Continental Airlines just made my 13 yr. old daughter cry! "HELP"

[FarPoint]

She went on vacation with her step mother who purchased the tickets online; separate return flights. Her flight was 4 hours after her step mothers as it was an added on flight and no room on the step mothers plane. So, Brooke was just boarding on her flight from Tampa to Cleveland when this attendant told her she could not board, needed the $75.00 to have an attendant or she could not get on the plane. She was cold as ice, offered no assistance with helping Brooke contact me; she only has $50 left on her gift card...left Brooke sitting in a chair crying until she was able to get ahold of me....which I paid the fee. It was an oversight by the step mother who does not fly much, actually she is a novice....

Again; Brooke just boarded safely.

My bitching is about the cold, sociopath, careless behavior of such robotic attendant ....must be a neocon.


So, Here is their We Care Customer Care number:

800.WE.CARE2 (800.932.2732)

I called them and they told me to email corporate. Brooke is now on the plane. I had no problem with the money, but indeed, the heartless, callous treatment is not the American Way.

[WillParkinson]

Rules are indeed rules...

But human compassion should trump those. Especially when a person is only 13 years old. What do you expect them to do?

[FarPoint]

7. I expected them to show a sense of compassion

not just say, move along kid..."Next". They could of helped her out, she had a cell phone...walk her thru it....just a few minutes and a kind word would of been a positive.

[WillParkinson]

26. Oh, no!

I meant what do they expect a 13 year old to do, not what did you expect the airline to do. I totally agree with you. Compassion should have been shown to the child, not have her pushed aside like that.

[damntexdem]

60. The airline industry has made flying a torture that we endure only because we must.

I fly only when it's absolutely necessary.

[ellie]

136. It certainly is

I just flew round trip to Phoenix. They strip you of your dignity at the security checkpoint and the behavior continues until you claim your bags. What an absolutely horrible experience flying is.

[Taverner]

173. I almost think they get pleasure from fucking us over

[Selatius]

222. The problem is they have no competition. So they don't have to aim very high to make money.

Pardon the pun. If the US had an advanced mass transit infrastructure, it might be a different story, but that's all theoretical.

[Cha]

226. Indeed they have..

Expensive torture.

[shadowknows69]

1. A friend of mine just went through similar draconian experiences

Not sure of the airline though.

[sailor65]

2. You and stepmom should demand a meeting with the attendant

so he or she can kick you both in the face for planning a trip for your 13 year old so badly.

[havocmom]

27. ABSOLUTELY! Failure to get facts and plan for safe travel for minors

is not something the flight attendant can fix. Parents need to do more of the parenting thing and less whining when people with other jobs can't parent for them.

[14thColony]

206. The stepmother planned the trip and bought the tickets

Not the poster. The poster intervened to get the fee paid and get the child on the flight.

Your wish for physical violence is best directed at the stepmother.

[LisaL]

213. I would talk to the stepmother.

Why was this child left alone in the airport without much money? It doesn't sound like she is ready to be on her own.
Why did stepmother buy the flight where only one ticket was left?
Why didn't both of them fly on a later flight?

[14thColony]

215. I agree completely

The stepmother would have some 'splaining to do.

I just don't see the reason for the venom from others directed at the poster, who was also drug into a bad situation by the stepmother's stunningly poor planning.

[rhett o rick]

233. The girl was not at fault. She should not have been treated like that. Even if she was at fault. nm

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. Mmm... no.

Plan better next time.

[Blue_Tires]

4. i'm having trouble understanding this

what was the $75 for?

[Statistical]

5. Glad I am not the only one.

Also don't planes usually leave pretty soon after boarding?

Someone waiting around for $75 fee? wouldn't they get left behind?

[xultar]

45. Kids alone board first right after the crew.. So there was plenty of time. It takes 30mins to board

So, in this situation the gate agent would have boarded the flight and then helped the young lady. I bet the girl made the exact same flight.

There's about 10 to 15 mins where final baggage, weight, passenger manifest and paperwork needs to be printed and given to the captain. That would have given a gate agent time to call her mother and get the credit card number and put her aboard.

[FarPoint]

66. The attendant took no action at all.

Brooke called me........then I had the attendant get on the phone, so I could pay the fee.

[WolverineDG]

91. Perhaps the attendant had other things to do

like getting the rest of the plane boarded before they could do anything with your kid. And why didn't loving step-mommy pony up for a ticket on the kid's flight instead of making her fly by herself?

dg

[xultar]

98. Like board the other 200 people, then get back out there and help the girl.

[WolverineDG]

104. well, obviously, she should have just stopped the entire boarding process

and fixed the mess created by step-mommy. :sarcasm:

dg

[xultar]

95. She prolly had to board the plane, she would have gotten back with her during final paperwork.

[havocmom]

Not attendant's job to do parent/guardian job

Glad your daughter had a cell phone and was old enough to know how to use it. She did well, but her predicament was NOT the airline's doing.

Sorry, but they have other things they are responsible for. Other people were on the flight and needed to be boarded I assume? There are gate attendants who will keep an eye on, but not entertain, minor children while doing their other tasks.

[rcrush]

166. people assume that you are responsible for their children just by leaving them there.

?

[LostinVA]

194. Just like a retail store

[rcrush]

216. I would constantly have to kick kids out of my store and off property

They would either be starting fightings or trying to steal something. Graffitti up the parking lot and break into cars. I would kick them off property and not let them come back. A few hours later some parents show up and wonder why there kid wasnt where they left them. And then they tell me I'M responsible for their childs safety!

[havocmom]

235. As asstiant manager at a retail store, I had to call child protective services twice

because VERY young children were left in the store while dad was at the bar at the corner. Then dad forgot to come get them, which was probably better in the long run as he would have been driving drunk at that point.

[rhett o rick]

236. I am surprised you called. Expected you to kick them to the curb. Teach them damn kids. nm

[havocmom]

239. Would've kicked the snot outta the dad if I could have

The kids had no doubt they were being dumped so dad could drink and mess with his girlfriend. After several hours, and past closing time for my store, I needed to do something. Did not want to take the kids home with me. Well, actually.... but I couldn't cuz THAT would have been criminal.

[ShortnFiery]

188. I fully understand your frustration. My poor 80 y.o. mother who's bent over with osteoporosis

was FORCED to stand up out of her wheelchair. She's skin and bones and as she stood the buffoons in security patted her down like she was some sort of criminal.

IF WE KNEW that she would have been treated so roughly, we would not have let her fly.

I have no doubt that you were NOT given the full information.

Finally, thanks - in advance: I was considering sending my 14 y.o. daughter on a flight to Phoenix alone. NO WAY would I do this now.

Best regards and don't let the "authoritarian mullahs" get you down. ;)

[JenniferJuniper]

6. Fee for assistance for a child traveling alone.

I fly for work all the time and Continental is by far the worst airlines to deal with.

[Blue_Tires]

12. for a 13-year-old??

i know things are much different, and i've maybe flown continental once in my life, but I've been flying alone since I was 5 year old (early 80s)...i've never known of this extra charge, unless it is a new thing...

[JenniferJuniper]

24. Yes, I believe it's between the ages of 5 - 14

for "unaccompanied minors", although different airlines have different rules.

[quakerboy]

238. +1

I flew alone starting when I was 8. No idea what airline, but they were very nice and one stewardess even helped me with a cup of water to keep the flowers I was taking my grandma somewhat alive.

The fee must be new, and seems ridiculous from where I sit. I wonder exactly what added service they got for the money.

[Matariki]

58. So - they would strand the child rather than collect the fee later????

That's some assistance!

[ProfessorGAC]

187. I Concur, Mostly

I used to fly a LOT! Probably 15 round trips a year. Continental was always run like crap.

But, the worst was Frontier. They couldn't find their chest with their hands. Horrible, dirty planes. ALWAYS late. Weird scheduling.

Even Continental wasn't as bad. And they were pretty bad.
GAC

[YOY]

8. Unaccompanied minor.

n.t.

[FarPoint]

11. Payment for an unaccompanied child

I gave the step mother my credit card to make the arrangements. This got missed.

[Auggie]

15. Airlines charge extra for this?

Nickle and diming...

[YOY]

19. They have for quite a while actually.

n.t.

