Prepare minors to fly alone

Etkar Surette Jungwirth was 10 the first time he flew alone from New York to Austria. But he knew what to expect. He’d made the trip before, first with his mother, then with an older sister.

So when he landed in Vienna, and an airline attendant tried to put him on another plane, he refused.

“Somehow they thought I was supposed to be getting back on a plane to New York,” said Etkar, now 12. “I said, ‘No, I’m on vacation here. I just came from New York.’ “

Eventually the error was sorted out and Etkar was turned over to his grandparents, who were meeting him there and had paged him when he didn’t appear at the gate with the other passengers.

It’s a good example of the type of situation children must be prepared for if they fly alone as unaccompanied minors.

“Be ready for the unexpected,” advises Dr. Marlene Coleman, a Los Angeles-area pediatrician and author of “Safe and Sound: Healthy Travel with Children” (Globe Pequot Press, $16.95).

“Practice various scenarios and talk to them about it,” Coleman says.

For example, when is it OK to leave your seat to use the bathroom? What is turbulence, and where is the motion-sickness bag if you’re feeling ill? What should you do if the adult sitting next to you is drunk or overly friendly?

“Kids need to know that it’s OK to find the flight attendant and ask for a seat change,” Coleman says.

It’s ideal if children can fly the route with an adult before going alone, so they’ll know what to do – as Etkar did – in case of a problem, she adds.

Coleman also has devised a four-part test for parents to determine whether a child is “travel-worthy” – ready to travel alone.

The child must be able to follow instructions quickly, without argument; control impulse behavior; cope with minor inconveniences; and be trained to not wander away.

“Even some teenagers may not be travel-worthy,” says Coleman, who has collected horror stories ranging from kids stranded on Sept. 11 to a child who left the waiting area to use the bathroom without telling the airline.

The U.S. Department of Transportation does not keep statistics on how many unaccompanied minors fly each year, but estimates range in the millions. American Airlines flies 200,000 unaccompanied minors annually; Northwest flies 150,000.

Some airlines give unaccompanied minors small tokens of their flight. Kids flying United get a folder about the trip and collectible cards; some United pilots even lend out their phone cards so children can call home from in-flight phones, according to United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski.

Age policies vary, but most airlines let children ages 5 to 8 take direct flights alone. Older children can take connecting flights.

Most airlines provide supervision through age 11. Some provide it through age 14. You can request supervision, for a fee, for older children.

Unaccompanied minors are not allowed itineraries that include the last connecting flight of the day. If that flight were canceled, they’d be stranded in the layover city, far from home and far from their destination, with no one to take custody.

Booking children on the second-to-the-last connecting flight is allowed, but risky. If the child’s first flight is delayed, and he or she misses that connecting flight, the airline will not fly the child to the layover city unless there is more than one connecting flight left on the schedule.

So choose flights that leave early in the day. That way, if a flight is canceled or delayed, you’ll have time to make alternate arrangements.

Web sites like Travelocity.com and Orbitz.com will not accept reservations for unaccompanied minors. Some airlines, like AirTran, let you book unaccompanied minors through the airline Web site; you must then call the airline with contact information. But many airlines require you to buy tickets for unaccompanied children by phone or in person.

When shopping for airfares, compare fees for unaccompanied minors. Most airlines charge anywhere from $25 for a nonstop domestic flight to $90 each way for overseas itineraries with connecting flights. Usually the fee is paid when you drop the child off. Allow extra time for checking in and filling out forms.

If you can’t find an airline’s fees and rules for unaccompanied minors on its Web site, just Google the airline’s name and the words “unaccompanied minor.”

When making contingency plans, ask yourself, what would happen if the plane were delayed, grounded or diverted? How would you, or the person picking the child up, get word? If you don’t have a cell phone, consider borrowing one for the day, or even investing in an inexpensive prepaid phone, so that everyone is reachable until the journey is over.

Finally, prepare a travel bag for the child that’s both practical and fun. Include an easy-to-read itinerary and contact information for adults at each end of the trip.

Etkar’s mother, Barbara, also sends a water bottle, Dramamine for motion sickness, chewing gum for popping ears, snacks, and a small amount of cash – including the currency of the destination country – so her son can buy food if the plane is delayed.

Etkar, who’s going to Austria again this summer, says he likes to take a book or two and his iPod. Some kids will want their GameBoy or Playstation Portable; others will enjoy books with mazes or connect-the-dot pictures.

But here’s the most important thing, Etkar says: “Make sure the kid knows exactly where they’re going and what they’re doing, in case the airline people get confused.”