I can't. I can't do it. My kids will likely be well into their teens before I'd even consider it.

I remember flying home alone from visiting relatives in California when I was about 12. Then again this is back in the day where my aunt came to the gate to wait with me and watched me board the plane. These days, I am not sure when I would feel comfortable letting my kids fly alone.

I travelled alone for the first time when I was 8, and it was wonderful. I was a very quiet, mature kid, and the first several trips were just short 2 hour trips to see my grandparents. I think it depends on the comfort and maturity of the kids. And of course we must teach our kids how to handle a variety of situations, including recognizing questionable activities AND the fact that not all adults are predators ans most of them can be trusted to help if it is needed. The world today is no more dangerous than it was then and we are doing our kids a disservice when we treat them as though they are incapable of life without our constant intervention.

Kids can be accompanied by an adult guardian when boarding, and met at the gate when deplaning. Both adults need to check in and receive a special clearance pass at the ticket counter. I know at least Southwest does this. I can't imagine that other airlines are any different. I agree with @6EVERETTS on this. With careful pre-planning on the parents' part, and the emotional readiness of the child, there is no reason to keep them from traveling.

I was 16 first time without my parents. And my 15 and 14 aged brothers were with me. BUT then again, that was back when "airport security" was tossing your carry on on the xray belt and on your way. And anyone could walk to gates (those were the days)

I think NOWADAYS, anyone who sends a kid younger than their teens is crazy. Most adults can hardly make their way through airports, security, flight changes, etc so to put that on a kid is too much. It's no where near what it used to be to go to the airport when most of us were kids.

Our 7 year old is taking her first flight this week. You don't just drop them off at the airport curb.......you pay for unaccompanied minor service, and escort them to and from the gate. She'll be on her own for about an hour on the flight. Just like many parenting issues, it depends on your kid and the situation. For us, it is not that big of a deal.

I first flew alone at age 6 with assistance (especially during transfer) from the flight crew. If I could stay in the boarding area until my child's plane departed (took flight, not taxied) and the person meeting them could be inside security at the receiving gate, I might consider it for a younger elementary schooler on a direct connection.

I think it's about how the child itself is prepared for travelling alone and it's about where and how it is travelling. Our son travelled alone for his first time when he was eight years old. We sat him in the train on his booked place, he didn't have to change and at the end of the travel someone picked him up just from the train. He had a cell phone to hold contact with us and so it was nooo problem! We called him several times on his first trip and he sounded really annoyed that we "control" him ;-)

My brother and I traveled (together) from Hong Kong to Chicago when we were 6 and 5, respectively. I am pretty sure we had adult company (airline employees) between immigration where our parents left us at the one end and baggage claim at the other, where our grandparents met us. (I don't think they had direct flights back then, so there was probably a flight attendant-escorted connection/ immigration/ customs scenario that I just don't remember.) I'd be very surprised if airlines didn't actually insist on it (adult escorts) nowadays.
Things that helped: We had traveled a lot prior to that so we were "old hands" with the airport routine. Flight crew were extremely solicitous. Our parents dressed us in very loud, matching shirts and we had cards hung around our necks that said "I'm traveling solo!" with contact information. Maybe that's an invitation to be kidnapped nowadays, but honestly, how many kidnappers are hanging out at the airport? Although it was a long time ago, I don't remember feeling particularly concerned or even adventurous about any of it. Our parents made a big deal of it, but for us it was just one more trip to grandma's. Know your kid. Have traveled with them first. Give them a cell phone.

Probably depends on the kid. There are ADULTS I wish were not left alone at the airport.

I traveled alone for the first time --flying from NYC to Miami FL at age 8. I was turned over to the flight attendents, given all kinds of gifts, got to meet the pilot (he gave me a plastic Wings pin and a deck of cards) I was given swizzle sticks and a knock off barbie style doll (they must have kept a stash of toys back then) . I was very happy and not at all nervous.
The trip back was on a bus with an aunt -- that was fun too-- we'd jump off at every rest stop and buy candy bars. (my weeks in FL were fun too)

18

I flew alone from a family trip in Idaho to my summer camp in California when I was 7 or 8. I remember it being thrilling, but then again I was a very well-behaved child and didn't want to upset my parents by doing anything wrong, even though they weren't with me. I think it depends completely on the nature of the child and the preparation given by the parents, as well as the "difficulty" of the travel (layovers, customs, baggage claim, etc.).