[SammyWinstonJack]

33. Southwest doesn't.

[havocmom]

35. An airline employee must attend the minor until authorized adult picks them up at airport

Ask some flight attendants how often that means standing around for a long time, trying to keep a child from panicking when adult at end of flight is late. SOMEBODY has to stay with the minor traveler and airlines are trying to get parents/guardians to own up to that fact and either get there in time or travel with the kids. Airlines are not babysitters, but are obligated to insure the child's safety.

Parents need to own up to some of the liability here.

[MADem]

72. I agree. I have friends in the business, and they put up with so much for not much pay.

Even the "perks" of travel get old after a few decades.

[havocmom]

77. With the overbooking that has long gone on, the 'perk' of travel is more myth than perk

;)

[MADem]

113. That's true--it's the red eye or the off season!! nt

[Wizard777]

52. Baby sitting fee. Plain and simple.

[xultar]

59. YEs. But they treat the kids great. I fly every week and I see it time and time again.

[LostinVA]

82. My niece and nephew did this lots of time -- and they would agree with you

The airline employees assigned to them were always terrific.

[xultar]

115. Zactly,

[Wizard777]

131. You get what you pay for. That is not always a bad thing.

[tammywammy]

133. I remember in the late 80s/early 90s

Traveling alone from my parents to my grandparents. The FAs were awesome! I was 8 (I think) the first time I flew alone.

[FarPoint]

208. I just picked up Brooke. The attendants were very nice.

Apparently, the step mother did not acknowledge her as a child for the return ticket, according to Brooke as she spoke to step mother................I am dumbfounded by such stupidity! It was my money so why care? :hurts:

She best be careful or a house may fall on her........HaHaha ( wizard of oz)

Brooke is safe and that is the bottom line. I will always have to coordinate everything.....which is my lesson.

[LostinVA]

80. Yes -- an employee has to escort the child to whomever they're meeting

Or to their connecting fight. The employee is using time to do this, and the FAs and GAs are always short-handed as it is.

[Mz Pip]

69. An attendant?

WTF is this about?

Years ago I put my 6 year old on a non stop cross country flight so he could visit his aunt and cousins in Boston. No big deal. The flight attendant walked him to his seat and then escorted him off the plane where his aunt was waiting.

They charge $75 to do this now? That is nuts.

[riderinthestorm]

94. Clearly you are responsible. Many, many parents are not.

And the airlines charge now for the shitheads who actually DO drop their kids and run, don't wait for them to get on the plane and/or don't meet the child at the end point so the airline attendants are waiting, waiting, waiting....

Frankly, $75 probably isn't enough to compensate the airlines for the hassles they endure every single day caused by unaccompanied minors.

[xxqqqzme]

237. My question as well.

Did it get her a private consult w/ the attendant? $75.00 for what? She's 13, she sits in a seat for what 1 hour and 45 minutes? and that costs an extra $75. My son was younger than that and he flew from West Virginia to California more than once. If we couldn't get a non-stop, I would fly to his stopover to bring him the rest of the way. I am so glad I don't fly anymore.

[DS1]

9. Her step mother is a stupid woman

What the fuck is she even thinking booking different flights? Is she really that goddamn fucking dense?

[FarPoint]

18. So, you have had the pleasure

of meeting her.....HahaHa...... Shit happens. The attendant was just a drone.....appears to be the norm of late.

[sarcasmo]

23. It's the attendants fault the step mother booked two separate flights?

[WolverineDG]

100. No, the attendant had a job to do

and that wasn't babysitting your kid.

dg

[treestar]

175. But things do go wrong, and there is no reason to be

assholish about it.

I'm surprised at the amount of judgmentalism in this thread. A kid is a kid. Stuff happens. You don't be nasty to a kid just to make a point that the parents made - OMG!!!- an error!

[WolverineDG]

193. The true asshole is the one who left a 13 year old alone for 4 hours

in a strange airport, then comes to DU & complains when the child is told to take a seat & wait, at which point she starts crying hysterically so of course it was due to the gate agent not wanting to play airport nanny.

I've taken many flights & seen gate agents handle kids, & never once has one been left in tears because of how they were treated by the agent.

dg

[dgibby]

218. You might try reading theOP. It was the stepmother, not theop.n/t.

[WolverineDG]

219. With the OP's consent, knowing she treated his daughter

much differently than her own children.
And he paid for the ticket.

dg

[14thColony]

210. You got that right

It appears empathy for the 13yr old's situation is unacceptable and the poster, who didn't actually make any of the decisons that led to the predicament, must be thoroughly castigated.

[sarcasmo]

22. This was my thought exactly, I think the step mother should think things through next time.

[Blue_Tires]

34. all things being equal, i'd think the stepmother would send the daughter on the early flight

[Statistical]

38. +1. A lot can go wrong.

What if instead of a $75 fee the flight had been canceled.

The adult makes it home safe and the kid is stuck in a strange airport having to arrange another flight?

[LostinVA]

83. Agreed

[WolverineDG]

108. or ask if she get a seat on the later flight

that costs, what? $25? Jeez.

dg

[FarPoint]

39. I'll make the arrangements in the future.

It was a last minute add on as the step mother was just taking her kids and mother, Brooke was later invited as she wanted to go to Florida too. I was at work when the offer arised, gave her my card...done.

[kdmorris]

62. So TWO adults left your daughter

And took off with their own kids?

Sorry, but your anger is misplaced. What the stepmother did to your daughter is beyond shitty. If two planes had to be taken, ONE of the adults who got on the first flight could have given their seat to your daughter.

And I'm still having trouble swallowing the fact that you didn't have to pay the fee when you made the reservations or when you checked in (that's when you pay the fee for EVERYTHING else). The attendant at the gate never asks for money. Sorry, but your story sounds like major parts were left out.

[LostinVA]

85. I know my mother and sister always paid when they bought the ticket

Because they had to "book" the escort then, too.

And yeah -- why didn't one of the adults give up their seat?

:sniff:

[FarPoint]

106. Brooke is treated with less love than "her kids".

Brooke new this, we talked about it as well.. but still she wanted to go....so we have the cell phone-text plan while she was flying and in the airport and during the vacation....We texted and talked every few hours.

[WolverineDG]

112. And you still let her go?

Continental ain't the ones with the problem here, pal. I think you need to have a serious talk with step-mom about how this shit just isn't happening again. That you are lambasting the airline & not your wife who caused this massive screw-up tells me you really don't give a damn about your kid either.

dg

[LostinVA]

119. No way would I trust her stepmom, then

[madaboutharry]

202. This is my first thought as well. I never would do that.

I don't get that part of the story.

[Auggie]

10. "Customer Service" is fast becoming a classic oxymoron

[latebloomer]

13. I had a sucky experience with Continental too

Headed from Newark to SF for my brother's wedding- it was Fri AM and wedding was Sat.

Just about boarding time and they announce the plane has been cancelled. No explanation, nothing.

Get on huge unmoving line, get on phone, finally am told the next available flight would be the following afternoon (we would miss not only rehearsal dinner but actual wedding.) No refund.

Frantically called Jet Blue and booked one-way flights for our party of 5- had to travel an hour in cab to JFK. Plus had to pay another $1900 or something like that.

Protested and was sent a coupon for a free flight each, but we never used it- didn't have the time or money for another vacation.

[JenniferJuniper]

14. Keep in mind that Continental just lost two children on separate flights

over the past week. So management is probably cracking down on the help, which sometimes results in unreasonable behavior on the part of the staff.

(*lost as in put them on the wrong planes)

[Blue_Tires]

20. really? that's unbelievable!

[FarPoint]

21. This is a fine example.

So, the pendulum swings.

[xultar]

121. What were the circumstances? Were they indicated as unaccompanied minors?

[JenniferJuniper]

161. couple of links

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=68238351.blog

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6485550.html

"At Continental, parents fill out paperwork that has contact information about their unaccompanied child. The paperwork is given to employees at the ticket counter and parents are given a dummy boarding pass so they can go to the gate with their child.

Under Continental's policies, a child is supposed to always be escorted and supervised. A child can be escorted by a gate agent to a plane and then handed off to a flight attendant. After the plane lands, the flight attendant is supposed to hand the child off to a gate agent or escort. Parents are given passes so they can meet their children at the arrival gate."

[DaveinJapan]

16. bad planning aside

this kid made it all the way up to the GATE and then they demanded cash?

doesn't seem right to me, for a 13 year old. They should have been checked in by an adult no? (the stepmom in question, I would imagine)

If there were additional fees to be demanded of a child, they should have been demanded at that time.

