mizery: You are missing the point. It's not what you would do, it's what was not done correctly. I have no problem with her letting her child travel alone. Once the transfer is made, it's the airline's job to make sure all channels of communications are open. I am glad that she is safe.

Mizery: This is one of the major issues in America. Someone like yourself takes ONE incident and makes it out to be a huge problem. The process that Southwest goes through to make sure children are safe is extra ordinary. A massive company like this isn't going to create a situation where their client's children are put at risk. My children fly with southwest 10+ times a year and I have personally flown with them 100's of times. I am not going to say that what they did was OK, but to say that parents are irresponsible if they don't pay thousands of dollars a year more to fly with them is ludicrous.

You wouldn't let your 17, 18 or 19 year old fly without you?? No offense, but you have a serious problem!

uh, we have these new fangled devices called cell phones. Get your kid one for trips like this.

My parents let me fly overseas from Newark, NJ to Taipei, Taiwan with an overnight stay in Toyko when I was 12. ALONE. Before cell phones. You have to start somewhere (well, mine started with a cross-country flight to SF). I'll bet Chloe had a good time nevertheless.

Another shining example of an irresponsible parent leaving the responsibility of their children to someone else. Obviously Southwest took care of this kid. Instead of going to the press I'd be busy chasing down this stewardess and pilot to pay them back for feeding my kid....

No the parents are not irresponsible. The airline screwed up and should have called to say there was a delay due to the weather. At the age of 16, I was put in the room where they put unaccompanied children because they thought I was younger and the big teddy bear also made them think I was younger than what I was. This is a service they pay for so what is the problem? They screwed up and they admitted it.

I flew by myself years ago, between the ages of 7 and 11, with eastern and piedmont,back and forth from N.C to FLA, there were times when I was 9 ,at Atlanta Int, I was by myself and had to walk myself to the terminal, It is a scary experience when you are alone in a big place,as a child. This trip stuck in my head,because I was left alone for the first time.

I always end this story with"well Im here so I must of found my way"lol

Very irresponsible of the guides at SouthWest..

I was a country boy from N.C, I remember seeing the golf carts in the hallways at Atlanta Int,wondering how they got the cars inside.lol

So they never put the child in any danger and she was never left unattended or alone? The only gripe is they didn't call her? How about the kid calls mom? I know kids at 9 that have cell phones. You put you kid on a flight with with stops to save a buck and it didn't work out? Good thinking MOM!

Yeah, I know of a mother that wouldn't let her 19 yr old daughter, College Student, date a guy unless she met and approved of him first. I imagine you are the same type of mother.

On the same note, this timid girl grew up and ended up having to divorce because the parents didn't approve of the husband and it turned out to be too much of a strain on the marriage. Now the girl is over 30, and living with the parents again.

Nice job parenting!

Mizery, I flew alone from Cedar Rapids to San Francisco when I was 15, managed to change planes in Omaha, and on the return flight happily read a book while I was delayed at the San Francisco airport for 11 hours - all without panicking or needing an adult holding my hand. If you think your children need to be accompanied at 19, how are you ever going to cope with them going away to college or renting an apartment? Good grief, older teenagers are backpacking all over the world on their own!

There are plenty of legitimate reasons for minors to be sent cross-country on their own, such as not every parent being able to afford the time or money to accompany children to spouses sharing custody.

hundreds of children fly alone, and it's usually not an issue. Because she was supervised at all times, she wasn't in danger, but the fact that her family was not notified was wrong. I'm sure that if her mother or aunt was notified about the change and assured that her daughter was being taken care of, this would be a non-issue. The problems with flying like this extend to everyone - if someone is supposed to be on the plane, their family should be able to find out where they are if they do not get OFF the plane they are supposed to be on.

Disagree. The parents in this and any other similar cases (regarding the child's age) are TOTALLY IRRESPONSIBLE. And, at the same time, so is ANY Airline which has abandoned the rules they used to have that no child under 12 is to be unaccompanied. The trains and buses used to have the same rules.

Society today is, in fact, far more dangerous than it was when I was a kid and almost wasn't allowed alone on a train as I appeared to be under 12. They asked me the date I was born and I couldn't do the arithmetic. (I was actually 11 and a half). But I was tall for my age and they decided to let me go (it was New York to Washington, D.C., where my mom had gotten a job).