I was 8 and sister was 6. With a stopover in 6hr stopover in Amsterdam. The stewardesses were really nice and I played video games with an Italian boy for 4 hours straight in a waiting lounge. Great experience. Highly recommend it. As long as you plan ahead, its really no big deal.

I cannot imagine letting my children travel alone until they are at least 16. It's not that I don't trust them. I don't trust everyone else!

You have to let kids thrive have adventures in life and not grow to be timid and afraid of everything. With good planning a child can travel and gain a lot of confidence. Kids aren't stupid, they understand there are some crazy adults out there. It's not like you're letting them wander dark streets, checking into hotels alone !! My cousin monitored her children closely and both kids are still single and at home ( both are over 30 and miserable )

I traveled alone as an unaccompanied minor on international travel (13 hours!) when I was 8. The biggest problem was that I got bored. Handheld video game devices weren't really popular yet. The next year, I traveled with another girl my age and that was a lot of fun. :)

The first time I got to travel in a foreign country all by myself, I was 17, and it was Russia. That was definitely a memorable experience and would repeat again.

But I think I have a more adventurous mother than most.

I flew alone at 11 to visit a friend. I frankly don't even remember the flying -- I was much too excited about seeing the pyramid-shaped building in Memphis.

Thanks to FOODLOVAH for the info on how it works these days. I was wondering about how post-9/11 security has changed things.

My parents put me on the plane for the first time at age 5 and like others have said, the child is never actually alone. The parents put the child on the plane and the flight attendants pay attention to the child while they are on the flight and it my case, my grandparents met me at the gate. It really is no big deal at all.

I walked/road my bike to school alone from the age of 8, I think people worry too much these days. I had a teenage cousin less than half my age visiting from out of the country with his mom (my aunt) a couple months ago. Man that kid had to be told when to use the bathroom at the age of 14. I think some people baby their children way too much, let them grow up and learn to fend for themselves, they'll be much better for it later in life.

When I was 4 or 5, my mother got a book about air travel to prepare me for a Transatlantic flight. In the book, a brother and sister took a plane by themselves, with lots of help from flight attendants and airport staff. All that attention sounded great-- I was so disappointed when I found out my whole family would be on the plane with me!

I took my first solo plane ride at 16, and probably could have handled it anytime after elementary school. I'd certainly consider letting a child younger than 12 fly alone as long as they could have airline staff supervision the whole way.

My son flew on his own to visit his dad in California last year. He was 8. It was a direct flight from Baltimore to San Francisco. He made it there in one piece. This year he had a single layover on each flight. Delta Airlines took great care of him. United, not so much. United forgot to feed him. It all depends on the parent. I trust my son enough, but you have to be able to trust the airlines and the flight attendants that will be handling your child.

I flew alone all the time as a kid. The airlines assign someone to make sure kids get on and off the plane, and that they are picked up by the designated parent/relative, who has to show picture ID. It's a more controlled situation, frankly, than putting them on a schoolbus.

I know children who have travelled as unaccompanied minors since they were 5 or so, and it has always gone well. Sometimes, you really have very little choice when parents live in different countries or parts of the world, and you just have to get on with it whether you want to do it or not.

I'm trying to avoid it, because I just can't get past the Air France plane that went down on a flight from Brazil to Paris a couple of years back. There was a boy aboard, 10 or 12 years old, who was an unaccompanied minor, returning to boarding school in England. As a mother, the thought of this boy guts me (and my heart goes out to his parents). I know, I know, but...

@tasterspoon Maybe that's an invitation to be kidnapped nowadays, but honestly, how many kidnappers are hanging out at the airport?

Ahh, somebody's never seen Taken.

I watched Beasts of the Southern Wild this weekend, so I'm sure my view is biased when I say that 4 seems about the right age to let kids start traveling by themselves, with zero planning or contact with guardians of any type.