Denying boarding to a kid alone is cruel, and amounts to abandonment as far as I can tell..limited info though, perhaps there is more to the story? like, the stepmom and kid went through security together four hours earlier with no provisions for the kid? need more info!

[riderinthestorm]

17. Can I ask why you thought it was okay to leave a 13 year old alone at the airport for 4 +/- hours?

The basic premise of the story sits wrong for me. I'm not comfortable with leaving the girl alone that long. I expect the flight attendants at the gate also were sitting there watching this young girl, obviously unattended for many hours, and weren't too thrilled at being asked to essentially be her babysitter.

Secondly, the airlines are explicit about the booking/attendant fee when you make the reservation. In fact, you have to pay that fee before you can even get the ticket. I don't understand how the step mother was even able to purchase a ticket online unless she lied about the girls' age. The computer automatically refuses to issue the ticket without the $75 charge.

Lots of glitches can occur during air travel. Detours, airplane delays, getting bumped, etc. Leaving a 13 year old to cope with the situation seems problematic to me.

[sarcasmo]

28. Borderline child endangerment to me.

[xultar]

40. Where in the OP's post did it say the girl was left alone?

[riderinthestorm]

44. Right here:

"She went on vacation with her step mother who purchased the tickets online; separate return flights. Her flight was 4 hours after her step mothers as it was an added on flight and no room on the step mothers plane"

The first two sentences.

[xultar]

118. Sorry, I thought people were saying the airline left her stranded. The Step-mom stranded the girl

my bad.

[kdmorris]

50. "Her flight was 4 hours after her step mothers"

as it was an added on flight and no room on the step mothers plane.

Deductive reasoning... the 13 year old was not on the stepmother's plane, which left 4 hours before her plane. There was no one with the girl when the flight attendant said she needed the $75 to board. The girl was forced to call the OP to get this taken care of.

If no one was with the girl when she went to board the plane and the step mother had been gone for 4 hours, it stands to reason that the woman left the 13 year old alone in the airport.

I would never do that to a 13 year old. It doesn't really explain why the flight attendant was a awful, but the woman who left the girl there alone was not. The whole story sounds kind of like 'wtf?'

[sarcasmo]

126. The step mother left the girl and boarded a flight, is the attendant a baby sitter?

[FarPoint]

30. Payment was made and

they were informed of a child when calculating the fee. They new she would be without an adult on the return as well according th the step-mom. I asked and confirmed this with the step-mom. All seemed in order. She, Brooke had her cell phone and called me; I paid the fee. They just didn't need to freak her out in the intern.

[riderinthestorm]

41. How did she manage to by-pass the computer program? Is she some kind of tech expert?

She made the rez online and somehow managed to book the 13 year old's flight without the fee?

Go ahead, I double dog dare you to try to book any flight, online right now, on any airline without getting that fee added in. It's impossible.

The airlines put the fee on to try to discourage kids from flying alone if they can help it. As I said, detours, plane failures, delays, getting bumped - any of these things mean a stranded minor that the airlines really don't want to be responsible for (and shouldn't be responsible for).

I don't know your child but is it possible the airline attendant really wasn't "cold" as much as "professional" and your 13 year old, freaked out already at being left alone at the airport for 4 hours, overreacted?

She's a child for gawds sake. The stepmother left her alone to cope with a pretty intense situation for many people (flying) but especially a child?!

[FarPoint]

68. I didn't think the fee would or could

be missed either....It was assumed by me that it was already included.

[LostinVA]

87. The fee and service would have been listed on the ticket/boarding pass

I just asked a colleague whose son just did this.

[FarPoint]

96. Brooke had the pass while she stayed at her step mothers.

I never got a good look at it.

[LostinVA]

99. The fees and services for this are listed on the ticket/pass -- I just checked

[MADem]

116. Looks like the step mom lied to you, doesn't it? And I still take issue with the

child being left alone for any amount of time without a supervising adult. That's unacceptable in my view. And I don't think that's the airline's problem, either.

[WolverineDG]

117. You're being lied to & my money is on your wife nt

[Statistical]

32. Even if in an emergency you HAD to take 2 seperate flights....

wouldn't you put the kid on the first flight then she could call someone to pick her up at the airport?

I would be concerned but at least I would be able to see the plane takeoff and know the kid is on the way home.


I mean what if the flight had been canceled.
The 13yr old would have to deal with finding another flight.
What if there was no flight and she had to stay there overnight.

Kid on first flight (adult helps, makes sure she is onboard) someone meets here at airport.
Adult takes second flight.

[xultar]

37. Where did the OP say in her post she was left ALONE!!! ROFL.

They didn't leave her ALONE...they cannot do that. They transfer custody to Gate Agent. She was NOT alone. She may have been sitting alone in the chair but a gate agent would have had been working the gate and had her red and white striped child traveling alone boarding card. When the gate agent boarded the flight then they were able to help her call her mother.

They do not leave children ALONE. The OP didn't even say that.

[riderinthestorm]

53. Semantics if you ask me. That kid may have had a gate agent in the area but she was definitely alone

You can split hairs all you like but as a parent imho, that kid was travelling alone and was left alone by the stepmother.

I understand that SOMEONE was in the area who was aware of her but that kid truly was alone.

[MADem]

127. The gate agent apparently didn't even know this kid was underage.

Perhaps the kid was plonked at the gate, and didn't display that card until attempting to board.

There's something amiss, here. Something just isn't adding up. The "Cruel Airline" excuse is just not working for me.

[Statistical]

145. No they child was MOST certainly alone.

If they had an unaccompanied child ticket it would have been specially marked (usually red).
Then the airline would have taken custody at the gate HOWEVER if she had a uc ticket the $75 fee was paid.

Everything indicates they were surprised when a child tried to board by herself.
They had no idea she was UC and were likely not even watching her.
The child likely had a normal passenger ticket. The gate never would have taken custody of a child with normal ticket.
Nobody had custody and nobody was watching once step mom left her at the gate.

[EFerrari]

81. Sounds like she lied about the child's age and left her there

with the wrong ticket.

Good grief.

[LostinVA]

89. Yup

[EFerrari]

122. I can't criticize the step mom. My mom would have tried the same thing.

She's physically incapable of paying full price for anything.

[The_Casual_Observer]

25. "callous treatment is not the American Way"

? since when?

Just try & do something that requires an extra $25.00 that you don't have.

[CreekDog]

29. Nobody should be rude, but that step mother is out to lunch!

When you book an unaccompanied child on a flight, you need to make arrangements for that.

That said, why didn't the step mother simply take the later flight?

[Happyhippychick]

31. Your anger is misplaced. Calling the stepmother's actions "an oversight" is putting it mildly.

You should be reaming out the stepmother, not Continental. They added to an already inexcusable situation that the stepmother created.

[sarcasmo]

36. Exactly.

[xultar]

42. Zactly. Can you believe this place?

[havocmom]

43. Actually, calling step-mom's actions 'an oversight' is enabling negligent behavior

If step-mom can't/won't attend to the details (and where is Dad in all this, by the way?) Mom should make sure the details are all covered.

Blaming an airline employee for following the rules is pretty damned lame and just deflecting any hope of understanding what went wrong so it doesn't happen again.

[JerseygirlCT]

230. And how about the step-mom taking the 2nd flight, to be sure the

young lady was safely boarded?

[havocmom]

234. Yeah, a piece of work alrighty

And part of the youngster's distress could be a deep gut feeling that it was wrong that she was treated that way by the adult who was supposed to be looking after her welfare in her mother's absence.

Again, were was Dad by the way?

[FarPoint]

49. I see you point.

Yet, kindness for just 5 minutes was free and not offered....Customer Service also has expectations when dealing with the public and children... falls under the humanity column.

[xultar]

54. How do you know she wasn't kind? Just because of the $75 bucks?

I fly EVERY week, they treat kids great. My mom worked in the airline industry for 30 years. I've traveled alone since I was 5 on just about every airline...I'm 40 now.
They treat kids GREAT!!!


Your daughter was scared that is why she was crying not because the lady was unkind.

Come on...

[havocmom]

86. Speaking of humanity: Is it possible to extend some to airline workers

who may also have family waiting to be taken care of? Some attendants have families, with kids and schedules to maintain there also.

