a flight that didn't exist. It wasn't canceled anytime recent, it had been removed from their schedule months prior and they never let us know. I even checked the reservation online before we left and it showed everything as being fine.

Our departing flight two weeks prior on American Airlines was canceled at about 11:30PM for a 6:00AM flight the next day. No bad weather, they just canceled it and left us scrambling to find another flight.

Airlines suck these days.

[Tigris]

But why would you put your 10 year old daughter on a flight by herself? I could see a 15 year old or something... but I think that is a little too young.

[Bengals1181]

[quote name='Tigris' timestamp='1345043489' post='1146520']
But why would you put your 10 year old daughter on a flight by herself? I could see a 15 year old or something... but I think that is a little too young.
[/quote]

its not as big of an issue as it sounds. The parents are there at the gate, and put the kid on board. On board the kid is in a controlled environment. With the service they paid for, an airline representative is supposed to meet them as they get off the plane, and take them to their next gate and wait with them until they get on the next plane, then, they are in a controlled environment again. Get off the plane to meet whoever they are meeting.


Unless you get a rare case where someone on the plane tries to slip the kid drugs or booze or something without the fly attendants noticing, there's not much that can go wrong if the airline does its job right.


Further, while they aren't required to provide any special care, the flight attendants are notified that a child is traveling alone and any decent flight attendant is probably going to have their eye on the kid whether they are required to or not.

[Khatmandude]

You may think it's too young but there are different levels of maturity for different 10 yr olds. Plus, the airline offers the service and should provide the actual service people pay for. This is on the airline.

My grandmother flew from Pakistan to the US alone....she is very old and the attendants were awesome with her....accompanied her everywhere, had a wheelchair ready at all times in case she got tired or was in pain. It's not that hard of a service to follow through on, at all.

[B.A.B.]

I flew on a plane by myself at like 8 or 9. Wasn't a big deal. They took care of me pretty much till I met my dad on the other side. I don't think if I went to the airport and had to go through the connecting flight by myself I could have figured it out at that age. I would have been looking at my ticket and at the screens, and second guessing myself, and end up crying like a baby lol. But that's just me.

[-GoBengals-]

I sat next to two 6-7 yr olds flying alone on my way to ny. They seemed used to it. I would never do it. Ever.

[Paul]

I've flown by myself overseas when I was ten, having my flights delayed at Frankfurt am main, then again in Newark international going to New Orleans I was able to find my way, and I was bumped up to first class for missing my flight. I can't believe that she wasn't helped by the airline, and that she didn't have a cell phone to contact her parents.

[Bengals1181]

[quote name='GoBengals' timestamp='1345439211' post='1148728']
I sat next to two 6-7 yr olds flying alone on my way to ny. They seemed used to it. I would never do it. Ever.
[/quote]


now that IS too young.

[-GoBengals-]

[quote name='Bengals1181' timestamp='1345463311' post='1148749']
now that IS too young.
[/quote]

they were set, they had ipods, the grandparent or parent got them meals from the steakhouse, sodas, etc... they were a pain in the ass for the flight attendant, asking for stuff during take off and landing, but normal 6-7 yr old not understanding the situation type stuff... but they didnt seem to care about flying at all, and they always seem to be seated in the front row right next to the attendant area...

but i was surprised at the age... at least it was two of them together, so they "had eachother"...

[BigDawgBengal]

I flew by myself several times when I was 12 and 13 but that was back when anyone could go to the gate. My parents would go to the gate with me and made sure I got on the plane.

[|Lucid|]

Not entirely relevant, but I rode alone on a greyhound home from Oklahoma (family) when I was 13... Greyhound workers were on strike at the time, so the bus was completely packed. About halfway through the trip the bathroom became overfull and stunk up the whole buss, it was fucking awful..

But I also ended up sitting next to an old Chinese guy who it turned out was a professor of Chinese history and had come to the US to speak at some universities over here. He was taking the bus because it was cheap and he said he wanted to really see the country. It was his first time here, and as a 13 year old kid I didn't knw shit about China. We talked the whole time, telling each other about our countries and sharing stories of culture and what not.. One of the worst most interesting experiences of my life!