My mother must be like yours, @ETHIDDA. I flew from New Orleans to Western Australia as an unaccompanied minor when i was 9 or 10. I basically grew up travelling and it was a very familiar flight. Delta had this room where they kept all the kids flying alone during layovers and I tried to sneak out because it sucked in there — a lot of big stuffed animals and gross snotty kids. I remember being very mad that my parents didn't trust me enough to just put me on the plane, and in retrospect they agreed they should have gone that route. I wasn't bored during the flights and took off the "unaccompanied minor" button because I wanted to be left alone, but I'm more of a solo flier anyway.
But, like some other commenters say, it's about how the child feels. You might scar them for life if you shove them on a plane and they hate flying. It's just a shame that you don't get to go in the cockpit anymore.

I traveled alone fairly often from about 7 on. I was finally able to ditch the airport guardian when I was about 11 and explained to my parents I had to stop the guy from taking me to the wrong gate when i changed planes.

If you do everything independently for the first time when you turn 18, it's going to be a pretty stressful year.

I was on a flight recently that had an unaccompanied minor and the plane had to return to the origin airport. The airline staff were on top of it. They must have called the family that put the boy on the plane when we were turning around in the air. They watched the child at the gate, and someone came for him not many minutes later.

If commenters have any recent experience with this, I'd love to know more. How old were your kids, how easy was it to work with airlines? Was the experience good?

Another former unaccompanied-minor flier here. I traveled "alone" from Montana to Virginia almost every summer from the time I was 7 to 14 or so. My parents went through security with me, and we checked in at the departure gate. Once on the plane, the flight attendants kept track of me and made sure I was doing well. During layovers, I was escorted off the plane and to a designated unaccompanied minors waiting area, where I got to mingle with other kids until it was time to board the next flight. My grandma would meet me at the arrival gate at my destination. As security tightened, the number of family allowed to accompany me to or meet me at the gate decreased, but at least one person was designated the legal guardian and given a "pass" to go through security. I was never left alone. I remember it being a lot of fun, and never scary - plus I got to ride on the beep-beep carts that are usually reserved for the elderly or disabled!

I traveled on AIr France I remember for the first time at 6 yrs old. 8 hour trip from Miami to Paris and I had a blast. Just make sure the unaccompanied minor stewardess they assign your child speaks english, because mine told me in French to wait after everyone had left the plane. Naturally I hadn't understood and when it landed I got up, grabbed my things and walked off the plane with everyone else. Took them all but 10 mins to realize I was gone and searched the whole airport for me, I was fine just following everyone to immigration, didn't understand what all the fuss was about hahahaha.

I flew alone for the first time when I was 11. It was only an hour long flight and I was going to a summer camp. Unfortunately there was some kind of mix up and the person that was supposed to pick me up from the camp wasn't there when I landed. I had to wait about 3 hours for this person to come get me. The flight attendant stuck with me the whole time and even took me back to the flight crew lounge until the summer camp person came to pick me up. I distinctly remember that they even asked me if I wanted anything from McDonald's.
That being said, I don't think I would have been comfortable flying by myself at a younger age than probably 10 but I also did not have much flight experience. I think it comes down to the maturity level of the child and their previous flight experience.

I think in nearly all cases, it's far more frightening for the parents than the child.

I traveled alone at age 15, in a tour desinged for 15-16 year old....24 teenagers and 5 adults "in charge" in an europe tour for a month It was pretty fun and i really learned a lot about caring for myself, my things and my money. Part of the preparations were a legal document , made in a notary , that i indeed had permission from my parents to travel alone. Funny enough, not once (in going trough 12 borders) was i asked for said permit or my passport (only switzerland's border was my group asked for documents, upon seeing the bag with the 30-odd passport we were given the "go" without further questions)... but i had to show them upon returning

Please don't assume that a protective parent is also a smothering one. Mother birds don't shove their babies out of the nest right after they're hatched!