And I tend to agree with others here: attendants probably treat kids better than many guardians who are careless about planning and executing the details involved in travel for unattended minors.

[LostinVA]

93. I bet money the FA or GA was polite

Your child was scared and freaked because of HER STEPMOTHER, whose actions may eb CRIMINAL. My niece and nephew have flown alone amny, meny times, and the employees have always been nice to them.

[WolverineDG]

125. SHE HAD TO BOARD THE REST OF THE PLANE, NOT PLAY MARY POPPINS

:banghead:

dg

[Catherine Vincent]

46. Why didn't the stepmother let the kid fly ahead of her and she wait for the next flight?

[JerseygirlCT]

231. That's what I'm wondering

Make sure the child is all safely boarded, since it was the return trip, we can assume, I think, that someone would be meeting her at the other end.

[xultar]

47. But your daughter made that exact same flight right?

[FarPoint]

51. Yes, she called me after she stopped crying.

O8)

[xultar]

56. She was just scared. IT doesn't mean that the lady was rude. You can't say she was a sociopath.

I know gate agents and flight attendats that feed kids from their own wallets. Take them to their offices, buy them toys and stuff when flights are delayed.

Your post is unfair.

[Warpy]

48. What a dumb rule

My first experience flying alone was when I was TEN. I didn't need an attendant, I just needed a ticket. This rule is nuts for kids who are old enough to be able to read and find the right plane to get on.

That attendant was probably having a bad day, no sleep, feet hurt, but ye gods, to treat a little kid that way? Unconscionable.

My guess is that she will be looking for a new job soon.

[Matariki]

55. They were going to just strand a 13 year old in the airport

A 13 year old who had a valid ticket?

That's below rotten.

[xultar]

61. The girl wasn't stranded. She made that exact same flight. The OP is exaggerating.

[FarPoint]

74. She would not of boarded the flight

without the surprise fee payment....Fortunately, I was contacted by Brooke as we planned on texting each other during the flight and wait at the airport.

[kdmorris]

76. That's crap

Sorry, but I just tried to put a 13 year old on a plane. (see my post below)

It adds in the fee WHEN you buy the ticket. Unless you lie about her age, in which case the stepmother is still at fault.

[FarPoint]

84. Slow down partner.....

no one lied about anything. Get a grip.........your anger is leaking out. You don't have to be engaged in this discussion if it makes you loose your cool.

[kdmorris]

102. I'm not angry

I just don't believe you anymore. You are the one who came to a website and want people to call Continental to ream them out when it's the stepmother who is at fault here.

I fly a lot. And the last flight I took from WPB to Houston had 5 unaccompanied minors on it ('tis the season). They do not take up fees and arrangements and such with the children. Sorry, but it doesn't happen.

The only way this story comes close to being true is if the stepmother didn't put her in as an unaccompanied minor, which is not Continental's fault. You seem to be exaggerating fault here while making the woman who screwed your daughter over out to be a saint. (she seriously flew off 4 hours before without your daughter, with two adults and an unspecified number of children? You don't think that was kind of the start of your daughter's ordeal?)

If a mistake was truly made, then you are the one that jumped the gun and asked us all to call Continental and yell at them, which is unfair.

So, no anger here, just a lot of disbelief and a certain amount of disdain that you can't seem to see how outrageous your own behavior is.

[Statistical]

111. No surprise fee.

No surprise fee. You said step mom booked online? Try doing it right now from the same site. See what happens when you pick 0 adults + 1 kid.

[WolverineDG]

128. Only a "surprise" because your wife lied about your daughter's age when getting the ticket nt

[Obamanaut]

139. "have" is a perfectly good word to use rather than "of" in instances

such as 'would not of', 'could of', would of', etc.

Additionally, there is plenty of blame to go around for this fiasco in the immediate family without involving the airline and/or the employees.

Oh, and thirteen year old kids exaggerate.

[Matariki]

75. In what way is the OP exaggerating?

If what the OP says is true - the girl was prevented from boarding and not offered any help in contacting someone who could pay the fee for her. What would have happened if she couldn't get in touch with a relative before the plane took off?

[FarPoint]

90. Thats the size of it.

We had arraged to text one another during the airport wait and when permitted, in-flight. So, I was just a phone call and credit card away. Money was never the issue as another poster was insinuating; nor was there any deception intent or action.

[xultar]

107. That the attendant was a SOCIOPATH. That the attendant was UNKIND.

[WolverineDG]

132. Boarded a plane lately? Notice a lot of airline employees standing around with nothing to do?

Me neither. The girl was told to sit & wait. The agent had to board the rest of the plane, THEN deal with the crisis caused by her parents.

dg

[Kceres]

57. The $75 is always a surprise.

They don't tell you about it when you buy the ticket. They ask for it before you board. It supposedly is a fee for a juvenile to be looked after, but then the airline doesn't do a thing to help said juvenile. My sons and my niece have all flown alone (all under 15 at the time) and they each got hit with this fee. It's last minute scam if you ask me. It raises the airfare at the last minute by $150.

[FarPoint]

63. Well........this sound very familiar indeed.

In the future, I'll make the reservations...Brooke had a learning experience and is safe for the wear.

[kdmorris]

64. Yes they do

https://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/specialneeds/minors/default.aspx?SID=14C85C0A238F40DAABBC0BFC5FEF4D1B

See the little link called "service fees"?

See my post below, where I went to the point of purchase. It automatically adds the fee in. It's not hidden and there's no way around it, unless you lie about the age.

If the step mother lied about the age, then she's doubly at fault for dumping the girl at the airlines mercy.

[riderinthestorm]

65. Not with an online purchase as was the case with the OP

I haven't purchased a ticket via a travel agent in years but the online booking service asks the ages of the children and if they are unaccompanied, it automatically adds on the $75.

I don't understand how the stepmother got around it frankly. Unless she lied about the girl's age.

I know this firsthand as I tried to book a flight for my 12 year old over Christmas. I was going to put her on the plane, her dad would meet her in Florida. I tried the big search engines like Expedia and Travelocity plus some of the other airlines individually. No such luck. They all added on the fee as I tried to book.

We never did send her down alone, our travel plans changed at the last minute but I've just gone through this within the past year.

[Statistical]

71. Right now try to book a flight online and mark it as 1 child no adults.

You will either be charged the fee upfront OR it won't let you book.

Go ahead just pick any airline, any flight, select 1 child 0 adults.

So likely one MORE detail left out by mom is she lied when booking the ticket.
She marked 1 adult either intentionally or by accident.

The airline didn't realize until at the gate.

http://www.orbitz.com
http://www.travelocity.com
http://www.expedia.com

Go ahead try to book a child unaccompanied ticket without either being prevented or not being informed.

Travelocity for example stops you and says:

Your search request cannot be satisfied.

All minors must be traveling with at least one adult (18 - 64 years) or one senior (65+ years).
Please revise your traveler age criteria and try your search again.

Please check the following for errors:
* Read more about our policies on booking for minors.

Here is the booking policy when you click on it:

Unaccompanied Minors
You must contact the airline directly to purchase a ticket for an unaccompanied minor. Most airlines allow unaccompanied minors to travel on their flights, but have special restrictions, so please check with the airline to confirm specific policies. Age restrictions vary by airline. In general, children under the age of 5 may never travel alone. Most airlines require unaccompanied minors services for children ages 5-14, and some require it through age 17. Additional fees apply (approximately $25-100 each way) and can be paid at check-in. For security reasons, most airlines do not allow unaccompanied minors to travel on the last connecting flight of the day. Some carriers require unaccompanied minors to travel on non-stop flights only. The specific flights required vary by airline, so check directly with them prior to making a reservation.

Sorry I am calling BS. Some people try to avoid the fee by lying and "accidentally" marking adult. They caught it at the gate.
The step-mom would have been there when they caught it if..... SHE LETS THE KID GO ON THE FIRST FLIGHT!

[kdmorris]

78. Which is exactly what I just did.

if you tell them that the person flying is an unaccompanied minor, it charges you the fee upfront and warns you every step of the way that you are booking an unaccompanied minor. (I did it on Continental's website)

[FarPoint]

114. There was no reason for her to be motivated

to save my money........:shrug: Indeed, it would be a shocking first.

