Should my 15 year old fly as an Unaccompanied Minor or an adult?

Question

My 15 year old daughter is flying from Australia to America by herself to visit her dad. Because of her age I have the choice to have her fly as an unaccompanied minor or an adult. What is the difference? Is it worth it?

Answer 1

As an unaccompanied minor, you can walk her to the gate and she gets escourted everywhere by flight attendants, and it costs more. If your daughter is comfortable finding her way though security and US customs,  I would go with that, the other way is a pain cause you have to wait forever for everything.

Answer 2

minor gets attended by stuartest

adult like everyone else . u cant fly adult until ur like 16 or older

Answer 3

You should declare her as an unaccompanied minor because the ground staff would make sure that the child is safely "endorsed" to the person who is supposed to meet her on her final destination.  Also, she would be escorted all throughout her entire flight.  It's much safer that way. :)

Answer 4

I'm 15 and i flew MNL-LHR and I was considered an adult already. The staff of CX advised my grandparents that they won't pay for an extra $70 for the Unaccompanied Minor service but instead, she arranged something else for me which is Meet and Assist wherein a staff at the airport meets me and company me and help me in the airport. And also a staff in HKG was waiting for me at the gate with my name on a card. So I approached him and he did bring me to my connecting gate. The flight service was great. This was the greatest experience for me traveling. Then after landing in LHR, a staff was waiting for me again and he did everything for me from Immigration to Luggage.  

Answer 5

My 14 year old often flies domestically as an ordinary passenger.  Internationally I would send her as an unaccompanied minor.  The potential for problems and delays on the other side of the customs/immigration/security barrier, at either end, are such that I would not want her to have to deal with them without assistance.  

Domestically I watch her walk into the plane, and my ex-wife watches her walk out, or vice versa.  No customs, no immigration so there is not much that can go wrong.  Internationally I cannot go past the barrier.

Answer 6

The best thing to do would be to ask her what she wants to do.

Give her the straight facts on what ever she chooses to do. If she is alone, she will have to get through security, passport control and customs on her own...and Australian border security can be as 'rough' as the americans.

Or she can be escorted on to the plane, last on, last off. Someone basicily is holding her hand for the whole time...

it will cost a bit more with the service, but if you think that she is mature enough to handle the adult situations and not be intimidated when customs officers ask her routine questions, then give her the option.

I was given the option once when flying here within Australia and I chose to go in it alone...its great fun!