Providing children with an adult to travel has always been the parents' responsibility and it certainly should be now.

Both Southwest is wrong for not keeping that former policy, and the Kerr, the parent, is wrong for even considering it! She is exposing her child to all kinds of dangers in the world today, and getting confused on a plane change is the least of them.

I blame the parent the most. And I have especial disgust for her whining about it and publicizing it.

Looks to me she is getting ready for another of those frivolous lawsuits. I wish these big organizations getting sued would stop setting precedents by settling with hush-up money. For once, they should counter-sue...

I agree with miseryschild, although age 12 and over presumably would have reached a sufficient age of maturity to understand instructions. It's simply a return to former airline policies.

Get a grip . You're exposed to thousands of dangers today ever time you open your mouth and suck air. This is called teaching responsibility and Chloe got a good lesson in how to maintain her cool and handle unexpected things. Mom was rightfully panicked. The airline took care of her and yes, they should have called the mother or the aunt but she was never abandoned.

No 9 year old should own a cell phone, but loaning her one for the trip might have been considered as she could have handed it to a flight attendant or the pilot and asked that they contact her mother.

These children should carry cell phones.

I didn't know it was southwest's job to do the parenting and make sure the kid got where she needed to go how the parents planned.... did this kid not have any means of contacting her parents? It never occurred that a storm might delay or change travel plans.. this was just poor planning on the parents part... It is not southwest's job to babysit

Problem is, some of the parents posting here actually raised children who are capable of handling things like this without a hitch. The ones complaining about parents letting their kids do this are the ones who know their own children would get lost in a bathroom. So they whine about how this is soooo wrong.

Ridiculous over reactionary BS. My children fly unaccompanied on nonstop flights. The REAL irony of this particular situation is that Southwest charges you an extra $50/child/leg to 'supervise' the situation.

PRICELESS! It isn't terribly difficult programming to code an UM on a flight and as soon as that flight is diverted/changed/cancelled to go into 'stealth' mode. But hey,...why let pragmatics ruin a good rant about how unsafe the world is.

My grandma used to tell me about a child she knew whose parents wouldn't let him do anything. He died in his room when a small airplane crashed into the house.

Some people think life is to be experienced and some think it is to be sanitized. My children are far richer beings for their experiences with and without us around.

All you people who are blaming the parents for being irresponsible are way off base. It's not like you put your kid on a flight and say bye bye. Maybe you're misunderstanding the term "unaccompanied minor." That doesn't mean the kid flies without any supervision - it just means there is no adult traveling with them.

The parents PAY for a flight attendant and other personnel to closely watch your child. It is a professional AGREEMENT with the airline, that your child NEVER LEAVES THEIR CARE until they are safely in the hands of an approved adult on the other end of the flight. Parents are allowed to accompany their child all the way to the gate, and personally meet the flight attendant who will care for their child.

There are many situations in which it only makes sense to have your child fly without a parent - sometimes it's a shared custody thing. Not everyone can afford to fly with their child. And if the child is old enough, and the airline has policies in place that the parent trusts, then it is not an irresponsible thing to do.

Some funny comments here. One woman won't let her children out of her site until they turn 20. (I'm sure they'll be well adjusted as adults). Another puts her kids on dozens of flights a year. (The kids must be in sales).

Anyway, there was a mix up on the airline and I'm sure each of the individual thought that someone else had contacted the parents. They took care of the girl and it sounds like everyone will be more thankful this Christmas because of the whole incident. Much ado about nothting.

Sounds like there was a miscommunication on the part of someone at Southwest Airlines. Someone should have called the little girl's mother to inform her of the delay so she could relay the information to whomever was going to be responsible for picking her up in LaGuardia Airport. If I was the parent or person responsible for picking up the child at the destination I too would be frantic if the child was not on the scheduled flight. Responsibility is something that is often neglected or shirked by people as not being important anymore. Too bad, it use to be the mainstay of many businesses.

So I guess I never should have flown off to college by myself at 17? Sometimes kids need to grow up.

Seems to me that the mother should have booked the child on a direct flight. You never know what can happen during a layover. If she was so worried about it, she should have went with her. Besides, seems to me that the employees of Southwest went out of their way to take care of the girl. The airline should have notified the family nonetheless, but I don't really see this as a big deal.