[Statistical]

124. Well maybe just careless or lazy?

So to sum it up:
1) she bought an adult ticket for a child in violation of airline policies
2) she took the first flight and left a child in the airport by herself with the wrong ticket.

You are mad at Continental? Can I be your partner?
Sounds like I could get away with just about anything by blaming someone else. :)

[kdmorris]

134. I never suggested money was a motive

All I'm saying is that the story doesn't quite add up. You said that she was booked online as an unaccompanied minor. If that is true, then the fee what charged when you pay the ticket, your daughter had an escort the 4 hours she was in the terminal, and no one asked her for any money.

If it was not true (maybe she forgot, maybe she was in a hurry, who knows), then you would not have been charged the fee. But, that also means that there was no one who was accompanying your daughter for those 4 hours in the airport (what the fee is for), which I feel is gross negligence on the stepmother's part and kind of selfish, given that there were two adults on the first plane, one of which could have given up her seat, or stayed behind to accompany your daughter on the second flight. And, I believe that they gate attendant would have asked to speak with someone rather than taking up the issue of the fee with the child when she tried to board. I highly doubt that "She was cold as ice, offered no assistance with helping Brooke contact me; she only has $50 left on her gift card...left Brooke sitting in a chair crying until she was able to get ahold of me". I've been around these people a lot lately and I don't see that happening. I'm not saying you're lying, either. Just that, from personal experience, this doesn't seem to be a scenario that I think would play out.

As I said, I flew with 5 unaccompanied minors on my last flight. They had parents AND a gate attendant who sat in the gate area with them until the plane boarded. Then, the gate agent marched all 5 of them down the boarding gate. She had the tickets, not the children and she had control of the children. She walked each child to their seat and made sure they were seated and belted in. Then she turned them over to the Flight attendant, who made sure they were OK on board. I sat next to one 13 year old boy, who was terrified of flying and talked to him most of the way to Houston.

When we all left the plane, none of the children were allowed to get off until the next gate attendant came to get them. That's what the fee is for. If your daughter was put in online as an unaccompanied minor, then she would have had an adult with her at all times once she checked in for the flight.

Given that Continental just put two children in separate incidents on the wrong flight, they are being extra vigilant about unaccompanied minors. So, I don't believe she was put in as an unaccompanied minor.

So, that leads me to the stepmother's guilt in this. I assume she didn't put her in as unaccompanied minor and therefore left your daughter alone in the airport for 4 hours, when they could have made arrangements to have one of the adults with her at all times. That SEEMS to show a lack of caring on her part for your daughter.

I don't know you or this woman, at all. All I know is the "facts" that you are presenting and the facts don't add up. I never said that it's because someone was trying to save money nor did I speculate on any motive. Just stating that this doesn't add up to a full story and therefore, it would be irresponsible for any of us to "call continental" to tell them how mad we are at them.

[JustJeking]

178. Well said -

i think the focus should be on the step-mother's handling of the entire situation not the airline. If i was the OP, I'd be ripping the step mother a new one, not the airlines.

[LostinVA]

97. I just tried it -- you can't do it

[mcar]

138. Please see my reply 135

You most certainly can buy children's tickets online without the fee being added; perhaps it depends on the airline.

I bought my son's ticket online last summer, indicated that he was a child. Nowhere during the purchase process was I asked for the $75 fee, which is why I called to find out about it. I was told we didn't need to pay the fee due to my son's age (11). It wasn't until my BIL got him to the airport that they asked for the fee and then did absolutely nothing. No one escorted him off the plane; had my SO been late picking him up, our kid would have been there alone. We got nothing for the $75.

When I called and complained later, I got too bad, so sad.

[Statistical]

140. Which website? n/t

[mcar]

142. Spirit Airlines

n/t

[Statistical]

144. Ok you got me there.

Spirit airlines (never heard of them) sucks.

Slightly modified: no way to book with Continental online without being stopped (and notified to contact airline) or pay the $75 fee.

[mcar]

147. It was pretty surprising

That's why I called them after I purchased the ticket - I couldn't figure out why I wasn't assessed the fee. Then to be told I didn't need to pay one, only to have my BIL have to cough up the money at the airport - a bit irritating.

My point is not that I wouldn't have paid the fee; I wanted to to make sure my kid was cared for. It's that the airline gave me erroneous information.

[Statistical]

148. Of course.

The thing that I noticed about spirit's website they simply ask "# of passengers".

Where most airlines break it down:
# of adults
# of children 5-15
# of children 0-4

to ensure you pay the right fee and are advised of the procedures.

Of course you can always "get around it" by picking 1 adult but that will cause problems.

Just by first impressions I don't see spirit doing very well.

[mcar]

149. Yes and I picked one child

Spirit has an east coast and carribean niche. actually not a bad airline.

[riderinthestorm]

154. Spirit Airlines doesn't categorize their selections. You can't pick "one child" making a rez

cause that option doesn't exist.

I went to the website and found the info on unaccompanied minors. It is there and the fee is $100, not the $75 you said you paid.

I'm beginning to smell bullshit here. The following is copied directly from their site:

"Children at least 5 years of age up to 11 years old are accepted for unaccompanied travel on domestic Spirit Airlines flights which are nonstop or direct flights and which do not require a change of aircraft or flight number. Proof of age will be required.

No Unaccompanied Minors are accepted for international travel.

Children less than 5 years of age are not accepted for unaccompanied travel under any conditions. All travel by unaccompanied children must be on flights on which the child holds a confirmed reservation. When making reservations, please advise the Reservations Sales Agent that the booking is for an "Unaccompanied Minor".

The unaccompanied child must be brought to the airport by the parent or other responsible adult (18 years or older) who remains until 15 minutes after flight departure. Spirit Airlines must be provided the name and phone number of the parent or other responsible adult who will meet the child upon deplaning. Spirit Airlines asks that you have the Unaccompanied Minor check in at the Departure Gate at least 60 minutes prior to departure. An Unaccompanied Minor form must be completed before Spirit Airlines can accept the child for travel. The Unaccompanied Minor form will be inserted in the Unaccompanied Minor Lanyard. The lanyard must be worn by the child throughout the entire flight and is needed for Spirit Airlines employees to identify Unaccompanied Minors.

A one way service fee of $100 will be charged per unaccompanied child. For passengers 12 and older, Spirit Airlines will offer the same service for a per person service fee on an optional basis. Unaccompanied minor's domestic travel includes Puerto Rico and St. Thomas, U.S.V.I."

[mcar]

159. Oh brother

Looks like you and the poster below are working together.

Let me repeat: I bought the ticket one year ago online - I don't recall what the options were so I was incorrect to say I selected child. Fact is, I bought the ticket online, called the airline to find out about minors, was told my 11 YO was OK (according to what you've posted, that's true).

My BIL brought him to the airport and was told he had to pay $75 (it was one year ago, maybe they raised the price since then). He paid it, my son flew home. I paid my BIL back. End of story.

OK?

[MADem]

67. WTF is wrong with that stepmother?

I'm sorry, if I have custody of a child, and it is my duty to return said child safely to their parent, I don't hop on a plane and say, "See ya, kid--hope it works out! Errr...your gate is over that way!"

If I have to take a later plane, and ensure the child has boarded his or her plane, or even escort the kid home and endure a longer flight to my location, that's what I will do. You don't leave kids alone in an airport. Christ!

Why the hell didn't Stepmother make sure that everything was in order before she abandoned the child?

THAT's what bugs me!

I don't know what the flight attendant (more likely, a gate agent) could do--loan the kid money? On that shitty salary?

[rucky]

70. Too young to board the plane, but not too young to cough-up $75

some policy they got there

[kdmorris]

73. Ok, so I'm on Continental's website

First time I tried to book an unaccompanied minor, I get this: You must be a OnePass member to book an unaccompanied minor. Please sign in now or contact a Continental representative for assistance.

So, I sign in, try again and get this:
Unaccompanied Minors

Unaccompanied Minor Travel Policy
Must be at least five years old on the date of travel.

Please provide the age of the youngest unaccompanied minor who is traveling.

Age:

An additional service charge is collected to cover extra handling required when an unaccompanied child travels.
Domestic Fee:

Domestic fees apply to travel within/between the U.S. (all 50 states), Canada and Mexico.

* $75.00 one-way for nonstop flights
* $100.00 one-way for connecting flights

International Fee:

International fees apply to travel to/from the U.S. (all 50 states), Canada and/or Mexico to any other international destination (including the U.S. Territories or Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and Guam).