When I was 10, my mother put me on a train for a 500 mile trip, in charge of my 8 year old brother. In a country where I knew about 50 words of the language and couldn't read any of it. I was terrified that my younger brother would deliberately run off (he had before when the family was traveling) and I would have no way to ask for help. A week later, my dad put us on a plane to back home, which was less stressful, because I didn't have to worry about dear brother getting off at various stops.

There were no adult caretakers on either trip. But dear brother and I were pretty obviously not natives of the country, and especially on the plane trip, other passengers practiced their English on us and probably would have been willing to help out in an emergency.

I survived, but I really wish my parents had waited another couple of years before doing that. Had we been in an English-speaking country, I probably would not have been quite so scared at times. Like in the destination train station, when I couldn't read any of the signs, so I had no idea where to go to find my dad or exit the station.

My first trip was when I was 5, but that was way back in the 80's. Now my son is 12 and I cant see myself putting him on a plane by his self. When I went the flight attendance watched over me, and made sure I ate. Now I'm not too sure.

@SWETIEE28 don't worry they still do that, I was sitting next to an unaccompanied minor on my last trip, and I think the poor kid pretended to be asleep half the flight just so they would stop asking him how he was doing every half-hour.

depends. my daughter flew alone from San Francisco to LA and back when she was 5, and chatted up (and no doubt charmed) her seat mates. i would not have foisted her on the flying public when she was 15.

My sister and I always travelled alone to my grandparents by train, our parents put us in the train, my grandfather waited at the station, no problems. (I guess I was maybe five and my sister maybe ten when we first went alone and I was maybe 7 or 8 when I went the first time on my own. Not letting them travel at all alone till 18? Not even from A to B? Crazy. I think I was almost 16 when I first travelled alone with a friend in our home country Switzerland. My sister was 16 when she first travelled with some friends to a neighbouring Italy (they didn't speak Italian, but had visited Italy plenty times before with their parents). Around 15 we also started going alone per train to other cities in Switzerland. Independence doesn't suddenly come in a gift-box on your 18th birthday, it is important to give your child the opportunities to slowly become more independent.

When a child is old enough to go to the bathroom herself. Most airline have services in which a minor is escorted from the gate to the plane. It is actually a very popular program in Japan, with divorced parents and grandparents living in another province. One parent hand off the child in Tokyo, and another parent pick her up at Hokkaido. The flight attendants will help out in between.

I started flying myself when I was 10. No one suspect anything because I was already 5' tall. (unfortunately, I stopped at 5'3") I also go to school, go buy lunch and shop by myself since I was in 4th grade. Kids were more free ranged back in the 80s.

I was an unaccompanied minor at age 12 during my first flight ever, from Amsterdam to London. A flight attendant drove me to the right gate in one of those carts, great fun. I would have found the right gate by myself actually, I remember the signage was very easy to follow. After the flight I had to wait for all the passengers to exit the plane, so I was allowed into the cockpit and had a chat with the pilot. I think it's safe enough, with familymembers on both ends of the flight, what can possibly go wrong?

That 11 yr old from Manchester is a bad example. He snuck onto the plane with a family, that is how he got away with it. Alone? Not so much.

Our 9 year old son has just returned from camp; he flew alone both ways (about an hour and a half each way) and my husband was able to take him physically onto the plane our end, and he was met at the destination by a named camp counselor. He also had some cash, emergency numbers and strict instructions to find an adult in uniform if he had any problems. He breezed through the whole thing, we were more worried about it than he was.

@Everett 305

Seriously?

I flew alone to Mexico and back for the first time when I was about 11. But by then I had flown to Mexico and back a good 8 times. I wasn't event met at the gate by anyone, since they wouldn't allow my family past customs. But I was escorted by an airline employee the entire way. In fact I remember very clearly I was not the only child flying alone that day. There were like 7 of us, who had never met before, it just so happened that this flight had lots of kids on it.

Anyway, I think it depends a lot on the kid, but certainly for one that has experience flying, I'd say 10 or older seems perfectly reasonable.