Jane-2067387

So I guess I never should have flown off to college by myself at 17? Sometimes kids need to grow up.

The child was a 9 y/o--not 17.

UAW: irresponsible parenthood??? Good grief man, she wasn't expected to FLY the plane...

These outraged parents should be worrying about more important things. Southwest usually does an excellent job of watching out for unaccompanied minors. Yes, the parents were not called about her arrival delay in this little girls' case, but it's not a major disaster or a sign of poor parenting.

Younger kids should take non-stop flights, but in the unexpected event of a diversion (due to weather, etc.), a flight attendant will stay with the child, get them something to eat in the airport while they wait, and make sure the child gets on the continuing flight safely.

My daughter loved her unexpected experience when her Southwest flight was diverted to Las Vegas. A wonderful Southwest flight attendant took her out to eat and they wandered about looking in the airport shops and admiring the flashing lights of the gambling machines. She thought it was quite an adventure.

That was back before Southwest charged for UM's and before cell phones, but my daughter always felt safe and had a blast! Thanks, Southwest.

Older unaccompanied minors can take connecting flights and a flight attendant will walk them from gate to gate and make sure they board the correct flight. Airlines charge extra fees for this because it ties up a flight attendant for awhile, but that's much cheaper than the extra ticket and time it requires for a parent to fly back and forth to go with the kid.

Each parent needs to assess their child's maturity and take into consideration the flight's duration, weather, and how comfortable the child would be with flying without parents. Send along food, games, coloring books, a blanket, etc., whatever they want to bring, and explain every step of what will happen.

These days, of course, kids should have a cell phone AND know how to ask for help from authorities. The child will have a nametag around their neck with contact info, but they should also be instructed about what to do in different situations.

Parents can't always take off from work or fly round-trip every time their kid goes to visit the other parent or their grandparents. Turn this into an adventure for your kid and see how quickly responsibility helps them mature! For most kids, there's no need to baby them and make them think they're unsafe unless a parent is by their side constantly. But if you're worrying too much (neurotic), they'll pick up on that and will be clingy.

No way in hell would I let my 9 year old fly alone.

Over 13, maybe.

AP-1414066

UAW: irresponsible parenthood??? Good grief man, she wasn't expected to FLY the plane...

Your comment made me think of the movie, "Airplane." Thanks

It is clear that many people reading this thread need to do some basic research before they post.

There is nothing in the contract about the airline being required to reach out to parents when there is a schedule irregularity. That is the parents' responsibility, totally.

The airlines' responsibilities are outlined very clearly: supervision, and following of a specific procedure during drop-off and pick-up.

That's it.

Everything else a parent may want out of the service it is the parent's responsibility to provide for.

Read the contract, people. Don't assume that you're going to get whatever you want.

It is not the parent's responsibility "totally". Southwest says,

"Make sure that you and the parent/guardian picking up the UM are available to answer phone calls during the flight time in the event of a flight irregularity."

There was a flight irregularity and the parents are complaining that no one was contacted as per Southwest advice above.

You read that statement wrong. Read it again: "Make sure that you and the parent/guardian picking up the UM are available to answer phone calls during the flight time in the event of a flight irregularity." It says that the parent/guardian must be available to receive phone calls. Southwest surely would have called as soon as they needed to make contact. That is precisely what that provision is for - to ensure Southwest can reach the parent/guardian when they need to.

Hey, at least the kid got a meal, some snacks and an extra groping pat down search by the TSA.

Sandtrich

Your comment made me think of the movie, "Airplane." Thanks

Surely you can't be serious lol

It is not southwest's job to babysit

Well, actually - since Chloe's mother paid an additional fee (which can be as much as $100, depending on the airline), it IS Southwest's job to babysit. Her mother paid for a specific service - having her daughter watched throughout the flight. While it sounds as though Chloe was never left unattended, the airline still should have contacted either her mother or her aunt to let them know Chloe would be on a later flight.

it IS Southwest's job to babysit

And they did. They fulfilled their promise completely.

While it sounds as though Chloe was never left unattended, the airline still should have contacted either her mother or her aunt to let them know Chloe would be on a later flight.