* $75.00 one-way for nonstop flights
* $100.00 one-way for connecting flights

I have been informed that I will be charged an additional service charge for unaccompanied minors.

A little box right beside the line above has to be checked to continue searching. So, I do that, and I continue searching. I then receive a list of flights, and a big message at the top of these flights:

! Note: The results you are viewing are based on the unaccompanied minor travel policy.

So, I choose the flights I want my assumed minor on and they show me the fees:
1 Child $1,117.00
Additional Taxes/Fees $37.90
Unaccompanied Minor Fee $200.00 (note: the $200 dollars is because both the outbound and inbound flights have connecting flights, making them $100 each)
Total Price $1,354.90

I haven't purchased these tickets, but this was done online on a theoretical ticket from West Palm Beach to Oklahoma City.

With everything else that is wrong in the world, why make shit up?

[FarPoint]

79. So, how did our ticket miss the added fee at booking?

She was booked in as a 13 year old, unaccompanied by an adult for the return flight. So, maybe it WAS paid! I need to research this ASAP.

[xultar]

88. She cheated and didn't indicate unaccompanied minor. Trying to save $$$

[FarPoint]

92. Not necessary........

She had my credit card.

[xultar]

103. Hey, go on their site and book a ticket... the moment you indicate minor it is charged.

[riderinthestorm]

109. Yup, in which case the gate attendant, after watching the kid sitting alone for 4 + hours

realizes as the girl tries to board that she isn't meeting a grown up to get on the plane, she's really going to try to get on the plane herself.

The boarding pass probably isn't marked "unaccompanied minor", I'd bet money it's a standard boarding pass issued to an adult ticket.

The shit hit the fan only when the girl presented herself to board and the gate attendant said, "no way." Seeing as she had what? 100+ other people to get on the flight at that moment, and the girl was most like freaked out already anyway at 4 hours alone at the airport, it was a situation tailor-made for a crying jag imho.

The OP is pretty clear the stepmother isn't all there - pretty shitty to have left the details of arranging the travel for his kid up to her when you are aware that she's not 100% up to speed.

[xultar]

110. YUP. Why give the step your credit card when you can do it correctly yourself.

[FarPoint]

120. I was at work.....

They wanted to book at that time....reported to me that flights were filling fast......deal done....

[leftynyc]

101. Same airline

that re-routed two minors earlier this week. They really need to clean up their act when it concerns minors flying.

[xultar]

105. But what were the situations? Same as this? How does this apply?

[leftynyc]

123. One kid was supposed to

get to AR and got sent to SC and another was supposed to go to Cleveland and went to Newark. It seem Continental has trouble dealing with getting minors from here to there.

[xultar]

130. The OP's situation is totally different. They actually got the OPs child on the plane.

The step-mom screwed up on this one.

But I agree Continental messed up with the other two kids. They are gonna get their asses handed to them by the parents lawyers and rightfully so.

[Statistical]

150. Which is one reason for a fee.

Mistakes will happen and people will sue.

Having a child on the flight with no parent and thus the responsibility of the airline is an added liability.

[xultar]

160. True DAT.

[xultar]

129. I just read the story. It is really bad because the $75 fee was paid.

And the agents totally screwed up. Flight attendants too. There are supposed to be 2 human verification checks of the boarding pass.

[mcar]

135. We went through the same thing last year

With Spirit Airlines. My 11 YO was flying home to us after a stay in NJ with cousins. I had called when I bought the ticket to find out about procedures, fees, etc for minors flying solo and was told that since he was over 10, there was no procedure, no fees, his uncle could go with him to the gate and he'd just get on the plane himself.

They get to the airport that day and my BIL had to fork over $75 and the airline did....nothing for my kid. Absolutely nothing. BIL took him to the gate, kid got on plane, kid got off plane, dad met him at gate.

When I called after they said ho hum, the rep must have got it wrong.

[riderinthestorm]

143. Apples and oranges. The OP's daughter's ticket was purchased online where it's impossible to book

the ticket without paying the fee.

I can't or won't speak to Spirit Airlines screw up over a telephone booking but your situation isn't anything like the OP.

Even more especially since your child had a BIL who cared enough to actually STAY with your child the entire time. Did you really want your BIL to turn your child over to a gate attendant after check-in, and leave? Not knowing if the plane took off on time, or was delayed or cancelled, or any other of the numerous problems that crop up when flying every single day? Is it possible your BIL told the check-in that he'd be accompanying your child to the gate and wait for boarding? If he said he was going to do that, the airline won't assign someone else to do it too - that's pretty ridiculous.

Your child had an uneventful flight. But if that flight had experienced mechanical problems and landed somewhere else, you can bet your bottom dollar that $75 won't even begin to cover what the airline will put out for your child to ensure their safety.

The fee is addressing the irresponsible parents, and trying to cover their costs for kids that aren't looked after, and/or to try to recover a fraction of the costs associated with a detour and the corresponding personnel who would be responsible for your child etc. etc. Frankly $75 probably isn't enough to cover the hassle for airline personnel necessitated by unaccompanied minors.

Clearly this is dump all over the airlines day. And there are a lot of reasons but this isn't one of them imho. And the OP has even less credibility on calling for a mass dumping on Continental. There are clearly major issues stemming from the stepmom that have been slowly emerging over the entire thread.

[mcar]

146. I purchased the ticket online

and then called the airline to find out about the fee. Not apples and oranges, the same situation, except that I made the followup phone call and was given erroneous information by the airline. I was able to purchase the ticket for a child online and was never asked for a fee. I took it upon myself to contact the airline after I purchased the ticket - obviously something the step-mother should have done.

The other aspect of the situation (leaving the child alone, etc) is not what I was responding about; it was the fact that one can, indeed, buy children's plane tickets online without being assessed the unaccompanied minor fee.

Certainly if the plane was delayed or had to land elsewhere I would expect and be very grateful to airline personnel if they had cared for my child. My point - and I'm saying it again - is that I was told by the airline that I didn't need to pay any fee. I specifically called - after I had purchased the ticket online - to find out what I needed to do to have my child cared for as an unaccompanied minor; it was his first solo flight. Naturally I wanted to have all the bases covered.

[riderinthestorm]

153. I call bullshit. I just went to the Spirit Airlines website and got this answer on their FAQ page

"Children at least 5 years of age up to 11 years old are accepted for unaccompanied travel on domestic Spirit Airlines flights which are nonstop or direct flights and which do not require a change of aircraft or flight number. Proof of age will be required.

No Unaccompanied Minors are accepted for international travel.

Children less than 5 years of age are not accepted for unaccompanied travel under any conditions. All travel by unaccompanied children must be on flights on which the child holds a confirmed reservation. When making reservations, please advise the Reservations Sales Agent that the booking is for an "Unaccompanied Minor".

The unaccompanied child must be brought to the airport by the parent or other responsible adult (18 years or older) who remains until 15 minutes after flight departure. Spirit Airlines must be provided the name and phone number of the parent or other responsible adult who will meet the child upon deplaning. Spirit Airlines asks that you have the Unaccompanied Minor check in at the Departure Gate at least 60 minutes prior to departure. An Unaccompanied Minor form must be completed before Spirit Airlines can accept the child for travel. The Unaccompanied Minor form will be inserted in the Unaccompanied Minor Lanyard. The lanyard must be worn by the child throughout the entire flight and is needed for Spirit Airlines employees to identify Unaccompanied Minors.

A one way service fee of $100 will be charged per unaccompanied child. For passengers 12 and older, Spirit Airlines will offer the same service for a per person service fee on an optional basis. Unaccompanied minor's domestic travel includes Puerto Rico and St. Thomas, U.S.V.I."

The info is on the website AND the fee is $100, not the $75 you just said your BIL paid.

[mcar]

155. Why are you being so difficult about this?

What you've printed says nothing about what I've been saying and I have no idea why you are so hostile or why you are calling me a liar. What one reason would I have to go on a message board and fabricate something? You obviously haven't read anything I've written; you're just knee jerk responding to what you perceive to be unwarranted hostility to airline employees.

Nothing on this website belies what I experienced. In fact, it verifies it and, in a way, absolves the agent I spoke with. My son is 11. I purchased my son's ticket online, then called Spirit to ask about having him listed as an unaccompanied minor and pay the fee. I was told that 11 year olds did not need to pay a fee or be listed as an unaccompanied minor. According to what you've printed here, the agent gave me correct information.