Depends on the kid. But since the airlines haven an unaccompanied minors service, they're going to be safe no matter what. All you need to determine is the child's level of separation anxiety. I sent my daughter to France when she was 14. But she was on a plane with two UMPs who were much younger, they looked about 5 and 3, who were going to visit their grandparents in Marseilles. The parents had no problems packing them onto the plane. The attendants take your kid's tickets and passports and walk them through the airport and customs, delivering them only to the people you specify on the receiving end.
From what I've seen, it is high maintenance American parents that have the most trouble with letting their kids out of their sight for even a minute. The media does this to us. But it's an overreaction.
The kid was 14 when she first flew by herself but I would have been comfortable doing it much sooner than that. I'd say that when a kid is around 7 or 8, most of them are mature enough to consider is a great adventure and sign of responsibility. Don't hold them back.

I work for an airline, and deal with many unaccompanied minors (and their parents). Some airlines do not allow travel with connections, only non-stop flights. Other airlines do allow connections but not the last flight of the night, for example. Mine not only *allows* but *requires* the person bringing the child to the airport to stay at the gate until the flight is in the air, and happily issues a gate pass to the person picking him/her up at the other end. In between the child is escorted by an airline employee and paperwork is signed off on by each employee involved.

My pet peeve is the parents who bring their over-15 children (no longer required to be counted or paid for as an unaccompanied minor) to the ticket counter for a journey with multiple connections and then do all the talking for them, interfere with my conversation directed to their child, demand a gate pass to go to the gate, and attempt to insist on special treatment without paying the fee, or limiting travel to a non-stop flight. If you don't think your child can handle air travel on their own, don't let them!

Been doing it since I was 6 to visit my dad and grandparents. It's never been a problem. As a kid it was awesome- the air stewardesses would give me the milk and sugar to hand out on the plane, and I'd get lots of attention. I'd just take lots of books in my backpack and never got bored. I still travel more than most people I know, and still love it...

My kids started traveling alone by tube (we live in London) from age 10/11. By train and plane from about the age of 14. Trust them and give them responsibility. They quickly become streetwise.

I believe that until they are 15 y/o, kids now must pay $200 extra to travel alone - that's a kind of baby sitter fee.

This is based on the fact that my 14 y/o nephew coming tomorrow from the other side of the country, and that's what happened with his ticket.

My kids flew alone at about 12 - but that was in the days when parents could take them to the gate and meet them at the gate.

We started sending our kids to see family (within the US) at age 8. Never a problem, and a huge confidence booster for the kids. One is now an adult and loves to travel...she is currently in South Africa for six months as a student and was wandering Europe mostly on her own for a summer at 17. The other is almost 16, more of a homebody, but insists he gets to fly/train SOMEwhere on his own at least once a year.

The airport is just about the hardest place I can think of to kidnap a kid...and air travel is way safer than driving. So basically, they're safer flying cross country than going to/from school on a typical day, right?

it depends on the child. I could see my son being able to travel before our daughter.

I flew alone when I was quite young - 7, 8, 9... That was close to 20 years ago and airlines were much different. When I flew without a parent or guardian, one of the flight attendants would walk with you to the plane and would walk from the plane and stay with you until you were with your family or whoever.

I got flack from school staff and other parents when I started letting my kids ride their bikes to school by themselves at age 8, even though I was confident I had prepared them to handle almost any situation they were likely to encounter on their 2 mile ride in the suburbs. They dealt with flat tires, shoe laces stuck in chains, etc. by themselves and took great pride in being independent. They first travelled internationally without adults at ages 9 and 11, respectively, in a post-9/11 world, and without "unaccompanied minor" service. They handled security, finding the correct gate, in-flight self entertainment, collecting luggage upon arrival, cistoms and immigration, and looking after their documents for the duration of trip multiple times without incident. They are now both confident and resourceful young adults who travel regularly. That said, every kid is different and every parent is different. You do what's right for you and your family -- just don't send them off to college without those skills!

I know no one is ever going to scroll down far enough to read this post, but, NOT UNTIL YOUR CHILD IS AN ADULT. Here's why. There was an incident probably a decade ago. Plane had to land for some reason and everyone was put into a hotel. One young boy (elementary age, I believe- not young enough to be alone, would be very SCARED to be alone) was placed in a room with a late-teen boy who ended up RAPING him. You CANNOT expect anyone within the flight staff to be your child's babysitter. YOU are responsible for whatever happens to your child because of the decision you have made.