I'm sure they would have if they needed to. The parents simply wanted the service to include preemptively keeping them, the parents, informed of the progress of the journey. The $50 fee doesn't include that higher level of service. Expecting it is therefore unreasonable. Parents who want that level of service should be sure that the airline that they use to ship their child to their destination promises it, and if none do, to accept that and make their decision about whether to use the UM service given that it doesn't provide what they want.

What the hell are you people doing that you're flying all over all the time sheesh.Another enterprise that got too big.Air travel shouls\d never have gotten this big.It's how contagions are spread.

Can't agree, Delta is bad but S/W is the bottom

The headline is wrong: It was the relatives that were stranded. Any child flying alone should be given a contact number and instruction on when to use it. I'd bet the pilot had a cell phone he would gladly have let Chloe use. Not that the airline is without fault. but common sense would have gone a long way.

Agree, MV-skeptic. Southwest is Greyhound with wings.

Hey, Delta DID find the lost cat, right? I would not fly Delta if my life depended on it. The mother should allow her daughter to fly home with Southwest - there is NO WAY POSSIBLE they would mess up again with them.

Love Southwest!!!

At least Southwest is apologizing and even refunded the ticket price, unlike some other airlines that when something goes wrong go into denial or make excuses or blame passangers. And it sounds like the child was being cared for, even fed, by Southwest staff, although I certainly understand the parents' worries.

@softdude

Thank you!!! You are the first person to say exactly what I was thinking; the headline is totally wrong! The child was not stranded, and there was no 5 hour layover on the route that had been booked for the child. The plane HAD to make an unscheduled stop due to the weather, and due to that stop the child was not on the plane she should have arrived on. So what if it wasn't a direct flight: the person assigned to escort the child STAYS with the child during the entire trip, and that includes handing the child off to another attendant when the child changes planes. That headline was a good hook to get people to read the article, but it in no way was a true statement of what actually happened.

Funny (and true) story; my grandson was flying from Atlanta to Baltimore by himself; I was allowed to go through security with him and all the way to the gate so that I could 'hand him off' to the attendant. We sat in the area where the plane was due to take off and waited, and waited, and waited...finally I walked up to the counter and asked the woman when was the flight going to be called. She said they had been calling it for the last 10 minutes!! She then told me that she'd even called my grandson's name because they knew he was coming. He had gone into the bathroom while I went to the counter, and when the agent said the plane was about to take off, I ran into the men's bathroom and got him! (Fortunately he was finished and was playing with the dryer on the wall after he washed his hands.) When we came out, the agent was shaking her head, and I asked her what was wrong; she said that they were pulling away, and there was no way to catch it. There was a gentleman standing near her, (he was dressed in a pilot uniform with a name tag and cap ) who looked like he was about to walk down there to the plane; he turned to her and said no way to catch what? She told him the plane number, and explained to him that we had missed boarding and procedure says and blah blah blah. Finally he told her "Aw we can make it !" He turned and looked at my grandson (who was 9) and grinned and said "Can you jump? I think if we jump we can make it!" My grandson is kind of shy, but he piped right up and said "I can jump!" Of course the agent is turning blue and trying to interrupt and say that there was no way, they couldn't catch the plane. He looked at me and got serious, and said "Ma'am, I promise you he'll be on that plane and safely, don't you worry." He took my grandson's hand, told him Ready...Set... and to the agent "Oh, they can't leave till I get there; I'm the pilot!) then he said Go!! and off he went with my grandson's hand tight in his, running for the plane. I thought I would fall over laughing, not just at how funny the two of them looked running down that tunnel, and not just at the way everyone standing around who had heard the conversation was looking; the biggest laugh was the look on the agent's face as she watched them run down, saw the door open back up and the two of them get in, and the door close again!! I swear, I thought she was going to faint right away!! Priceless!!!

Nice story, Wanda, Merry Christmas.

Great story Wanda! You have the storytelling knack, I could picture the whole story as I read it!!

I don't know how old your grandson is now but that's a story he'll be telling until HE'S a grandpa!!! Thanks for sharing!

A 9 year old should not have cell phone. At that age, the parents should know where they are 100% of the time. My kids won't be getting cell phones until at least the 6th grade.

Not "every" kid has a cell phone. Many of them are not responsible enough to hang onto them until they are older. How do you think we all survived and managed to make plans and connect in the days when NOBODY had a cell phone?

