HELOISE: Kid flying alone? Follow procedures

Dear Readers: Do you need to send a child alone on a trip by commercial airline? The airlines have procedures that must be followed, and most airlines have similar policies, but you should check with the specific airline you are using.

An unaccompanied minor may range from 5 to 17 years old. There usually is an additional fee. If the child is flying alone, let the airline know when making the reservation.

The Transportation Security Administration will provide an escort pass, which will allow you to take your child right to the gate of the airline. You must stay at the gate until the plane takes off, just in case there is a problem.

A person you designate will be allowed to pick up the child from the airline representative or flight attendant at the gate upon arrival. When making the reservation, provide the name, address and phone number of the person who is picking up your child. Be sure that person has a government-issued identification and a current photo ID. The airline will hand off the child only to that predesignated person.

Make sure that the child has, if not a cell phone, a calling card to call you in an emergency. Check the weather several times before heading out to the airport. The airlines book unaccompanied minors on early flights, in case there are weather-related or other delays.

Before booking a flight for an unaccompanied minor, check the airline’s and airport’s websites, or call with any questions.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: If the holes at the top of a plastic shower curtain rip open, I cut the good part of the plastic shower curtain into a gigantic square or rectangle and use the sheet of plastic as a colorful tablecloth on one of my outdoor patio tables.

Christie Adams, Honolulu

Dear Heloise: We have a large, plastic, inflatable kiddie pool in the driveway. I always felt guilty when changing the water because it would just run down into the street, wasting many gallons of water.

I took a small, portable sump pump (we were lucky to have one in the garage) and hooked a hose to it, put it in the pool and plugged it in. Now I can divert the water for handy uses, such as watering the garden, flower beds and young trees. It’s saving a precious resource, and no more guilt on my conscience.

Tracey in Minnesota

Dear Heloise: Here’s how I keep plastic or wooden silverware divider boxes from moving front to back in the drawer. Measure the length of a cardboard paper-towel tube and cut to the right length. Place between the back wall of the drawer and the back edge of the box. It has worked perfectly since I thought of it a few years ago.

Don Olson, Omaha, Neb.

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate