Anonymous wrote:
In flight:
Your child receives our Kids Solo service. Our staff provides continuous supervision and ensures his or her comfort and safety.
On intercontinental flights, your child enjoys games, films, cartoons, radio programs for children, and receives fun gifts to play with.
We provide a meal adapted to your child's tastes and needs on all flights over 2.5 hours. Starting at age 9, your child receives a regular meal, but can still choose the children's menu if desired. In this case, please remember to request the children's menu when booking the ticket, or at least 24 hours prior to the flight's departure.

Please educate your child, particularly if your child is an adolescent, that changing seats is not permitted during the flight. Please remind him or her to remain seated upon arrival, until accompanied by an Air France guardian.

Please note: if your child is traveling on the same flight as you but in a different cabin, he or she must remain under his or her Air France guardian's supervision until arrival.

Connections:
With the Kids Solo service, our staff provides continuous supervision to your child during connecting flights. This also applies if you are making the same trip but in a different cabin.
For connecting flights of more than 2 hours*, your child is welcomed in the Air France connecting area reserved for children traveling alone at Paris-Orly and Paris-Charles de Gaulle airports.

These lounges are specially equipped to offer activities for everyone: rest, reading, cartoons, board games and foosball (table soccer). Lounges also offer Sony PlayStation 3 and/or PlayStation Vita video game consoles.

In case of flight connections and cancellations: Your child receives priority care and attention from Air France staff in the event of a flight delay or cancellation. An Air France staff member remains present with your child at all times, even if lodging is necessary.
We immediately inform the individuals listed on the UM handling form of any measures taken for your child at any point in the trip.

. Oh, please, don't fool yourself that the airline is going to babysit your kid. Flight attendants are usually very busy on a flight and I don't see them sitting there holding child's hand. Even Air France.

Well, my DD has been traveling with us a lot, since she was 3 month old. She's 6 now. She knows all the process. But there would be no way in hell I'd send a child on a 14 hour flight. Like pp said, will she be OK physically? Yes. Emotionally she'll not be OK.

No

OP, I also grew up in a country that expects more independence from children than the current generation of Americans will get. My own kids flew domestically UM at 5, and I was shocked at how some of my acquaintances reacted to that. Only you and your son really know.

I also would NOT put him on a US Flag carrier. Air France, Lufthansa, Emirates, all handle this better. I don't know your destination, so can't really offer much guidance there.

Having a grandparent meet in the connecting city is a good idea if financially feasible, I think. Five is pretty young, but just-turned-five is also different than about-to-turn six.


Good Luck with your decision, and I hope you both enjoy your summer.


PS. To the PP that questioned even sending a 5 yr old to the grandparents for the summer....WTF? Really?

OP, don't try to get approval from others. If you feel your child is ready, just do it. I also grew up in a culture/time where younger kids were more independent and had more freedom to do things on their own. It's kind of sad to see how American parents are overprotective and fearful. Children are much more capable than people think they are, if you raise them that way.

Anonymous wrote:No way.

My five year old can get scared of a lot of things on the way. Accidents can happen. And no one to comfort her for 10 hours on an international flight. No way.

I'm not even going to think about connections. What if there is a bad turbulence? Or she gets sick?

I'm not sure she would know how to operate the toilet door on a plane. Or open all the packaging of a food tray.

OP here: Here is what would happen in some of the situations you mentioned.

In flight:
Your child receives our Kids Solo service. Our staff provides continuous supervision and ensures his or her comfort and safety.
On intercontinental flights, your child enjoys games, films, cartoons, radio programs for children, and receives fun gifts to play with.
We provide a meal adapted to your child's tastes and needs on all flights over 2.5 hours. Starting at age 9, your child receives a regular meal, but can still choose the children's menu if desired. In this case, please remember to request the children's menu when booking the ticket, or at least 24 hours prior to the flight's departure.

Please educate your child, particularly if your child is an adolescent, that changing seats is not permitted during the flight. Please remind him or her to remain seated upon arrival, until accompanied by an Air France guardian.

Please note: if your child is traveling on the same flight as you but in a different cabin, he or she must remain under his or her Air France guardian's supervision until arrival.

Connections:
With the Kids Solo service, our staff provides continuous supervision to your child during connecting flights. This also applies if you are making the same trip but in a different cabin.
For connecting flights of more than 2 hours*, your child is welcomed in the Air France connecting area reserved for children traveling alone at Paris-Orly and Paris-Charles de Gaulle airports.