Mike has a fair point, not that the kid should or shouldn't have a cell phone but the kid could have called the parents. What is she 4th grade? Maybe only 3rd. Eitherway, old enough to use the phone. I'd beat her azz when she got home.

Why is everyone blaming the 9 year old child, emphasis on the word child. She doesn't possess the ability or comprehension to understand that she needed to alert someone at home her flight had been changed or delayed. It seems that the flight attendant and pilot (that's hard to believe) took care of her needs. She was distracted and probably was having a good time and not even thinking of her mother or father or even where she was going. So back off on being so hard on the child. If blame is to be placed, blame the airlines for not notifying the parents of the delay and informing them that she would be in capable hands at such and such air terminal and would be arriving at her destination on flight such and such at a given time. That would have been the proper and correct protocol.

Uh, you won't let your child fly whether she's 9 or 19? Guess what? If you're child is 19, she won't give a rip whether you'll let her fly or not and you'll have NO SAY IN THE MATTER.

Matt: wild guess that your kids are one of the few without cell phones. Nothing wrong with your decision. Nothing with theirs. Some of us aren't afraid of technology.

Yes, a 9 year old is old enough to know she needs to contact someone. She may be not old enough though to know what to do about that if she doesn't have a cell.

Reread the story!

"Chloe's flight, however, made an extra stop in Cleveland due to weather,..."

That line means that it was unexpected, nobody planned on an extra stop, something unusual happened.

Reading for comprehension:

"Southwest's policy only allows unaccompanied children to be booked on itineraries that don’t include plane changes. Chloe's flight, however, made an extra stop in Cleveland due to weather...."

did you not read the article? It was a non-stop flight and that's part of SWA's policy, but the plane was diverted due to weather....

No the plane already had SCHEDULED stops in Columbus and Baltimore.

"Kerr had put Chloe on a flight in Nashville headed for New York’s LaGuardia Airport with scheduled stops in Columbus and Baltimore."

Sully - apparently you are the one who didn't read the article:

"Kerr had put Chloe on a flight in Nashville headed for New York's LaGuardia Airport with scheduled stops in Columbus and Baltimore"

She put her unaccompanied child on a flight with two scheduled connections. This situation is challenging for the average adult.

Ummm...hate to burst your bubbles, but the plane WAS scheduled to stop in two places. The little girl just didn't have any plane changes in those places AND she had the unscheduled stop in Cleveland.

I think the point is more that SW did not notify the family of the delays -- where those delays happened are not the point of the story.

It said there were stops in Columbus in Baltimore, but the child did not have to change planes. They were there to either drop off or pick up other fliers. The child would have been required to stay on the plane at each of those stops. If not for the 'unscheduled' stop due to weather, the child would have been in the same seat for the entire trip, regardless of the number of stops.

Gizmowiz,

Work on your reading comprehension, please, before you judge others to be incompetent.

The flight had no plane changes scheduled. It was weather that caused the change. A non-stop flight could also have had a change due to weather. Learn to read. If the child had been given a phone card to use the phone in an airport the worry could have been prevented. Apparently the parent had not given the child any money for snacks/food or any emergency. It was very nice of the SW staff to care for and feed the child. Instead of the long drive and making a big issue it might have been better for the child to fly back with the above items in case of another weather issue. Like falling off a horse, get back on it.

His name begins with Giz. What do u expect?

It was a non stop. READ the story: it was an unscheduled stop and plane change due to weather.

People READ the story... extra stop due to weather!! GEEZ!!!

Why should they read the facts of the issue they're discussing? They're having more fun throwing random mud unconstrained by what actually happened.

It was Kevin's daughter! :) jk

And yet if the child had a cell phone there would be people here complaining that "a nine year old is too young to have a cell phone."

