PARENTING Planning helps when the kids are flying alone

Plan ahead and cover all the bases to prevent anxiety for you and your kids.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
After years of shepherding children on trips, there comes a time when parents finally send kids flying off on their own. They may be students going off to college or younger children traveling between far-flung relatives or on school trips.
Whatever the children's ages, most parents won't stop worrying until hearing they've arrived safely. Parents' natural concerns about children flying unaccompanied have been intensified by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and this summer's U.S. government warnings about the possibility of more attacks on airlines.
There's very little parents can do about terrorism -- short of never letting their children fly -- but the chances of being caught in a terrorist attack are extremely remote.
What children traveling alone may encounter, instead, are flight delays, cancellations or situations that make them nervous. Here are some tips on how to prepare kids of various ages for flying on their own.
Flight precautions
In general, U.S. airlines require children be at least 5 years old to travel alone on domestic flights. Airline staff supervise (and charge for the service) children under 12; it's also available, if parents choose, for older children. Fees for unaccompanied minors range from about $40 to $75 one way, in addition to the ticket. Prices and policies vary with airlines, so check well ahead.
Choose flights carefully. Look for nonstop or direct flights that don't require a change of planes. If kids must take connecting flights, don't book them onto the last flight of the day; they'd be stranded overnight if they miss the connection.
Make sure kids travel with enough cash for emergencies -- sounds simple, but even college students may need to be reminded.
Young travelers might not always encounter helpful strangers. Make sure they have a cash reserve, and get teens an ATM card for cash withdrawals or a pre-paid credit card, such as Visa Buxx. American Automobile Association members can get a Cash Passport Card that functions like an ATM card.
Even young children who are traveling as unaccompanied minors under airline supervision should travel with money in case of mishaps.
Communication is key
Phone home. Make sure young children know to use a pay phone so they can reach you. Teens could take along a cell phone so you can stay in touch easily, especially on overseas trips. Check with your cell-service provider on international use. Or companies that rent phones include International Cellular Services, www.internationalcellular.com, and WorldCell International Cellular Service, www.worldcell.com.
Asking for help. Instruct kids to ask flight attendants or uniformed airline staff for help in the airport and on the plane. Tell them about the flight-attendant call button by the plane seats -- and that it's fine to use it.
If they can't find airline staff to help in an emergency, tell them to approach a parent with kids. Do give them the usual stranger-danger warnings, but don't make them so nervous that they won't talk to anyone.
Necessary information
Airline staff will have contact information for unaccompanied minors, but make sure the kids have it, too. Tuck a sheet of paper with phone numbers into a secure pocket where they can't lose it. List your phone number, a backup number of a relative or friend, plus phones/addresses at their destination.
For older teens or college students traveling overseas, make sure they have a copy of their passport photo page and airline tickets -- and that they're carried separately from the originals in case of loss.
Also give them the number of the U.S. embassy for the country in which they're traveling in case of emergency; embassies have on-call duty officers. Embassy phone numbers can be obtained from the U.S. State Department's consular information sheets on foreign countries at www.travel.state.gov or by phone: (888) 407-4747 for recorded information.
Only ticketed passengers are allowed through airport-security checkpoints to the gates, but exceptions can be made for the parents or guardians of children. Check with your airline about getting what is called a "gate pass." You'll need a government-issued photo ID to get one at the airport; be sure to allow lots of time to get through lines at the airline counter and security checkpoint.
Prepared for anything
Even if children have flown a lot, it can be much scarier when a parent isn't around. Tell them what to expect on the flight -- and remind them that steep turns and variations in jet-engine noise are normal.
Get a young child an aisle seat. It makes it easier to go to the restroom -- even teenagers sitting by the window or middle seat may find it embarrassing to ask adult strangers to move. And they can feel trapped if the adults are sleeping. Sitting on the aisle also makes it easier to get a flight attendant for assistance.
Airplane meals are nearly non-existent these days, so pack a big snack and drinks.
Make sure the child has enough books, music or story tapes/CDs, and electronic games to keep occupied. For a nice surprise, slip a small present (unwrapped because of security) into the child's carry-on bag -- and include a note congratulating them on their going-solo rite of passage.
XFor more information on Visa Buxx, call (888) 738-1697 or visit www.visasvp.com. Contact AAA at (800) 562-2582 or www.aaawa.com on the Web.