ronaldduck

Thu, Dec 30, 2010 : 8:36 a.m.

This story illustrates my biggest complaint with AnnArbor.com. You have a story about a family in Ann Arbor and it's nothing more than a link to a story that was done by a Detroit news organization. Why didn't AA.com drive a couple of miles to the families house and do their own story? How pathetic that nobody even thought to do that! We got more indepth info from posters here than from the so called reporter. I see alot of lazyness in reporting. Stories with only the most basic info. Being the only daily news in Ann Arbor we are stuck with this but, until more effort is put into this experiment the rest of the country will only see this as a curiousity.

average joe

Thu, Dec 30, 2010 : 7:15 a.m.

@-EA- Thank you for giving us the more detailed info on this story than anyone associated with being a reporter/journalist. This type of info is what REAL reporters should be reporting, & not just A2.com. I watched the story on two local TV news stations, & they didn't report this either.

EA

Wed, Dec 29, 2010 : 7:33 p.m.

@everyone who knows nothing about the situation and tried to put the blame on the parents and employee for not following the rules: Julien was checked in at the Delta ticketing counter as an Unaccompanied Minor. Her mother filled out all of the paperwork any other parent would have. The paperwork states the childs age, flight information, description of clothing, and the name, address, and phone number of the person Delta is allowed to release the child to once at the destination. Her Mother was then allowed to go through security wihtout a boarding pass in oder to see Julien on the plane. UM parents are not allowed to leave the gate area after the child has boarded. Parents may only leave after the plane has taken off. This is to ensure that if for some reason the flight did not leave as scheduled or had to return to the gate and deplane, the parent would still be at the gate for the child. So on stand-by, this would also ensure that if the child was bumped off the flight last minute, the parent would still be there. Julien was not flying on a buddy pass, she was a Registered Travel Companion, which means she was on the standy list under the employees priority code which is higher than a reduced rate buddy pass. Also, the flight was wide open and she had a Business Elite seat assignment hours before the flight left. Simply put, it was no ONE persons fault. No employees in Detroit knew about the under 15 on int'l restriction or else she wouldn't have been permitted to leave the country in the first place. The regional employee, the UM ticketing agent(s), the red coat, the gate agent-- NO ONE KNEW ABOUT IT HERE. They let her fly there, no problem. They should've let her come home on the original flight. Then, they could've dealt with whatever needed to be done to inform employees about the rule and made sure it never happened again.

A2lover

Wed, Dec 29, 2010 : 12:25 p.m.

I think the TV reporter got it wrong in say a ticket to LOndon would cost "Thousands of dollars", I'm sure you can get a round trip for much less than that if you work the internet travel sites. And now, Delta are passing the buck to some other airline, when their agents should have spotted the mistake well before the teen left the country, it's Delta's rule. Also as an act of holiday goodwill and in the spirit of the season you'd think Delta would have flown the teen, free of charge, back home. There are plenty of flight attendants on a transatlantic plane to ensure the kid safety.

Macabre Sunset

Wed, Dec 29, 2010 : 10:40 a.m.

Some kids can handle the responsibility better than most adults. Some can't. Parenting means understanding which is true of your child. I don't think we know enough about this particular girl to judge her parents on this issue. However, Delta let her go there, so holding her hostage is completely unacceptable.

average joe

Wed, Dec 29, 2010 : 7:28 a.m.

Misleading headline- The only error the airline commited was allowing the girl on the flight to London. They were actually following their policy after that. The headline should have read- "Trying to save a buck,Parents cry to the media to get their child home" It's funny how the parents believe that because they got away with allowing their daughter on the flight out of Detroit alone, the airline is now required to bring her home. They chose, (& took the risk) to break the rules & policies of employee discounts.

A2rez

Wed, Dec 29, 2010 : 7:22 a.m.

My daughter flew from Denver to Manchester (through NJ and London) when she was 13 to visit her aunt. We paid the unaccompanied minor fee ($150 each way). She was just fine. The airline attempted to lose her a few times - once in the airport and once when trying to board her on the wrong plane. But she had her itinerary in her hand and half a brain and got there despite the efforts of the airline. These extra fees are just that - fees - they offer no real service in taking care of the kids. I wouldn't let a child fly who couldn't manage the trip on their own; but when they can manage without help, the airline fees are just another way to gouge customers.

luv2read

Wed, Dec 29, 2010 : 7:21 a.m.