However, when my BIL got him to the airport, he was told he had to pay the fee. This was last year; perhaps the fee went up $25 since then.

Now, perhaps you can explain why you would "call bullshit" on anything I've said when you have no information that would prove me wrong. I am relaying an experience my family had in a truthful manner. You are being defensive, hurtful and downright mean for no reason at all.

[riderinthestorm]

164. The info was clearly available online and you didn't look for it there?

After booking your flight online, you didn't think to followup there? Color me skeptical.

You then want to fault the airline rep you spoke to (and we have no way of knowing if you really did call - we can only take your word for it) PLUS you want to fault the airline for NOT escorting your child who was clearly getting escorted by your BIL. The fee covers a lot more than a simple escort.

You misrepresented Spirit Airlines online booking protocol (you indicated you selected "one child" on the rez when that is impossible).

And finally you get the fee wrong.

Sorry but this doesn't pass my smell test. I'm thinking you posted because you think your situation is similar to the OP's but I disagree. Sorry if it sounds disagreeable - it is.

[mcar]

168. Maybe you need to get your sense of smell checked

Perhaps as a responsible parent, I thought it was better to actually contact the Airline and speak to a live person to verify their policy rather than just relying on the website.

I fault the airline for giving me the wrong information and for having no interaction with my son on his flight at all. I didn't, anywhere, fault them for not escorting him to the gate. However, I have seen on other flights that when a parent escorts an unaccompanied minor to the gate, a flight attendant takes it from there and makes sure the child is seated. That did not happen.

But as you say, you have no way of knowing if any of this really did happen or I'm just making it up because of my deep and abiding hatred of wings. Any wings. Bird wings, buffalo wings, airplane wings - I hate 'em, I hate 'em all. And I'll waste my time by lying about them every chance I get. :eyes:

[Statistical]

137. Anyone realize that nobody was watching the kid.

Usually when you have an unaccompanied child flying they have a special ticket and the gate workers are notified.
They watch the kid and that is what the $75 is for.

If this kid had an adult ticket which is the only way possible to bypass the fee nobody at the gate even knew she was flying by herself.
Nobody was looking out for her.
Nobody was making sure she didn't disappear.

All things considered a kid crying is a lot better than what could have happened when an irresponsible adult leaves a child in a public place with no supervision for 4 hours.

[JVS]

141. Why are you telling us their customer care number?

[Missy Vixen]

151. I had the same thought

Of course, we wouldn't want to rain all over a good rant, would we?

:rofl:

[JVS]

152. The phrase "Not your personal army" comes to mind

[Turk 182]

156. my question is

Why do you put up with a women who treats your daughter like that? Step mom is obviously selfish, irresponsible, and not to be trusted. If you don't dump her, you have only yourself to blame for how your daughter gets treated in the future. My second wife always treats my children with the utmost care and respect, and I treat her children the same way. To do otherwise would be unacceptable.

[Taitertots]

157. Sounds like poor parenting

Why is it everyone else's job to do what you should have done in the first place?

I'm sorry other people don't care about your problems. That IS the American way.

When I was that age, Amtrak dropped me off at a random train station when the train broke. Suffice to say I didn't curl up and start crying. This was before cell phones so I was totally alone, miles away from home, with less than $50. If you want to know about unhelpful try to deal with an Amtrak employee when an entire train full of people gets dropped on them.

What kind of pathetic 13 year old starts crying over something like that?

[Arugula Latte]

171. Jesus. Get off your high horse.

It's a frightening experience to feel stranded, alone and confused when you're barely a teen and the adults don't lift a finger to help.

[qanda]

172. I see compassion still reigns supreme on DU

The reason I haven't been around here for months on end is because of posters like you. Just pathetic!

[LostinVA]

198. Par for the course for this poster

[Taitertots]

240. You could just sit on a chair and cry until mommy shows up n/t

[WolverineDG]

180. A 13 year old whose been abandoned by her family nt

[trumad]

203. Douche

[kdmorris]

211. Damn, dude...

I don't think there is any reason to act like that about the girl.

Maybe getting dumped in the middle of nowhere by Amtrak has fucked you for life. Is that perhaps the reason that you act like such a jerk?

[Taitertots]

241. I guess I was just raised right

To where getting dropped in the middle of nowhere was not a big deal.

[14thColony]

224. I was going to ask if you could at least feel some shred of compassion

for the child, since none of this was her fault.

But then I read your last sentence.

[Liberation Angel]

158. Sounds like extortion to me/bad corporate policy

but it was the stepmother's fault

a mistake

but the idiot corporation should have recognized that and let her on the flight

and the attendant should have made that happen instead of being a jerk

[xultar]

163. the $75 bucks is for the care of the child. The agents take time out to

care for the child when they know there is a UM on a flight.

How do I know. My mom does that job and she and her peers really do care for the children. It takes time for the agents to do that.

[xultar]

165. BTW the OP says in the post that the girl got on the flight.

they are taking full responsibility for a child
giving pills,
the children board after the crew does the first safety check,
there are multiple handoffs of the child...

there is a lot involved with a UM.

[WolverineDG]

181. the attendant had other things to do, like board the rest of the plane

or are you okay with standing in the terminal while the gate agents deal with every hysterical teenager they come across? Thought not.

Note to parents: It is not the responsibility of the rest of the planet to raise your kids. You get the tax deduction for them, you're responsible for them.

dg

[Romulox]

162. Sounds like stepmom abandoned little girl at the airport without making provisions for her care.

I know that under similar facts I would feel that I (the guardian) would have primary responsibility for making sure that the young lady had everything she needed to get to her final destination. Imagine if this kid was abducted before boarding the plane. I wouldn't blame the airline--I'd blame StepMom and BioDad!!!!

I would never arrange such an itinerary, that would force me to leave such a young ward unattended at an airport in a strange city in the first place, however.

[Blasphemer]

167. Well... I'm with you

I find many of the responses here bizarre. Airlines and their staff are notorious for this sort of thing. It doesn't matter if the stepmother made an error, a normal human response would be to help the child contact a parent or relative so they could get their ridiculous $75 fee. God forbid they let the child board and settle the money issue later or even *gasp* make an exception their little money grabbing rule. I'm sure all that mattered was that they could get someone else into that seat while keeping the money already paid (naturally, any decently priced air fare is nonrefundable).

[LostinVA]

199. That's what was done

[zoff]

169. Time for high-speed rail.

Yes, high-speed, transcontinental rail. There's plenty of nice countryside to see.

[Stinky The Clown]

170. I don't know the full story, but geeze .... I would have sent the kid on the first flight .......

... and sat my own fat ass down at the airport to await the second flight.

[Maru Kitteh]

174. You failed your child. *you* Not the airlines, not even the step mom.

You didn't verify your child's travel arrangements. You are her parent. That is your job.

We all make mistakes and fail our kids at one time or another. The key is what you do with the experience. You should own up to your responsibility, admit your screw-up, apologize to your child for YOUR mistake without trying to deflect the blame on others

This will teach her responsibility and integrity. Right now you are teaching her to skirt responsibility and blame others.

[NeedleCast]

176. Fail

Why the hell would step-mother not get the child on board a plane FIRST before catching her flight? SHe is either an idiot, a jackass, or both.

Further, how is this in any way Continental's fault? They're not a baby sitting service and certainly not for FOUR HOURS. For four hours of babysitting, 75 bucks seems like a pretty small price. I see no evidence that the FA was cold, sociopahtic or careless. She was doing her job. I'm not going to call and berate a company for failure on your and the step-mother's part. As a former service industry employee there is nothing more aggrivating than having your children pawened off on us to take care of and then complaining about the way we take care of them.

[Broken_Hero]

177. I'm sorry to hear that...

In my experience it happens a tad bit different. One of my brothers is a special needs child who is over the age of 20, and because of his mental state the Airline always states that when he travels, he needs an attendant. My brother(as well as one other) have flown from AK to MO a few times, and my mother has had to pay thru the nose to have the Airline provide an attendant but in all 12 cases the attendant was a no show.

My other brother who usually traveled with my mental brother was quite younger, and it was up to him to get to the appropriate gates, and lucky he had the calm nerve to do so without incident.