Define "travel"... Most people here refer to flying, but you can also travel by train, bus, ferry-boat...
I used to get on public transportation (bus) when I was 8 without anybody supervising if I was boarding the correct bus or not, or waiting for me at home. I was walking to school on my own from the time I was 6.

Took my first train and ferry-boat trips alone by the time I was 13, going from the provincial French town where I grew up to Paris or elsewhere (mostly Summer music festivals), and the ferry-boat was to the UK. I did quite a lot of that traveling without my parents knowing the first thing about it... Nothing untoward ever happened to me, but I was relatively street-wise.

I don't have any children but if I did I'd love for them to be independent and start doing thing from a relatively young age. I see too many sophisticated young people in their early 20s who have no idea how to do things on their own, and I find it worrisome. Life's hard enough already, so if you're unprepared to be on your own it can be downright scary,

Not my kids. We travel internationally regularly with our kids. And occasionally we get That Flight. You KNOW the one I mean, the one where you are delayed on the tarmac for four hours, there is major turbulence, the lady next to you took five valium pills too many, your luggage is lost...it happens. I will not be asking my kids to cope with the possibility of That Flight alone while they are remotely small, I frankly find it to be trying myself. Maybe at 16? Whatever age feels like what I currently imagine 18 to be. I was 16.

That said, every year I see a HERD of little French kids being sheperded through Marseille airport to meet waiting grandmothers. They all look about 6 to me and untraumatized but boy do they seem small.

My best friend's mom sent her alone as a kid. But the mom is bipolar schizo so maybe the plane flight was a walk in the park compared to a day at home!

when they can afford it!

@everett 305
Haha. You sound like one of those gotta-control-the-show types.

To everyone else: I personally hope I can get my kid flying on his own ASAP. I would love for him to be able to spend a month with my parents and not require me to fly with him. Far more affordable and time saving. I don't have to use up vacation time and he gets to learn some independence. O how I hope he'll be mature ish and willing.

I'm w/Dannyva: AT 18.

my boys(8 &10) love to fly on their own! they've been doing it for a few years now, and they always get special treatment from the crew. And like others have said, you don't just drop them off at the curb and wish them luck. You can either escort them to the gate yourself, or arrange for an employee to do it. i think it's great for kids to learn to be comfortable around adults.

I flew the first time by myself at 5, on a nonstop flight from Jacksonville to Atlanta, about an hour. As many have mentioned, there is unaccompanied minor service, and parents ARE allowed to see their child all the way to the gate, so I would let my son fly at about the same age by himself if the situation arose. My early experiences flying solo helped make me a capable independent traveler, so when I had to fly by myself to Paris at 17 I was more than able to handle myself, navigating two different airports and even tracking down a lost suitcase in (very bad) french. I think allowing your children to accomplish things like this on their own breeds confidence and independence.

@ Larsie --

If we follow that logic, it's also imperative to never ever let your children go to church, because sometimes priests and youth pastors molest children; or play sports, because Jerry Sandusky; or hey - have relatives, because that is the biggest risk you can take as far as abuse goes... Don't be ridiculous.

And as for air travel, I've flown alone every year since I was 6 or 7. It was actually easier when I was younger -- at 14 or so, when I was returning from summer camp and not an unaccompanied minor any more, I suddenly had to navigate everything myself. I managed, but it was a bit of a shock. The worst problem I ever had was running out of candy.

I've never flown alone, and I'm 24. Ha! I took my first solo road trip at 18 though. And hated it. I do not like traveling alone.

I posted a comment yesterday on this, and decided to revisit the comments. I'm frankly surprised by some of the comments suggesting that kids teenage or younger, are not capable of sitting on a plane to travel "on own". How much fear is driving this? Then again, Americans in general are notorious for being the "least traveled" among developed world.

I'm clearly in the minority, but the thought of putting my precious 10 month old boy on a plane by himself in less than 5 years makes me want to vomit.