A parent should not have a problem paying $1,000 extra to have the unaccompanied minor attended to full time by an airline employee. It's completely ridiculous to expect that a minor child will not have any delays such as adults experience while flying. If 24 hour service is to be given to children, the parents of the children should pay for it and not pass the expenses on to the rest of the traveling public or expect to be able to sue the airlines if their child has a wait time of five hours. A five hour wait is not extreme, and the only way it could have been avoided is if the child had an employee of the airline with them the entire time. If you want that kind of service, pay for it; otherwise, travel with your children. If weather causes an unforeseen delay or stop on an otherwise non-stop flight, well that's life for the traveling public. I admit that it might have been scary for the aunt on the receiving end, but if the girl is old enough to travel alone, she might have used a couple of dollars to call her aunt from the airport instead of only relying on SW to do those notifications. One of the lessons learned here should be: Prepare for the unexpected. Get a disposable cell phone or phone credit card and make sure the child knows how to call the parents and notify them of delays or changes in schedules. If they can't do that, then perhaps they ARE too young to fly unattended.

I rest my case. See post #3.1.

A parent should not have a problem paying $1,000 extra to have the unaccompanied minor attended to full time by an airline employee.

I'm glad you don't, but the rest of us live in the real world.

Orthehighway, when you say that "a parent should not have a problem paying an extra $1,000" (on top of the plane ticket) you are being very unrealistic about the finances of the average working American. A thousand dollars is BIG money to most people.

Orthehighway - Parents do pay extra for their child to fly as an unaccompanied minor. That is a separate service in addition to the ticket price. That covers the cost of a flight attendant making sure that the child meets up with their party on the other end, and sees to it that the child is ok during the flight. It's not a free service. It's something parents arrange.

Peggy J,

$1,000.00 is unrealistic because of the finances of the average working American? Just what IS a child worth?

Peggy J,

$1,000.00 is unrealistic because of the finances of the average working American? Just what IS a child worth?

Using that logic, no one should ever entrust their child to anyone for any price. Never hire a babysitter, because your child is certainly worth more than $3 an hour. Your child is priceless – you can never pay anyone the true value of caring for your child, whether it's $1,000 or $1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

Orthehighway -you are ridiculous! If I had the $1,000 to pay for an airline 'nanny' to accompany my child's every breath & step, I would have the money to accompany my child myself. I pay a fee for the airline to exercise a due diligence and loco parentis. I pay a babysitter when I go out. I even approve, on occasion, the babysitter taking the child out, provided certain conditions are met. One of those conditions is to advise me of 'problems' and 'changes'. The unplanned stop is a 'problem' and a 'change'. The parent should have been advised.

@severed head

And yet if the child had a cell phone there would be people here complaining that "a nine year old is too young to have a cell phone." (#6.1)

But if the child had had a cell phone, we wouldn't be here having this discussion because the adults would have known what happened and there wouldn't have been a media story in the first place!!! LOL

It is a weekly thing with them, and I doubt I'd want to be on a three-stopper just to move a few hundred miles.

Really? Maybe it's the fact that Southwest flies more domestic flights than any other airline. Or maybe you're forgetting that Northwest had the two pilots fly over Minneapolis for an extra hour. Or that America West had the pilot pulled off the flight for being drunk...or that American kicked Alec Baldwin off their flight...or that Delta landed at the wrong airport a while back.

The issue is the mother didn't prepare her daughter very well. Southwest did everything right except for notifying the aunt of the delay, and they apologized sincerely for that. Because Southwest is "the Greyhound of the skies", they provide air travel for many people who couldn't otherwise afford it, and that includes lots of kids who're traveling back and forth to see their separated parents. The fact that you DON'T hear about this every week should be the remarkable thing!

It was Continental who put a kid on the wrong plane a few years ago. The kid ended up in the wrong place. They all have their problems, but considering how many people travel every day, let alone the Christmas season, they do a pretty good job.

I seem to remember a few other airlines having issues with unaccompanied minors lately... Also, several other incidents of people getting kicked off planes, or ridiculous plane delays... Its not just SouthWest.

"...or that American kicked Alec Baldwin off their flight..." - JJ-354176

Oh right, because he is a national treasure. They should have let him keep his phone out when he was told to put it away... I'm sure that game of 'words with friends' was with very important people. Oh yeah, AA screwed up BIG time by trying to make him act like everyone else and follow FAA rules - how dare they kick him off a flight for being a pompous jerk!? (Sarcasm folks, for those not well versed in it)

I suppose you keep your 9 year old chained to your wrist. My daughter's been flying alone since she was 9. She was commuting cross country between my ex-wife and me, and none of us have ever worried.

Think for a minute. If I flew with her to her mother's city for her Christmas break, I'd either need to immediately fly home, then return in two weeks, or spend two weeks alone in another city during the holidays.