When my mother found out that no attendant was provided she fought tooth and nail to get a refund, and the Airline told my mother to go pound sand.

[StrongBad]

179. I don't understand. Why did she need to pay $75???

On edit: Nevermind! I just read the responses and someone asked the questions. That fee is crazy!

[WolverineDG]

182. What? It's the airline's job to provide free baby sitters for irresponsible parents?

:crazy:

dg

[StrongBad]

183. No, it isn't actually.

[WolverineDG]

192. So why the confusion over the $75 fee? nt

[Horse with no Name]

184. My mom wanted my granddaughter to fly out to her this summer

I refuse to put her on a plane for reasons such as this.
I'll drive the 22 hours and drop her off before I will leave a 6-year old in the hands of people like this.
I'm sorry for your daughter's predicament.

[tammywammy]

185. Except, I can say that I traveled as a child alone

And the people were great. And you have another poster on this thread saying this is what their mother does for a living.

You would get to escort your child to the gate, and then she would be handed off to her grandparents that are also at the gate.

[Horse with no Name]

189. Well I am seeing some problems with the facts as laid out by the op

but I do know they lost a couple of kids last week and I am aware that airlines have kicked screaming kids off.
Now, I do not think that the other passengers should have to live with a screaming child for endless hours--and I have no way to know how she will act on a long flight...if she will get scared, cry, be upset, etc., and I don't want to wonder what they would do if she did this.
I personally do not ENJOY flying. I don't respect the policies that the airlines have adopted in the past few years--especially since 911. Lots of my friends flew when they were kids and enjoyed it immensely. A couple even got to sit in the cockpit...and I remember the wings that they used to give. I don't think that experience exists nowadays.
When I take all of this into account, MY personal choice is to not put her on the plane.

[tammywammy]

201. I understand

I was just hoping you didn't base it off one OP.

My mom did it to avoid a 7.5 hr drive to my grandparents. :)

[Joanne98]

186. Corporations are evil.

[ShortnFiery]

190. Well yes, but the SMART corporations have people who are specifically trained to be compassionate.

The problem with LARGE Corporations is that they feel invincible and, therefore, cut the TALENT in the "customer service" department in order to maximize the profits.

When capitalism is healthy - it's competitive and the customer benefits. Everyone gets a share when there's COMPETITION.

[WolverineDG]

196. Who says the gate agent wasn't compassionate? SHE WAS BUSY

What was she supposed to do? Waste 20 minutes getting an hysterical 13 year old a pony, a lollipop, & a balloon or board the other passengers first, THEN deal with the situation caused by the 13 year old's uncaring parents?

dg

[Madrone]

220. What was she supposed to do?

Oh FFS. What she was SUPPOSED to do was something along the lines of saying "I'm sorry sweetheart but I can't let you on the plane without having paid the fee. Don't worry, we will get this worked out but right NOW I have to get the other passengers situated. Have a seat over there and when I'm no longer busy we will get you squared away. You're not going to be stranded all alone, I promise. We will work it out."

Is THAT so fucking hard? Jesus H.

Yeah, FAR more appropriate to take out your anger at "uncaring parents" on an innocent kid. :eyes:

[WolverineDG]

227. Dollars to donuts that's what she said, but the kid over-reacted

teenagers can be drama queens.

dg

[Madrone]

229. No argument there -

But I am going on the information presented. ;)

[proud2BlibKansan]

191. Sounds like your beef should be with the stepmom and not the airline

Seriously. She sounds like a heartless bitch.

[donco6]

195. Why on earth wouldn't you stay with the kid?

That's bizarre.

[WolverineDG]

197. or send her on the plane with the other adult & fly alone yourself? nt

[donco6]

200. Yes. It makes no sense the way they did it.

It was just mean.

[proud2BlibKansan]

223. And then blame the airline?!

Hello?

[madaboutharry]

204. This story is not making sense to me on several levels.

I have read the posts that indicate once an "unaccompanied minor" is booked that the fee is added on at the time of purchase.

Also, I think the bottom line is that Brooke's step-mother is a first class ass and a moron as well.

Conclusion: You should never allow her to have any responsibility for this girl in the future.

[MiniMe]

205. I'll add a word in for the airlines here

When I was 8 (yes, a long time ago) I was flying unaccompanied from NY to Wash, DC. It was a short flight, and I had flown before, and I was totally unconcerned. I got my wings on the flight, that made me happy. My Grandmother had put me on the flight in NY. When we got to DC, my mother wasn't there. After a while, I did start to get scared, but the people at the airline took care of me. I didn 't cry until my mother finally showed up.

How this happened for me: My Grandmother had bought the ticket to DC (we had just moved there from NJ), and didn't realize that there were 3 airports in DC. Grandma called my mother to tell her I was on the plane, when my mother asked what airport, my Grandmother didn't know. Add to that, either the airlines or the airports (I don't remember which) were on strike, and my mother could't find out any info from the airports. This was way before the days of internet, and before cell phones. My mother had called all of the airports, and there was 1 who wouldn't take care of me for some reason. So Mom went to that airport, and left word at the others. Of course that wasn't the right airport. When Mom realized that I wasn't there, she called and found out where I was.

I still tease my mother about it on occasion, but it is all tease. She did what she had to.

[tammywammy]

209. I'll always remember my first alone flight

My mom was picking up my ticket and the guy asked me "where are you going?" to which I replied "my grandma's and grandpa's...then my mom says "Beaumont/Pt Arthur." Then the "did you pack your own bags" and I go "no." LOL!

Since this was the late 80s of course almost my whole family was all at the gate when I arrived. It was nice walking into the little airport with the flight attendant and seeing 20+ family members. :)

[fujiyama]

207. I'm still confused by a few details

Fees are almost always assessed automatically when purchasing tickets online. Airlines don't want to miss out on any possible extra fees they can charge and something like a charge for a minor sounds automatic as soon as the age is indicated. One other poster indicates otherwise, but his experience was a year ago.

Your wife possibly indicated that your daughter was old enough, while she actually was not when prompted for passenger age info online. I would double check any email confirmation you would have received upon purchase of the ticket.

What disturbs me more is that your wife would leave your daughter unaccompanied in an airport for several hours and you wrote yourself that your daughter isn't as loved by your wife's family as her kids are. Very strange. I'd reassess your relationship and have a frank discussion over this. Once you end up married with children from a previous marriage, I'd assume you treat and raise your spouse's children as your own. But that's just me.

[Odin2005]

212. My question is why is a 13yo being left alone in a huge airport?

Her stepmother is a neglectful idiot.

[LisaL]

214. I really don't understand why stepmother bought a ticket

if there was only one ticket left, when she knew she would be with the 13 years old. Why not buy two tickets on the next flight? Because, surprise, surprise, other people might not care so much about the child, and anything can happen.
Why does someone go on vacation with a 13 years old and then flies back leaving that 13 years old in the airport to wait another four hours?

[WolverineDG]

228. the 13 year old wasn't going at that time BUT

when it was clear there was no space available (she claims), she booked the teen on the later flight, not herself AND the teen. She also didn't check to see if the kid could get on the flight as a stand by OR if she could stand by for the later flight. And yet the OP & many DUers are outraged at Continental for being "unfeeling." They are in the business of flying people from one place to another, not baby-sitting the kids of irresponsible parents.

dg

[Haole Girl]

217. Don't you mean to say "an oversight by the step mother" made your daughter cry?

:shrug:

[Celebration]

221. story on the news yesterday re:Continental

They sent two kids to the WRONG DESTINATIONS. People went to meet the right plane, and NO KID. Why not? They were somewhere different. Oh, just mixed the gates up and all that. Took a while to sort it all out. Once the news media got involved Continental said there would be additional training. There were some really pissed off, ready to sue parents.

[dgibby]

225. I'm sorry your daughter was treated like this.

And I'm sorry to see that some of the posters here have chosen to display the same lack of empathy/compassion to you that the FA showed your child. Looks like a lot of piling on to me.

Anyway, welcome to DU. Hope things go better for you and your daughter. I grew up in a blended family, too, and although my parents were both my biological parents, my mother was my half-siblings' stepmother. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Like walking on eggs. Good luck.:hi:

[Joe the Revelator]

232. waaaaaaa my teenage daughter cried!!!

Tell her I said welcome to the real world, which is governed by rules. Suck it up.