These lounges are specially equipped to offer activities for everyone: rest, reading, cartoons, board games and foosball (table soccer). Lounges also offer Sony PlayStation 3 and/or PlayStation Vita video game consoles.

In case of flight connections and cancellations: Your child receives priority care and attention from Air France staff in the event of a flight delay or cancellation. An Air France staff member remains present with your child at all times, even if lodging is necessary.
We immediately inform the individuals listed on the UM handling form of any measures taken for your child at any point in the trip.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP does not seem like much of a worrier. She's pretty sure her kid will do OK. It's her decision to make, not ours. I am not from her culture. I'm a helicopter American parent. I would never let my five year old go unaccompanied anywhere, much less on an international flight with a layover. But if she's not worried, well, then it's her call. I don't think it makes her a bad parent, just a different type of parent who doesn't worry about all the "what if"'s as I do. The chances of a problem are small, and she's willing to take that risk with her child. If the airlines say it's OK, well, then it's possible. I could not stand the anxiety worrying about my kid for all that time, but if OP's OK with that, well, good for her. Worrying shortens your life, as we all know. OP if your kid is scared, that's the point where I'd think seriously about whether or not this is in his or her best interest. Otherwise, well, as you say, happy travels!

OP here: Thank you for this post. We may not agree, but at least you see where I am coming from. I am not much of a worrier and really do believe that if my child could not handle it, it would not even be a consideration. I am NOT a helicopter parent and feel a 16 hour flight would not damage my son for life. I am weighing my comfort level with the potential risks and won't make a decision until I am 100% comfortable he and I can live with them.

I grew up in a culture where children are young as 5 are very independent and take public transportation. I feel sorry for many Americans, and I think it's tragic that they are raising a generation of wusses.

Is it really surprising that this generation of wusses grow up to be these people: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/victim-in-metro-slaying-stabbed-repeatedly-during-robbery-on-train/2015/07/07/8dd09132-249b-11e5-b72c-2b7d516e1e0e_story.html

Tragic

No way.

Anonymous wrote:OP does not seem like much of a worrier. She's pretty sure her kid will do OK. It's her decision to make, not ours. I am not from her culture. I'm a helicopter American parent. I would never let my five year old go unaccompanied anywhere, much less on an international flight with a layover. But if she's not worried, well, then it's her call. I don't think it makes her a bad parent, just a different type of parent who doesn't worry about all the "what if"'s as I do. The chances of a problem are small, and she's willing to take that risk with her child. If the airlines say it's OK, well, then it's possible. I could not stand the anxiety worrying about my kid for all that time, but if OP's OK with that, well, good for her. Worrying shortens your life, as we all know. OP if your kid is scared, that's the point where I'd think seriously about whether or not this is in his or her best interest. Otherwise, well, as you say, happy travels!

OP here: Thank you for this post. We may not agree, but at least you see where I am coming from. I am not much of a worrier and really do believe that if my child could not handle it, it would not even be a consideration. I am NOT a helicopter parent and feel a 16 hour flight would not damage my son for life. I am weighing my comfort level with the potential risks and won't make a decision until I am 100% comfortable he and I can live with them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People. No airline will let a 5 year old UM connect. Just stop.

wrong:

Delta https://pro.delta.com/content/deltapro/en_US/products-and-services/special-services/unaccompanied-minor--umnr--service.html

Air France: http://www.airfrance.us/US/en/common/guidevoyageur/assistance/enfant_seul_um.htm

OP here: Airlines do and have. It's allowed.

Anonymous wrote:OP is a troll. She can pay for all these amazing international trips with her 5 yo, but can't afford to fly back and forth with him to get him somewhere safely? I call BS.

OP here: Not a troll.

Anonymous wrote:People. No airline will let a 5 year old UM connect. Just stop.

wrong:

Delta https://pro.delta.com/content/deltapro/en_US/products-and-services/special-services/unaccompanied-minor--umnr--service.html

Air France: http://www.airfrance.us/US/en/common/guidevoyageur/assistance/enfant_seul_um.htm

People. No airline will let a 5 year old UM connect. Just stop.

OP is a troll. She can pay for all these amazing international trips with her 5 yo, but can't afford to fly back and forth with him to get him somewhere safely? I call BS.

No way.

My five year old can get scared of a lot of things on the way. Accidents can happen. And no one to comfort her for 10 hours on an international flight. No way.

I'm not even going to think about connections. What if there is a bad turbulence? Or she gets sick?

I'm not sure she would know how to operate the toilet door on a plane. Or open all the packaging of a food tray.