It's expensive enough to fly for a child; now add in two adult round trip tickets, and it becomes cost prohibitive. But it's court-mandated in the custody agreement that she spend this time with her mother, so choices are limited.

I got my kids used to flying at a young age. I guess that's why my daughter has never had any problems flying on her own to other countries... Australia, Japan, Taiwan, S. Korea, England, UAE, Pakistan, etc. Teach your kids caution and make knowledge about the "ins and outs" of global travel available to them. They will thank you as they expand their horizons.

Their policy is to contact parents if the flight is diverted. They messed up.

From Southwest:

"Make sure that you and the parent/guardian picking up the UM are available to answer phone calls during the flight time in the event of a flight irregularity."

Their policy is for the parents to be available to receive phone calls. That provision is there for Southwest's benefit. It isn't unusual, though, for consumers to assume that every aspect of every agreement that they enter into is for their own benefit. The American consumer is notoriously self-centered.

No Chigago, their policy is that you be available to answer a call should they try to contact you. It doesn't say they have to actually contact you in the event of an irregularity. Subtle difference, but in contract law, it's very important.

Correct, and that importance goes directly back to the point and purpose of Southwest airlines, i.e., low cost airline travel. Adding more cost to the business model runs counter to why customers chose Southwest in the first place.

And the Southwest model is now generally pervasive throughout the industry, specifically because consumers have ratified and fostered that low-cost model, over and over again, with such consistency that adopting that model became inescapable.

The "stupid" parents signed a contract with SouthWest to meet certain conditions. They paid extra money for this. SW did not live up to their terms of the contract. Tens of thousands of children fly unaccompanied every year. In 99.99999% of the cases things run fine. Children should, however, be taught to ask to use the phone themselves when things go wrong.

Incorrect. Southwest did live up to the terms of the contract. The parents just expected a greater level of consistency and timeliness of communication than the contract provided for.

Agreed. Flew by myself as a kid many times. Southwest made right by it, not a big deal.

I flew from Seattle to London when I was 12, and back again. It was fun and no big deal.

JP, it's ALWAYS news when something unusual happens and missing a kid (even though she was only technically missing) is unusual. It's news precisely because this does NOT regularly happen...get it?

Kids go missing all over the world on a daily basis yet this one case somehow seems to make national headlines...question is, do YOU get it?

I was flying unaccompanied at the age of 11 in the '60's. Flying from Denver to Indianapolis one year at Christmas by way of Chicago. Got rerouted to Detroit because of a blizzard. Managed to rebook a flight to Indianapolis without problems.

I was 13 at the time.

Abandoning my responsibilities would be taking the time off to fly with them for 10 days that could no longer be used to spend a quality vacation with them. Abandoning my responsibilities would be taking the money that would have gone into their college funds to the tune of $20,000+ dollars over 10 years and spend it on a fear that has a 1 in 100 million chance of happening. Abandoning my responsibilities would be recklessly putting my children into harms way without thinking about the consequences. Look up how many kids have been lost (forever) or hurt as a result of being unaccompanied on a flight. Guess what it is----0! How is it possibly abandoning responsibility if there literally almost no chance of something happening to them. We choose not to shroud our children with the comfort that Mommy and Daddy are always going to be right next to them at all steps. Our kids know we love them, that we will be there for them, but that the world isn't as scary as everyone makes it out to be. You can't always control the situations that make up daily life and I'd rather be forward thinking in the reality of situation rather than play into the fears of the irrational.

CRB... The helicopter is hovering. Bring it in for a landing!

Joel, joel...take a breath...it was a flight, not Hogworth's...

@CRB

I would NEVER let my nine year old child fly unaccompanied under any circumstances in part because the unexpected CAN happen ... no responsible parent would.

Speaking as one of the "irresponsible" ones, who was brought up by one of the "irresponsible" ones, (my dad used to put me on a plane to see my mother every year) yes the unexpected CAN happen, and what can you do that the trained attendant cannot? Other than get hysterical and get in the way?

CRB, this whole thing is getting ridiculous. You are at least the two dozenth poster who has said EXACTLY the same, "NO WAY......". You (and the other 25+ people), have been answered by dozens saying "Its no big deal..."