First solo flight was at 19, solo road trip at 21. This was really just lack of opportunity, though- my immediate family is local and my parents were driving vacation people. There was no reason to put me on a plane or train to anywhere by myself. I love traveling alone, honestly. I don't have to answer to anyone!

Um, you don't. If they're young enough to be called children, then I don't think you should. The child may be "mature," "know where to go," "know not to talk to strangers," etc, but that's not the biggest issue. How easy would it be for a stranger to snatch a kid off the subway or threaten a child in order to get them alone in an airport bathroom? Or is the stewardess supposed to babysit your kid and notice if they're not in their seat? Or other adults are supposed to put up with your "mature" child kicking the back of their seata ecause no one is there to stop them? Or the bus driver is supposed to know if your kid has a peanut allergy? I get that kids should have responsibilities and adventures, but it seems naive and irresponsible to send kids off expecting the adults around them to be non-perverts... or just expecting them to do their parents' job by reminding them not to run, etc...I work part-time in retail, and I get so sick of people letting their kids RUN around unsupervised or leaving them in my department, like I'm supposed to be a free babysitter on top of doing my actual job...

I know I'm in the minority, but I just see how much supervision kids need... and I have seen some creepy people out there...

I travelled on an international flight when I was young (9ish) in the 90's as an unaccompanied minor there and return. I did fine.

Then when I was 14 or 15 I travelled internationally via planes, busses, train and by foot with luggage in a non English speaking country. I spent the night in a German hotel too and got myself to the camp the next morning. Got myself home 3 weeks later. I did fine then too. Yes I am an American. I am well travelled and was not heavily sheltered by helicopter parents.

Where I live, it is forbidden for minors (under 18 yrs.) to travel abroad without a parent or assigned guardian (who has written consent signed by both parents). I witnessed a boy who was 16, and wanted to see a concert in a neighboring state. He was accompanied by his aunt, but without proper papers they were not allowed to cross the border. I believe it is also forbidden for youngsters to travel alone domestically, but I don't know that for sure. Public transport (city bus) is allowed for solo traveling school age children (seven and up).
Personally, I would let my kids to travel alone as minors only in organized groups (school trips etc.). After they turn 18 they can travel wherever they want.

I would say 6 & up. Children are capable of a lot more than most people seem to give them credit for (see: this article), and with the proper preparations, a child flying is probably a lot safer than a child riding their bike around the neighborhood. Raise your kids stop being babies when they stop being babies, and you're halfway there.

I may be facing this choice soon, and I have decided that I don't think I could send my child off alone on plane until they were 13. At least. It would depend on her maturity level. Even with an escort, I just couldn't do it. I would be sick about it the entire time. Nope. I"ll be travelling with her for the next decade AT LEAST.

My then 15 and 7 year old travellled to the Caribbean unaccompanied 6 years ago. The flight included a stop over in Puerto Rico and boarding another plane. The flight from Baltimore was late so they missed their connection from Puerto Rico. They were able to board a different airline to Dominica without incident. Of course they had a credit card just in case they had missed the connecting flights and had to overnight. They also had a cell phone. Children need to develop a sense of responsibility. I know of a 21 old son of an acquaintance who could not take a public bus to go a few miles. We need to prepare our children for the real world. They need to be street smart.

Do not assume your children will be looked after simply because you have arranged unaccompanied minor status for them. My brother and I traveled regularly on our own as kids. I remember once in particular, I must have been 10 and my brother 5. We took a flight from New York to San Francisco with a layover in Los Angeles. We were listed as unaccompanied minors. When we landed in LA the flight staff completely abandoned us....we were given no instructions. Nothing! Thank God there was a nice couple going to San Francisco and kept an eye out for us until we boarded our next flight. In this day and age I personally would not allow my children to fly unaccompanied until they are at least 13 years of age.

It really depends on the kid. I started travelling regularly by myself at 14 with no issues and probably would have been fine even younger. My sister took her first solo flight at 14 also when my mother had a paperwork issue at the airport. She cried all the way, but managed to get to the florida, hop a connecting flight to Paradise Island, take a taxi to the hotel, check into a hotel and find our friends all by herself.