@Clark--it isn't helicopter parenting to see that there are too many things that can go wrong sending a 13 year old alone on a flight. How many non-stops have you been on that end up being grounded for some reason--mechanical, weather--that result in you being stuck somewhere you were never supposed to be in the first place? I can think of several in the last few years alone that I've ended up stranded somewhere. Then you throw in the international flight, the busy holiday season, and that she was flying on a less-than-reliable ticket/may or may not have been registered as an unaccompanied minor and you have a colossal jumble of bad judgment on the parents' part. Sure, Delta has screwed up royally as well and should just get the girl home, but ultimately it is the parents who put her on that plane in Detroit. About 3 years ago my husband was travelling by himself and his plane had to make an emergency landing enroute to Atlanta. Everyone got off and a flight attendant brought a girl about 8-9 years old out and told her to sit in the seat next to my husband (a man by himself) since it was open. Then she proceeded to leave her there. The girl saw this as a chance to go explore and wandered into the stores and eventually came back with several purchases and snacks. My husband was floored by the whole thing and told a gate attendant, but they were so distracted by trying to figure out what to do with a whole plane full of people that no one did anything about that girl being unsupervised and wandering around the entire time they were waiting for a new plane to be brought in. We vowed that we'd never send our daughter alone on flights until she was 18. She has flown 4-6 times a year her whole life so the experience of flying would not be new to her. There's just too much that can't be anticipated in air travel to make it safe for a child alone.

AlphaAlpha

Tue, Dec 28, 2010 : 11:13 p.m.

"extremely dark" lol Not so dark that the flight crews can't get around just fine thanks...

5c0++ H4d13y

Tue, Dec 28, 2010 : 9:43 p.m.

Dear Delta. Stop being a complete tool and get the teenager on a plane back to her parents. The longer you delay the longer you look even more like the complete tool you are.

Maryann

Tue, Dec 28, 2010 : 9:14 p.m.

@Clark, I agree completely that from the time she enters that airplane until the time that she walks down the jetway at her destination she is under the airline's control and that there are plenty of people around to help in case of a problem. My problems is with the parents. Call me old, fashioned, but I don't think that a 13 year old young lady should be traveling unsupervised or without some type of escort prior to boarding and after leaving the actual flight. Had the parents followed the procedures for an unaccompanied minor (and paid the $100 fee), my feelings would be different. I personally believe (as Mr Arnold said) that they were trying to "game the system" by not paying the $100, and are now screaming wolf to the media...

a2citizen

Tue, Dec 28, 2010 : 8:52 p.m.

Clark: Have you ever flown overseas? I have flown overseas on 100+ flights. I have actually flown Detroit-London about 12-15 times. Nobody in their right mind weaves their way through international travel rules to save money so their child can visit a friend. About three hours into the flight the lights are turned out and it is extremely dark until about 45 minutes before landing. I'd like statistics on the nationality of the other passengers on the flight. Statistics such as: 1. How many passengers come from a country where it is legal to force your 13 year old daughter into marriage. 2. How many passengers came from a country where a female traveling alone would be considered "wanting it" 3. How many passengers came from a country where "no" doesn't really mean "no". Do you see where this is leading? If I knew a2.com would not edit it out I'd tell you a few stories about what consenting adults do.

a2citizen

Tue, Dec 28, 2010 : 3:48 p.m.

Common Thought: The web page you provided also says there is a $100 Fee for an Unaccompanied Minor. Did the travelers family pay the $100? The page provided also states: An Unaccompanied Minor reservation can only be booked by contacting Delta Air Lines Reservations to ensure that the travel is documented appropriately and to offer the opportunity to ask questions or seek clarification on policies surrounding your childs travel. Because the details are rather cryptic it leads me to believe that the family did not follow proper procedures.

CountyKate

Tue, Dec 28, 2010 : 3:30 p.m.

Having read the policy (thank you, Common Thought), it seems to me someone at Delta is misinterpreting the policy. From the video, it sounds like Delta is now passing the buck to their partner airline, since the employee worked for the partner. Either way, Delta comes off as being a company ogre who is making the girl pay for a company error.

CommonThought

Tue, Dec 28, 2010 : 2:44 p.m.

Delta has the unaccompanied minor policy posted online at http://www.delta.com/planning_reservations/special_travel_needs/services_for_children/children_traveling_alone/index.jsp#rules this policy says that the 13 year old "can travel on nonstop and connecting flights." that same policy goes on to say, "Travel is permitted on Domestic and International itineraries"

xmo

Tue, Dec 28, 2010 : 2:17 p.m.

Sounds to me like somebody didn't read the rules about minors flying overseas alone. Are we going to arrest her parents for child endangerment?

RuralMom

Tue, Dec 28, 2010 : 11:18 a.m.

Issue is NOT about what kind of ticket, its about flying as an unaccompanied minor to a foreign destination. There are many perks to being an employee of airlines, one of them is that you AND your family members get seats at a reduced price.

the leprachaun

Tue, Dec 28, 2010 : 11:12 a.m.

So she flew with an employee ticket there. Delta realized she wasn't an employee so she stuck. Just buy a real ticket!