What we need here is a system sort of like what Rush uses. HEY EDITORS: How about a "Ditto to A" vs "Ditto to B" system. Maybe with a third, a "calm down everybody" ("Ditto to C") comment. Save everybody a lot of typing, and illustrate that further comments are a waste of time.

I thinks is so funny how everyone has a good and bad point. My daughter drove to Tenessee with her best friends family because they were moving there. I paid an extra 100 dollars for my 14 year old daughter to fly back as an accompanied minor. Yes, the airlines are completely wrong in this case. No, the parents are not irresponsible. And hello people, not everyone can afford to buy their 9 year old a cell phone.

jeez. Get a grip people.

Why feel sorry for her? She apparently did quite well on her own. It seems she doesn't feel the way you did.

even if the media says she did quite well, im sure she got scared. kids always want act like they are grown up and may not admit they were scared. i didnt, i acted like it was no big deal..

When I was 8 years old, I stared out the window of the Delta Airlines L-1011 MIA to ATL for the entire flight, oogling the spoilers, flaps, and upon landing, the thrust reversers on the engines. Got coddled by the cabin staff, got to look at the cockpit, got a pair of wings for my jacket and a plastic plane to take home. Scared? Friggin' awesome was more like it! For an 8 year old, anyway. I suppose some kids can get scared at the prospect of flying, and it is up to the parents to act appropriately. Me, I couldn't wait to get on the plane. See ya later, mom and dad!

My boys were the same way Chris. Mom and Dad who? They loved their little and big adventures away from home. I didn't raise little hot house flowers for kids. They'd always check in when they got where they were going, and sometimes that was the last we heard from them until either forced by relatives to call us, or we called them. Independence is a great thing, and one of the best things you can do for your kids is empower them to think for themselves.

Apparently MFranklin, you believe that because the airline was notified that she would need a little extra time getting to the gate, the airline should adjust their schedule to accomodate her. If she needed a little extra time, she should have been there a little early.

Airlines are in business to transport people and cargo, not to babysit and accomodate each and every personal need of the clientele. I believe she was fortunate to get the hotel and meal compensation.

We are ALL terminal.

Was she late getting to the terminal? Or did the plane leave early? I can understand your frustration if the plane left early. However, if she needs extra time to get to places, then why didnt she go to the airport earlier?

Free Range Mom - I agree they took very good care of her....really excellent personal care of her. BUT THEY DIDN'T CALL THE MOTHER OR THE AUNT TO SAY HEY DON'T WORRY WE'VE GOT YOUR KID AND WE'RE TAKING CARE OF HER UNTIL WE CAN GET HER TO NEW YORK. If you're a mom, and a semi decent one, you would see that this one lapse a major concern. That's an hour of unecessary panic and torture for a mother not to know where her child is.

"...not exactly knowing where she is at every second." GOD I HOPE YOU DONT' HAVE ANYMORE CHILDREN. It was upwards of an hour. And the child wasn't at home in suburbia...she was traveling cross country!!

I think Chloe will NEVER fly again! That is, untill she convinces her Mom that she had a REALLY great time, and wants to do it again.

Air Travel has changed since the early 1970's which was the last time my brother and I flew alone as children. Back then I flew United Airlines from Honolulu to Raleigh, NC. The flight was very fun but uneventful as far as any trouble. Due to making such a long flight, we had to make several connecting flights. I can tell you one thing, at every connecting airport there was a United Customer Service Representative at every airport that escorted my brother and I to our connecting gate and flight. It was outstanding service and safe. We flew on a 747 Jumbo Jet with a spiral staircase and a bar upstairs. All we got served was sodas and ice cream but we had a fantastic time. Today, I would not let my child fly alone because of the TSA alone. If any agency can mess something up it would be the TSA. Could you imagine a child missing flight due to enhanced screening techniques of an over zealous TSA agent. It is only a matter of time before it happens. I still think every airline can escort a child through an airport with connecting flights and if they don't it is laziness and poor customer service. Other than the TSA I would have no problems with my child flying alone if escorted on and off of any connecting flight and checked on by decent stewards and stewardesses while on the plane.

They did keep a close eye on her. She wasn't left alone the entire time.

Sure, the people that the mother talked to originally had no idea where Chloe was, but she was always in the company of a SW employee.