Would you let you 5 year old fly unaccompanied overseas?

[Anonymous]

OP, your friends who do this are nuts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It really depends on how outgoing your kid is. My oldest could never do that- he would be too afraid and too shy to say something if he needed help. He would be a nervous wreck. My younger son who is five I really could picture flying alone and having a great time. He is really outgoing, will be the first to speak up or ask a question, and figures out things. When we send both boys to the snack bar alone during a baseball game, the youngest likes to hold the money and order the food. Our oldest said last time someone tried to cut in front of them and the little one spoke up and said to get behind them. He is a cute, friendly kid who people notice and help out.

If you have to do it OP, I would find a family who is flying on the same flight in the waiting area and ask them to keep an eye on him just in case too. If a single mom asked me to do that on an overseas flight, I would totally keep my eye on the kid and check on him during the flight.

The sheer idiocy that some of you display is amazing to me. So you would walk up to some random family in the waiting area of a major airport and say. "Here 'a my five year old ! You don't know me and I don't know you but would you watch her for the next 15 hours?"

Hopefully - for your kids sake - the airlines are smarter than you and op and would not even allow this

The airline stewardess would be watching the kid. If someone came up to me while I was waiting for a plane with my family and explained that their kid was flying solo and the airline attendant was watching them, but if I wouldn't mind keeping an extra eye on him, I totally would. I would get up every couple of hours and walk over to where the kid was sitting and ask if they were OK. That doesn't take a lot of time or energy. On my last flight there was a mom flying alone with her infant seated next to our family. I told her if she ever needed to go to the bathroom, I would hold her baby for her. Three hours into the flight she did have me hold her infant. In other countries people help out more I think.

[Anonymous]

5 seems a little young for most kids. Unless he's very mature and independent I'd wait until 7 or 8. Ideally have someone meet him in the connecting city.

[Anonymous]

I did this at 7 and it was fine. My mom took me shopping to pick out some special toys and books to put into a bag I'd keep on flight, and I remember being really excited to have them because she put the bag away and wouldn't let me try out the new toys/read the books until the flight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It really depends on how outgoing your kid is. My oldest could never do that- he would be too afraid and too shy to say something if he needed help. He would be a nervous wreck. My younger son who is five I really could picture flying alone and having a great time. He is really outgoing, will be the first to speak up or ask a question, and figures out things. When we send both boys to the snack bar alone during a baseball game, the youngest likes to hold the money and order the food. Our oldest said last time someone tried to cut in front of them and the little one spoke up and said to get behind them. He is a cute, friendly kid who people notice and help out.

If you have to do it OP, I would find a family who is flying on the same flight in the waiting area and ask them to keep an eye on him just in case too. If a single mom asked me to do that on an overseas flight, I would totally keep my eye on the kid and check on him during the flight.

The sheer idiocy that some of you display is amazing to me. So you would walk up to some random family in the waiting area of a major airport and say. "Here 'a my five year old ! You don't know me and I don't know you but would you watch her for the next 15 hours?"

Hopefully - for your kids sake - the airlines are smarter than you and op and would not even allow this

The airline stewardess would be watching the kid. If someone came up to me while I was waiting for a plane with my family and explained that their kid was flying solo and the airline attendant was watching them, but if I wouldn't mind keeping an extra eye on him, I totally would. I would get up every couple of hours and walk over to where the kid was sitting and ask if they were OK. That doesn't take a lot of time or energy. On my last flight there was a mom flying alone with her infant seated next to our family. I told her if she ever needed to go to the bathroom, I would hold her baby for her. Three hours into the flight she did have me hold her infant. In other countries people help out more I think.

First of all, they are called flight attendants, not "airline stewardess."

And no, her job is not to watch the kid. She has a planeload of 250 - 300 people, maybe more, to serve and keep safe. She is not your nanny or babysitter.

[Anonymous]

Ehh I would be really, really hesitant. Maybe this is cultural. Could you schedule him on a flight with people you know and trust? I would have trouble thinking a five year old could respond to unexpected situations. (I am a former pre-K teacher.) Travel is difficult for adults!

[Anonymous]

So you fly overseas multiple times a year but are too cheap to buy a ticket to accompany your child next year? Okie dokie.

[Anonymous]

OP my kids travel a lot - with us and on their own (although they are older than yours). Can I just caution you to check very carefully the terms of the agreement whereby the flight attendant watches your kid. In our experience, this is not/not a dedicated resource for your kid. It's a normal flight attendant who every now and then asks your kid how they are doing and opens their juice. But they also have other stuff to do. Fine if you are 9 or 10 and used to traveling. Not so much if you are 5. I wouldn't even consider this with my pretty hardy and well travelled kids at that age.

[Anonymous]

No airline would allow this.

[Anonymous]

All I can say is bitch you must be crazy. And that's the nicest thing I can say to you right now.

I just deleted a post I wrote in at the height of my outrage in which I questioned your judgement and parenting skills.

[Anonymous]

No way I would do this.

[Anonymous]

eff no.

[Anonymous]

Judgemental jackals! Why do you have to attack this poor woman and insult her as a parent for asking a question? What right do you have to be this mean and nasty? I feel sorry for your kids who have to deal with your black and white thinking and general bitchiness.

[Anonymous]

I am too much of a worrier to ever do this. However, I think it is okay except for the layover. What if there is a delay? What if a flight is cancelled? What if a flight gets diverted? Way too many variables.

[Anonymous]

I sat next to an unaccompanied small child on an overseas flight once. I don't know how old he was because he didn't really talk, but he was little. I cut up his food for him and sort of entertained him during the flight (it was before I had kids) but he basically just sat there kind of quiet and mute - he was OK I guess. The flight attendant took him to the bathroom a couple times. It seemed crazy to me, but he didn't seem scared.