My friend's kid is currently on his 8th or 9th trip out of the country with his parents at age 5. I'm fairly certain by 7 or 8 he'll be ready to get an flight to visit relatives in Europe on his own.

I'd allow my 15 year old and older. I don't think parents realize many children need a great amount of reassurance when kids are unaccompanied on a plane because they are not there to witness it. Our kids don't necessarily want to readily admit to being scared or nervous and the Attendant will always report that all went fine. Besides, I don't want to risk some strange but seemingly nice person sitting next to my child, I don't want to put my child in a position to have to depend on the kindness of strangers and there are other ways my children can exercise their autonomy.

My parents divorced when I was young. My brother and I flew alone at age 6 and 5 from California to Wisconsin. We did this three times a year until we moved out at 18. I was older so I was left in charge and at age 12 we starting switching flights so our parents could save money on airfare. I have two children of my own who are 12 and 13 and I have not allowed them to travel alone yet. It is a different time and climate in our country now. Unfortunately with the added security it creates a sense of fear.

We made our first flight alone at 12 and 11, which included a plane chance in St. Louis on the way to San Diego. Our mom worked for the airline and never bought the unaccompanied minor service for us. I think it just depends on the child, honestly. My 5 year-old brother would have been more useful in an airport than my ex-husband. And, having worked for an airline myself, I know all kinds of horror stories about the unaccompanied minor service going wrong.

I'm really surprised that the concerns seem to focus on potential kidnappers, when to me the real concern is having to deal with the problems associated with air travel, like flight cancellation or delays. These are not an issue when it is a direct flight, but can be with a transfer.

I first flew alone at age 12--not because I wasn't allowed to before then, but because the issue hadn't arisen. I felt at the time that I was too old to be enrolled in the unaccompanied minors program (which must have been optional at that time), but my dad insisted because I would have to change planes in Philadelphia in the summer, and the risk of the flight being delayed or cancelled due to thunderstorms was reasonably high. As it turned out, the flight went fine, but I now think he's right--at that age I was walking to and from school in the city without an adult, so I was perfectly capable of walking through an airport, but if the flight had been cancelled I would have panicked.

Three years later I flew to and from England by myself with no issues whatsoever.

I'm only 13 and I want to go to Grand Rapids, Michigan with my 8 year old brother to o meet my mom (I'm with my dad). And I was wondering if its possible. Pleae answer my question somebody!! :-)

I am 14 and I want to travel alone to Switzerland to meet some family! I am very muture. Heck when we travel all to gether (me and my family) I'm the one that usually finds TGE gates for our next flight and know where our seats are. But do you think?

First of all I notice most of the comments have the phrase "when I was", yes back WHEN is right! We do not live back when! The comment made about how we need to worry more about the flight difficulties than people or kidnappers....what??? Do you watch the news??? Please, no offense, it's just this is not a time where we need to be throwing our kids around to complete strangers, that's what they are, strangers! They are our responsibility and to put your trust in a complete stranger that is "taking care" of your child thousands of miles in the air, then them being busy stuerdist on top of all possible Kaos is a little thoughtless. I know I may seem like one of those paranoid parents but my mother always said, "better safe than sorry"! I have stuck with that my whole life! From experience though, I was 12 when my mother flew me from ATL to LAX and this was back in 1992, (over 20 yrs ago) and I have to tell ya I did fine on the flight, nervous at times, but when I got back off in ATL, the stuerdist abandoned me! My mother was late, stuck in traffic and I was scared out of my mind, I was just about to cry with hundreds of people passing by, then I caught glimpse of my mom, she was running full force to greet me! She saw that I was alone, and was very angry! Fortunatly nobody bothered me or led me to believe that they were picking me up cause my mom and dad weren't able to make it. Yes, we have to think about these things very sad but true! Dateline did an investagation yrs back and had a 8 yr old little girl fly round trip and she had a video camera on the whole time, they found she was left alone on the plane about 15 min, and at the airport standing, waiting on the stuerdist to finish helping the others unboard for 20 min.....INSANE! So, yes we can't worry ourselves to death as parents but I'm just saying it's our duty to have good judgement and wiegh out the pro's and cons. Way too many con's in this situation, in my oppinion.